1919 -Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Gymnasium, Barbourville, KY
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PersonsMD
N 36° 52.246 W 083° 53.248
17S E 242619 N 4084429
A landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Gym is located on the campus of Union College in Barbourville, KY>
Waymark Code: WM66EA
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2009
Views: 3
?Just after World War I, in 1919, a community effort to raise funds for the construction of Soldiers and Sailors building led to an outpouring of gifts. People gave $5 each in honor of a loved one who served in the war. Those gifts built a new gymnasium and a living tribute to their soldiers and sailors.
The following is taken from the application submitted by Robert M. Polsgrove, Historic Sites Program Manager of the Kentucky Heritage Council May 1984
"The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Gymnasium Building is a three-story brick building located at the center of the Union College Campus in Barbourville, Kentucky. It is located approximately 150 feet behind the Old Classroom Building (listed in the National Register, May 30, 1975) which is the focal building of the campus. Another Union College building, Speed Hall was listed in the National Register on April 29, 1982.
Separated by a parking lot from the Old Classroom Building, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building is built into an embankment. The main extrance provides direct access to the second, gymnasium floor level. Below the gymnasium is a building level containing a swimming pool and locker rooms.
The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Gymnasium is an early twentieth century Classical Revival style building. It is distinguished by wide pilasters which divide the main facade into seven bays and the massive piers which support a stylized portico. The image of strength imparted by the pilasters and piers is reinforced by the plain entablature of Bedford limestone. A parapet of brick capped with stone rises above the cornice on all four sides of the building and is also found in the small offices of one-story built into the bays to either side of the entrance pavi11ion.
Except for the small offices all windows in the building are tri-part casement windows. The windows on the main floor are headed by jackarches, while the second floor and basement window openings exhibit no decorative features. The low hipped roof is topped with a narrow deck. The only changes made to the exterior over the years have been the addition of two steel deck and stair fire escapes which are accessed through modern steel doors set in two of the original bays.
The interior of the gymnasium is a two-story open space measuring 90 feet X 120 feet. A narrow steel balcony at the second level provides very limited space for spectators.
The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Gymnasium of Union College is significant as an outstanding example of Colonial Revival architecture in Southeast Kentucky and in the history of higher education in southeast, Kentucky. It is also significant because of its association with efforts in Knox County and within the Methodist Episcopal Church of Kentucky to create a fitting memorial for the Knox County and Methodist men of Kentucky who died in World War I.
Active planning for a gymnasium at Union College began in 1916 when President Ezra T. Franklin, in his first annual report, "named the gymnasium as Union's first need,"estimating its cost at $20,000. Three years were to pass before student body petitions and protests led to a commitment to build the gymnasium which was approved in the Spring of 1919. Ground was broken on May 28, 1919, in a public ceremony to which the public officials and citizenry of Barbourville were invited. The entire community was asked to contribute to the gymnasium project which would serve as the county's World War I Memorial.
Completed in the Fall of 1920, the Gymnasium provided an excellent facility for basketball and other in-door sports and for swimming. In 1964, a new Gymnasium was completed and the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial was turned over to the Drama Department and renamed the Dramatic Arts Center. In 1982, the last drama was produced in the building. Currently, various new uses are being considered for the building which will require substantial rehabilitation first. Recognition of its historic significance should enhance efforts to secure funding for the rehabilitation.
Beginning as a point 15' west of the western corner of the building, thence NE 140', thence SE 140', thence SW 140', thence NW 140 1 to the point of origin. The boundary has been drawn to enclose a small buffer area on all sides while omitting the parking lot in front of & the track to the rear of the Memorial Building.
Year of construction: 1919
Cross-listed waymark: [Web Link]
Full inscription: Not listed
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