Women's Gymnasium | |
 Ustler Hall | |
   | |
| Location | Gainesville, Florida |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°39′1″N82°20′49″W / 29.65028°N 82.34694°W /29.65028; -82.34694 |
| Built | 1919 |
| Architect | William Augustus Edwards |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000660[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 27, 1979 |
Kathryn Chicone Ustler Hall (formerly known as theWomen's Gymnasium andUniversity Gymnasium) is a historic building on the campus of theUniversity of Florida (UF) inGainesville,Florida. It was designed byWilliam Augustus Edwards in theCollegiate Gothic style and opened in 1919 as the University Gymnasium. In that capacity, the building was the first home of theFlorida Gators men's basketball team, and it continued to serve as the home court for most of the university's indoor sports programs until theFlorida Gymnasium opened in the late 1940s. The university becameco-educational at about the same time, and the building was rechristened the Women's Gymnasium and was repurposed as a recreation center for the school's many new female students. On June 27, 1979, it was added to theU.S.National Register of Historic Places.
The opening of theO'Connell Center in 1980 and new student recreation facilities made the old gym obsolete, and it gradually fell into disuse. The building was slated for demolition in the 1980s but was saved for its historic value, though it was used primarily as a storage facility for several years. A large donation by UF alumnus Kathryn Ulster made it possible to completely transform the interior into modern classrooms, offices, and other educational spaces, and the university'sWomen's Studies Department moved into the newly renamed Ustler Hall in 2006. It was the first academic building on the UF campus named to honor a woman, and at its rededication, it was the only freestanding campus building in the United States devoted solely to Women's Studies.[2]
The University of Florida (UF) was established inGainesville in 1906. Initial student enrollment was about 100, so only two buildings (Buckman Hall andThomas Hall) were needed to accommodate all functions of the new school. Enrollment grew slowly over following years and accelerated under second university presidentAlbert A. Murphree, who oversaw an expansion program that saw the addition of several colleges to the university's academic offerings and several more buildings constructed across the campus. By the end ofWorld War I, enrollment reached 1000.
Buckman Hall included some indoor athletic space, but a larger student population required larger recreational facilities, and the university made plans to build its first dedicated gymnasium on the west side of campus. The facility was designed byWilliam Augustus Edwards, architect for theFlorida Board of Control, who designed most of the UF's early buildings in theCollegiate Gothic style. Construction began in the summer of 1918, but the project went over budget, and Murphree solicited donations from the local community to complete interior details. Fundraising successfully completed whenMajor League Baseball'sNew York Giants agreed to holdspring training in Gainesville in 1919 and rented the newly-openedUniversity Gymnasium as their spring headquarters.[3][4]
The University Gym was designed to be a combination student recreation center,physical education facility, assembly hall, andsports venue. It was the home court of theFlorida Gators men's basketball team and all other university-sponsored indoor sport programs for about ten years. However, spectator space around the court was very limited in the narrow building, and as university enrollment continued to increase, a larger wooden "New Gym" was constructed directly adjacent to the University Gym in 1929 to serve as a temporary home for the basketball team until funding was available for a more permanent replacement. Meanwhile, the University Gym continued to host physical education classes,intramural sports, and smaller assemblies.
The large brickFlorida Gymnasium was finally completed in 1948, the same year that the university became fullyco-educational. The University Gym was renamed theWomen's Gymnasium and was used as a recreational center and physical education space for the school's many new female students while the wooden "New Gym" next door was converted into rehearsal space for theuniversity's marching band.
The modernO'Connell Center became the new home of all of the university's indoor sports teams in 1980. The interior of the Florida Gym was redesigned and rebuilt as the new home of thephysical education department, but the Women's Gym was deemed to be in need of too many repairs to justify renovation and it was slated for demolition. A community push to save the structure delayed its destruction, and in 1988, it was listed in theNational Register of Historic Places, affording it protection. However, it remained underutilized and was used primarily as a storage facility for over a decade.[5]
With a donation from UF alumna Kathryn Chicone Ustler in 2000, the long-vacant gym was transformed into a 14,700-square-foot (1,370 m2) three story academic building with modern classrooms along with faculty and administrative offices. A circular courtyard was also added in front of the building, replacing a small parking area. The restoration process began in 2004 and was completed in July 2006. In 2008, the restoration was named a "Project of Regional Impact" by the Florida Heritage Foundation.[5] Now known asUstler Hall, the building houses the university's Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies and the Center for Women's and Gender Studies Research. It was the first academic building on the UF campus renamed to honor a woman, and at the time of its dedication, it was the only freestanding campus building in the United States devoted solely toWomen's Studies.[6]
