National Register of Historic Places

Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University (Additional Documentation)

Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee
Listed
February 23, 1972
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
72001233

About this property

Old Gym is one of the surviving Victorian buildings that characterized the early style of the Vanderbilt University campus in Nashville, Tennessee. The Old Gym was originally a gymnasium, later served as the Fine Arts Building, and currently houses the university's admissions office. The gymnasium was completed in 1880 and featured an indoor running track and considerable gymnastic equipment. At the time, it was one of the best equipped gymnasiums in the southern United States. The exterior of the building remains fairly untouched while the interior space has been modified through the years and uses of the building. The Old Gym is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building consisted of a foundation of Tennessee limestone with a structure of wooden trusses and walls of natural finished red brick. The Mansard roof was covered with slate shingles. Some of the original gymnastic equipment included a leaping rig, a vaulting board, rowing machine, parallel bars, trapeze ropes, Indian clubs, dumb bells and a walnut chest expander. In 1962 the Old Gym was renovated and made into the Fine Arts Building by Warfield and Associates. The remodeling project included the removal of the second-floor running track and the addition of heating and cooling throughout the building.

Location

2301 West End Avenue
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee
36.14850, -86.80503

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Parthenon, The (Additional Documentation)
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Nearby Battles

Battle of Nashville – Shy's Hill Dec 16
1864Civil War
0.3 mi
Battle of Nashville – Second Day Dec 16
1864Civil War
0.8 mi
Skirmish at Nashville (Confederate probe December 1864)
1864Civil War
1.6 mi
Battle of Nashville — Day Two Assault
1864Civil War
1.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University (Additional Documentation) listed on the National Register?

Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University (Additional Documentation) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972.

What type of historic resource is Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University (Additional Documentation)?

Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University (Additional Documentation) is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University (Additional Documentation)?

The period of significance for Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University (Additional Documentation) is recorded as the industrial era.

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