For the first time in a century, the Cougar Marching Band has a place to call its own.

Brigham Young University's game-day band rang in 100 years Thursday with an unveiling of its new hall in the southwest corner of LaVell Edwards Stadium. The 7,700-square-foot facility, erected over the summer, includes a high-tech rehearsal room, offices for band leadership and storage space for instruments and uniforms. Clarinet player Eric Baker, a sophomore studying genetics, said the hall has helped create a sense of belonging among band members.

"It gives us a feeling that this is our home now," he said. "This isn't just the football stadium; it's the marching band stadium."

School officials wouldn't discuss the cost, but marching band director Fred McInnis said there have been talks about building a dedicated band space since the 1980s.

"This actually became more of a reality last year. Really, the [anonymous] donors came through," he said. "It's sort of like winning American Idol."

Prior to the opening of the facility, the band had practiced in the Marriott Center parking lot and musicians were responsible for toting their own instruments and uniforms to and from events. That sometimes placed extra pressure on students, McInnis said.

"Many of our students walk or ride bikes, and to carry a trombone or trumpet was quite difficult," he said.

Now there are cages for the band's 225 members to store their instruments inside the stadium. And while students will still do some practicing outside to solidify formations, they will be fine-tuning their sound in the best facility in the Mountain West Conference, said director of bands Don Peterson.

"This is one of the best ways to ever say what we do is worth the effort," said Peterson, who has been with the band since 1986. The comfort of the building will relieve some of the first-week rush, when students arrive on campus for fall semester and generally have to have mastered routines in time for a football game at the end of the week, McInnis said. Fitting students for uniforms without a place to keep them has been one of the most logistically challenging parts of the process, he said.

Permanent offices for administrators will also help streamline operations and establish a sense of permanence, McInnis said. "We've never had an office for the marching band before," he said. "We've always operated out of a vehicle."

The band's next home game will be tomorrow, when the Cougars take on Pac-10 powerhouse UCLA at home. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at 344-2556 or astryker@heraldextra.com.