Robinson Gymnasium
Construction


Coordinates	38°57′26″N 95°14′51″W / 38.95722°N 95.24750°W / 38.95722; -95.24750
Owner	University of Kansas
Operator	University of Kansas
Capacity	2,500
Broke ground	1905
Opened	May 1907 (1907-05)
Construction cost	$100,000 (original) ($3.27 million in 2023 dollars^[1])
Tenants
Kansas Jayhawks (NCAA DI) (1907–1927)

Robinson Gymnasium was the first true gymnasium for the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence, Kansas and home to the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball program from 1907 to 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 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, 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.^[4]^[5] Construction began in 1905 and was completed in May 1907.^[6]

The building was a significant improvement over Snow Hall, which had 11-foot ceilings and support beams in the middle of the floor.^[2] Robinson 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

^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d McCool, John H. (29 May 2018). "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.

University of Kansas

Academics

Schools	School of Law School of Business School of Engineering School of Medicine School of Architecture and Design
Locations	Lawrence (primary) Edwards Campus in Overland Park Kansas City, Wichita, and Salina University of Kansas Health System affiliate
People	Notable alumni and faculty
Misc.	Carrie Center for International Political Analysis Coal City Review Kansas Geological Survey Studio 804 University Press of Kansas

Athletics

Teams	Baseball Men's basketball Women's basketball Football Crew Team
Mascots	Big Jay Baby Jay
Facilities	Allen Fieldhouse David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Hoglund Ballpark
Misc.	Rock Chalk, Jayhawk Border War Sunflower Showdown

Campus

Student life

Broadcasting

History

History of the University of Kansas

Established: 1865

v t e 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 Blue blood status Champions Classic "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" Jayhawkers
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of 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 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Helms and NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics