Women's Gymnasium / Freer Gym

The Women's Gymnasium was the last of the buildings designed by Charles Platt, [1] who collaborated with John White on this structure. [2] Constructed in 1931, the Classic Revival [3] building offered 62,000 square feet at a cost of $311,000, [4] made possible through the "1919-1930 Biennial Budget". [5]

By 1942 the School of Physical Education had lost 50% of its facilities due to the transformation of Kenny Gym and Kenny Gym Annex into housing for the Naval Training School for Signalmen and the conversion of the West Hall of the Stadium into classroom space for the Navy's Diesel Engine Operator's School. To give the school more room, the University closed Davenport House as a women's dormitory and moved the Department of Home Economics into the building and reallocated its former space in the Woman's Building for the Department of Physical Education for Women, but did retain a presence in the building. The entire Department of Physical Education for Women was then moved into the Woman's Building into the "space it used prior to the construction of the Women's Gymnasium". [6] The Physical Education for Men then moved a number of its classes and activities from the George Huff Gymnasium into the Women's Gymnasium, which then gave the Athletic Association more room in Huff Gymnasium. [7]

By 1965, the University had retained Spangler, Beall & Bradley and John Sweetnam to provide preliminary site sketches for an addition to the building. [8] The 17,550 square foot (gross) addition was to provide a swimming pool to replace the one in the Men's Old Gym, which by that point no longer met sanitary requirements set by the Department of Public Health with its Illinois Swimming Pool Act. The pool itself was to occupy 6,730 square feet, locker rooms of 2,135 square feet, seating of 1,915 square feet, and 320 square feet of office space. [9]

The Gym was renamed in 1968 [10] in honor of Louise Freer, who served as the Head of the University Department of Physical Education for Women from 1915 to 1949. [11] In 2003 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. [12]