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Edwards Gymnasium and Pfeiffer Natatorium

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Coordinates: 40°17′41″N 83°4′3″W / 40.29472°N 83.06750°W / 40.29472; -83.06750
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Edwards Gymnasium and
Pfeiffer Natatorium
Exterior view of the building in 2021
LocationOWU Main Campus, S. Sandusky St., Delaware, Ohio
Coordinates40°17′41″N 83°4′3″W / 40.29472°N 83.06750°W / 40.29472; -83.06750
Arealess than one acre
Built1905-06
Built byFeick & Son
ArchitectYost, J.W.
MPSOhio Wesleyan University TR
NRHP reference No.85000632[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 18, 1985
Edwards Gymnasium
Edwards Gym
Map
AddressUnited States
OwnerOhio Wesleyan University
TypeSports venue
Capacity1,800
SurfaceRecaflex track surface
Construction
Opened1906; 118 years ago (1906)
Renovated2012, 2015
ArchitectJ.W. Yost
BuilderFeick & Son.[1][2]
Tenants
Website
owu.edu/edwards-gymnasium

The Edwards Gymnasium and Pfeiffer Natatorium is a building on the main campus of Ohio Wesleyan University. Inaugurated in 1906, it was designed by architect J.W. Yost and was built by Feick & Son.[1][2] Edwards Hall is a 1,800-seat multi-purpose arena. Located at the south end of the campus in Delaware, Ohio, it was home to the OWU Battling Bishops men's and women's swimming and women's handball teams.

Overview

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It has a stone entry portico and a "dominant" red tile roof with dormers. The gymnasium is named for alumnus John Edwards of Leipsic, Ohio, who served on the board of trustees of the university and was a major benefactor to the university.[2]

In 1985, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places along with the natatorium named for benefactor Annie Merner Pfeiffer.[1][3]

The Pfeiffer Natatorium was the competition pool for OWU from 1954 to 2010.[4]

Basketball and volleyball competition, and other indoor sports, were moved to the 2,300 seat Branch Rickey Arena, built adjacent to Edwards Gymnasium, upon its completion in 1976.[5]

The Edwards Gymnasium was then renovated to accommodate the Pfeiffer Natatorium, named for donor Annie Merner Pfeiffer.[6]

It is 150 by 83 feet (46 m × 25 m) in plan. Built mainly of light-colored brick, it has a hipped red clay-tiled roof with dormers at both ends and sides.[3]

The entrance has carved stone pillars.[3][note 1]

The complex was listed on the National Register as part of a 1984 study of historic resources on the OWU campus.[7]

All the OWU sites listed together on the National Register in 1985 are:

  • Austin Hall, W. Central Ave. and Elizabeth St.
  • Edwards Gymnasium and Pfieffer Natatorium, Main Campus, S. Sandusky St.
  • Ohio Wesleyan University Student Observatory, W. William St.
  • Sanborn Hall, W. Campus
  • Selby Field, Henry St.
  • Slocum Hall, Main Campus, Sandusky St.
  • Stuyvesant Hall, W. William St., and
  • University Hall-Gray's Chapel, W. William St.[1][8][9][10][6]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The National Park Service and NARA have misspelled "Pfeiffer" as "Pfieffer", as here.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Lorrie K. Owen, ed. (1999). Ohio Historic Places Dictionary, Volume 2. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 318. ISBN 9781878592705.
  3. ^ a b c G.R. Cryder (1985). Ohio Historic Inventory: Edwards Gymnasium and Pfeiffer Natatorium.
  4. ^ "Pfeiffer Natatorium". Ohio Wesleyan University. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  5. ^ owu page on Branch Rickey Arena
  6. ^ a b John B. Ciochetty (2010). Ghosts of Historic Delaware, Ohio. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781614235286. Includes historic postcard inage of the gym....
  7. ^ Judith B. Williams (May 21, 1984). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Ohio Wesleyan University Thematic Group.
  8. ^ "amp library?".
  9. ^ "battling".
  10. ^ "facilities".
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Media related to Edwards Gymnasium at Wikimedia Commons

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