The '87 Gymnasium

Introduction[edit]

The plan to construct a new gym first came about in 1910 after it was determined that the Old Gymnasium was no longer sufficient for the growing number of students. With $25,000 provided by the Alumni Association and $150,000 donated by the class of 1887, construction began on September 12th, 1911.

Original construction[edit]

Despite construction beginning in 1911 and its original completion date intended for May of 1912, delays led to the gym not opening until November of 1912. Upon its completion, it was one of the largest gyms in the eastern United States [1]. For the first year of the gym’s opening, it was used for giving gym instruction only to the freshman class; however, all other students were allowed to use the facilities under supervision after participating in a physical examination [2]. The gym was intended to be used exclusively for gymnasium purposes, and dances, concerts, and other social events were explicitly prohibited. The only exception to the rule was commencement, which was held in the '87 gym the year that it was completed [3].

The gymnasium was considered up to date at the time of construction and featured many apparatuses that were new technology at the time. The main floor of the building included the director’s office, two exam rooms, and several rooms for various sports and activities. These included rooms for fencing, wrestling, squash, and handball. There was also a baseball cage that was used for basketball during the offseason.

On the second level, the gym floor had various gym equipment as well as two basketball courts that could be divided by a drop net; there were also bleachers that could seat up to 500 spectators for games. Suspended on the walls above the court is a banked track, with the creator of this track, William L. Coop, making the claim that it was the fastest track in the country when it was built [9]. This level of the gym also contained the separate locker, shower, and drying rooms.

The lowest level contained the main feature of the new gymnasium, the pool. The pool was 75 feet by 30 feet and varied in depth from 4 feet to 8 feet. The pool was also filtered and heated. With the addition of the pool, RPI began requiring students to know how to swim in order to graduate [4]. Along with housing the pool and its maintenance systems, this lower level featured showers and a steam room that was heated using the same steam heating system as the pool. There were two bowling alleys that were added after the completion of the building. Lastly, in the eastern portion of the gymnasium, there was a residence for the caretaker of the building [5], Emil "Pagie" Page [6].

The 1937 Addition[edit]

In 1937, an L-shaped addition was planned to be added onto the building. This expansion included adding additional bowling alleys, locker rooms and offices. It also added an “exhibition court” that featured additional seating space for basketball games [7] and a rifle range. In addition, the pool was deepened by at least six feet and a spectator gallery was added around the pool that could accommodate up to 600 people. At this time, the caretaker residence was improved and expanded into a two floor apartment. The addition was completed in the spring of 1938 [8].

The '87 Gymnasium Today[edit]

Since the additions of the Mueller Center and the East Campus Athletic Village to RPI’s campus, the '87 gym has seen a significant decrease in usage. The pool is no longer in usable condition and that floor of the gym is closed off to students due to safety concerns. The other sections of the gym are primarily used by club sports teams and other student groups.