GYMNASIUM FACTS

The present Hemenway Gymnasium has been of late the subject of such criticism from various quarters on the ground of utter inadequateness that the CRIMSON has prepared the following article on the history and condition of gymnastic facilities at the University with the view of presenting the subject in its entirety.

The first Harvard gymnasium, now the Germanic Museum building, was constructed in 1860 with a fund of $9,500, $8,000 of which was subscribed by Henry Bromfield Rogers '22. At first the structure was adequate to the needs of the College, but soon the small dimensions, 74 feet wide by 40 feet high, proved insufficient, until in 1878, when Augustus Hemenway '75, of Boston, gave $100,000 for the erection of a new University gymnasium. The architects were Messrs. Peabody and Stearns, of Boston, and the contractors, Norcross Bros., of Worcester. The building was opened in 1879 and was then by far the largest, best equipped, and most handsome college gymnasium in the country. Since then Harvard has been surpassed in this respect by almost every university, notably Yale, Princeton, and Columbia, and by not a few preparatory and high schools.

The original building contained the main hall, 115 feet by 84 feet at its widest extent, the running track, rowing room, bowling alleys, committee rooms, measuring room and office, while the lockers were in what is now the chest-weight corridor. The crew practiced in the rowing room, but the various petty teams that occupy the Gymnasium today were not taken into consideration.

In 1895, however, it was found necessary to increase the capacity of the building, and Mr. Hemenway built an addition with four tiers of lockers and a shower room. This gave accommodations for 2,500 students and increased the floor-space to 15,000 square feet. Within two years after this the concrete squash courts in the rear were added. Since then, although the following ten years constituted Harvard's most rapid period of expansion, nothing has been materially done to keep up with our gymnastic needs.

The Gymnasium as it is today is no more at the athletic centre of the University. When it was built, it stood appropriately at the entrance to Holmes Field, the old athletic grounds. Since the donation of Soldiers Field, however, all athletic interests have been moved across the Charles, and the Gymnasium was left away from its natural position. The main hall is very small, and the great amount of apparatus decreases the floor space. That the running track is value-less is proved by the fact that a board running track is built outside on Holmes Field for the track work during the winter. Basketball and track practice conflict on the floor of the main hall in the afternoons, to the detriment of each, while the gymnastic team is forced to practice in the evening. In the late afternoon, a gymnasium class is held, and in between all these exercises and prac- tices, scrub teams and individuals exercising on the floor are hampered. The lack of a tank practically cripples the swimming team which must practice out in Brookline at uncertain hours, or rely upon the caprice of certain owners for the use of dormitory tanks, and must meet teams accustomed to regular practice in well-appointed tanks, obviously at a great disadvantage. The apparatus of the Gymnasium is in general good, but in many cases antiquated, such as the rowing machines. The sanitation of the building is imperfect, danger of disease being increased by the impossibility of sufficient ventilation and the present uncleanliness of lockers and corridors.

Apparently, there is no possible way of satisfactorily improving the present Gymnasium to make it meet the needs of today. The building is entirely out of date, and is so constructed that any attempted changes or additions could not relieve the conditions nor could they do away with the dingy equipment inside. The only way out of the difficulty is a brand new gymnasium, so situated that it would be accessible to all the teams and individuals who cared to use it, and of such dimensions that it would be adequate for the needs of the University for some time to come