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Diebold Center for the Performing Arts
The third oldest building still standing on the campus was constructed in 1906. Initially, it served as the Normal School's second gymnasium. During World War II, it was a barracks for marshalling troops and, after the war, a facility for quartering returning servicemen. From 1952 to 1971, it served as the student union and is still known to generations of alumni as the "Old College Union." Closed in 1982, renovations were completed in 1986 and the building redesignated the Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to staging local theater productions, the facility accommodates guest lecturers, serves as a classroom laboratory and recital hall, and provides a site for special workshops, continuing education programs, and meetings. Space within the complex is dedicated to the Intergenerational Center for area senior citizens. In 1996 the building was named in honor of Foster F. Diebold who served as Edinboro's 14th president for 17 years.