Old Gym, gymnasium in Vanderbilt University
The Old Gym is a gymnasium on the Vanderbilt University campus in Nashville, built around 1880 in Victorian style. The red brick building with slate roof and limestone foundation features large windows and open spaces originally designed to hold many students at once and has since been used for various purposes including fine arts and university admissions.
The building was designed in 1880 by architect Peter J. Williamson and was originally one of the best-equipped gymnasiums in the southern United States, featuring parallel bars, vaulting boards, and rowing machines. After renovation in 1962, it has been used for various purposes over the decades, from a fine arts building to its current role as the university's admissions office.
The Old Gym represents a time when sports became important on college campuses and students gathered here for competitions and social events. The building shows how much physical activity mattered to campus community life and remains a testament to those values.
The Old Gym is easily accessible on the Vanderbilt University campus along West End Avenue and can be visited during university events or guided tours. The building is part of the historic campus tour route and sits near other sites that can be visited together.
The Old Gym featured innovative equipment in its early days, including rowing machines and other advanced apparatus that made it one of the most advanced gymnasiums of its time. These facilities show that Vanderbilt valued physical training highly even in the late 1800s.
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