Robinson Gymnasium

Robinson Gymnasium
Owner	University of Kansas
Operator	University of Kansas
Capacity	2,500
Construction
Broke ground	1905
Opened	May 1907
Construction cost	$100,000 (original); ($2.74 million in 2019 dollars[1])
Tenants
	Kansas Jayhawks (NCAA DI) (1907–1927)

Robinson Gymnasium was the first true gymnasium for the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas and home to the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball program from 1907–1927. It was designed by James Naismith at a cost of $100,000.[2] The creation of the modern facilities were led by Naismith and KU Chancellor Frank Strong. Naismith wanted the gymnasium not just for basketball but also for his other physical education classes and sports activities.[3] The gymnasium was named after Charles L. Robinson who was the first Governor of Kansas.[4] It was named after Governor Robinson and his wife Sara Tappan Doolittle Robinson, both as thanks for their service and to make amends for what Sara perceived to be excessive pressure on her nephew to sell 51 acres (21 ha) of land to KU at a below-market price.[5] Construction began in 1905 and was completed in May 1907.[6]

The building was a significant improvement over Snow Hall that had 11 feet ceilings and support beams in the middle of the floor.[2] The Gymnasium featured a swimming pool, men's and women's locker rooms, a main-floor gymnasium, 1/16-mile running track, a batting cage, a full range of gymnastics equipment and a 2,500-seat auditorium.[5] The gymnasium served many purposes including dances, enrollments, commencements, concerts, lectures, and even as emergency housing immediately after World War II.[5]

The men's basketball team amassed a 148–28 record at Robinson before the team moved to the larger Hoch Auditorium in 1927.[2] The gymnasium was demolished in November 1967 and was replaced with Wescoe Hall.[5]

References

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
"The changing face of KU's home-court". The University Daily Kansan. March 12, 2010.
Rains, Rob (2011). James Naismith: The Man Who Invented Basketball. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press. p. 87.
Bedore, Gary (January 3, 1995). "Q & A: The definitive Naismith". KU Sports.com.
McCool, John H. "So Here's To You, Dr. (and Mrs.) Robinson". KU History.com.
"Robinson Center History". University of Kansas Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences.

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[inflation-US-1] Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.

[UDK-2] "The changing face of KU's home-court". The University Daily Kansan. March 12, 2010.

[Naismith-3] Rains, Rob (2011). James Naismith: The Man Who Invented Basketball. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press. p. 87.

[KU_Sports-4] Bedore, Gary (January 3, 1995). "Q & A: The definitive Naismith". KU Sports.com.

[KU_History-5] McCool, John H. "So Here's To You, Dr. (and Mrs.) Robinson". KU History.com.

[Dept_of_Health-6] "Robinson Center History". University of Kansas Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences.

Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
Venues	Robinson Gymnasium (1907–1927) Hoch Auditorium (1927–1955) Allen Fieldhouse (1955–present)
Rivalries	Kansas State (results) Missouri
Culture & lore	Big Jay Baby Jay Champions Classic "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk"
People	Head coaches Jayhawks of note
Seasons	1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21
Helms and NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics