Louise Freer Hall, also known as the Women's Gymnasium, is a historic building on the campus of the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univers ...
. Built in 1930, it was the last of the university's buildings designed by
Charles A. Platt, who was responsible for the university's overall plan. Like most of Platt's designs for the university, the building has a
Georgian Revival
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover— George I, George II, Ge ...
plan. The gymnasium originally provided expanded facilities for the women's physical education department, which had outgrown its space in the Woman's Building. The new gymnasium's facilities included two general-purpose spaces, several specialized facilities, and a physical education laboratory. Louise Freer, the women's physical education director for whom the building was later renamed, added a lounge area in 1932 to provide a social space in the building. The building is still used as a gymnasium and hosts intramural sporting events and physical education classes.
Freer Hall has served as the home venue for the
Illinois Fighting Illini women's swimming and diving
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
team.
The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on February 5, 2003.
References
Buildings and structures of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Buildings and structures completed in 1930
College swimming venues in the United States
Georgian Revival architecture in Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini swimming venues
National Register of Historic Places in Champaign County, Illinois
Swimming venues in Illinois
Sports venues in Champaign–Urbana, Illinois
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois
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