HALF ACRE GYMNASIUM
Partially in response to the request of restive university students, the 1903 Wyoming State Legislature approved a $15,000 appropriation for the construction of a gymnasium and armory. This red brick structure served as the campus social center for many years. By 1923, plans had begun for a new facility and Laramie architect Wilbur Hitchcock was awarded a commission to design Half acre Gymnasium. When the building was completed in 1925, it was claimed to be the largest and best equipped structure of its kind west of the Mississippi. Its 43,000 square feet contained a basketball floor, two small gymnasiums, a rifle range, an armory and a swimming pool.
The west exterior of the building is clad in native sandstone. Over the main entryway there are high, arched windows reminiscent of the Romanesque revival. Two flanking pavilions appear north and south of the entrances, and a full three-part entablature and pedimented parapet rest on top of the building's highest elevations. Bas relief stone sculpture provides additional Beaux Arts allusions on the exterior. The Half Acre Gymnasium has been home court to many successful University of Wyoming basketball teams.
Centennial Celebration, September 27, 1986
