In 1988, Associate Dean Harry West recognized that the current City College physical education building (P-building) was inadequate. The building did not have a regulation gymnasium, the number of badminton and volleyball courts were limited, and the locker rooms could not accommodate the number of students enrolled in PE classes. The average square footage per headcount for City College was 1.8, far below the state average of 2.89. In his quest to provide greater physical education opportunities to our widely diverse student population, Harry pursued his vision to increase the variety and quantity of physical education and intercollegiate sports offered by City College. With help from City College President, Jean Atherton, Facilities Director, Damon Schamu, and Chancellor Wenrich, Harry was successful in getting the first set of plans for an Indoor Physical Education Facility (IPEF) submitted to the state in 1990.

Unfortunately, the state did not recommend the funding of the IPEF plans. However, the San Diego Community College District was not discouraged by the state's rejection of the proposal. Instead, the new Chancellor, Augie Gallego, and City College President, Jerry Hunter, elected to revise the plans and re-submitted them to the state. The persistence of the SDCCD prevailed and in 1999, the state approved the construction of the IPEF.

Amenities
The Harry West Gymnasium is located south of the current P-building. The HWG provides three regulation basketball courts, six badminton courts, and five volleyball courts. Team rooms are provided for both the men's and women's teams. The larger locker rooms will accommodate the increasing number of enrolled students. The mezzanine level includes offices, reception, concessions, classroom and fitness gym.

Services
Activity classes offered in the new gymnasium include adaptive physical education, aerobics, badminton, basketball, individual conditioning, volleyball, fitness specialist classes, indoor soccer and martial arts. Community service activities and programs along with other City College special events will also be held in the gymnasium.

Himself an alumnus of City College, West returned in 1961 as assistant football coach, and went on to serve the college as Head Football Coach, Athletic Director and Associate Dean before retiring in 1991. The football teams he coached were among the most successful in the history of the college. A dedicated teacher and coach, West was noted for following the progress of his former students long after they left City College.

In 1993 West was inducted into the California Community Colleges Football Hall of Fame. He remains the only person to have been inducted in both the categories of "Coach"-- where the candidate's "efforts and leadership [have] motivated and inspired young men who have been under his tutelage to reach higher in their pursuit of lofty goals."-- and "Service Contributor," requiring demonstrated efforts to improve and enhance the quality of community college athletic competition, and involvement in the community.

In 2004 the California Community College Athletic Directors Association gave West a posthumous award for outstanding contributions to community college athletics. The Harry West Golf Tournament is an annual college fund raiser for scholar-athlete scholarships.

The new Harry West Gymnasium finally opened its doors on October 1, 2005 as it hosted the 1st Annual SDCC Volleyball Tournament.