Historic
Tour > Virtual Tour > Olds/Robb Student
Recreation Center
Olds/Robb Student Recreation Center
Historical
Name(s): Lloyd W. Olds Rec/IM (1982-93),
Olds-Robb Student Recreation-Intramural Complex
|
|
Olds/Robb Student Recreation
Center
|
Date
Constructed: Dedicated October 16,
1982
Architect:
Ralph Calder and Associates, Detroit
Style
of Architecture: Post Modern/International
Original
Use: Recreation Center
Dates
of Renovation: 1991 added an aerobics
studio, second weight-lifting room, a new
wrestling/combative room, and courtside food
concessions.
Current Use: Recreation Center
History:
|
|
The
old gymnasium demolished in 1965
|
Olds/Robb Student Recreational/Intramural
Complex was first named for Lloyd W. Olds. Olds
graduated from Eastern in 1916 and completed
a PhD. in public health at the University of
Michigan. Returning to his alma mater under
the direction of Professor Wilbur Bowen (see
Bowen Field House), he joined the Department
of Physical Education and coached EMU’s
track team from 1921-42, during which time the
team won 85% of their meets. He also founded
EMU’s intramural program. During the 1920s,
EMU earned praise for having one of the most
extensive intramural programs in the Midwest.
Olds also served as the head of the Department
of Physical Education from 1956-63. On a national
level he served as an associate track and field
coach for the 1932 Olympic games and as an Olympic
track manager in 1948 and invented the striped
referee’s shirt that is universally worn
today.
Student tuition and
bond sales paid for the $16.25 million construction
of the
|
|
Rec/IM
Aerobics Studio
|
 |
|
Rec/IM
Pro Shop
|
building. When it was
built, the building contained the largest indoor
swimming pool in the state. The pool varied
between 3 to 17 feet in depth. The old varsity
pool was converted into a club pool with a sauna
facility connected. Today, the building serves
about 500,000 people each year and offers swimming,
racquetball, volleyball, basketball, aerobics,
billiards, table tennis, free weights, and other
fitness machines. On the third floor is a gymnasium
able to accommodate four basketball courts or
twelve volleyball or badminton courts. Viewers
can see it from the fourth floor track that
runs around the perimeter of the room.
The Olds
was remodeled in 1991 with money primarily
from Pro Shop and aerobics program revenue.
These renovations included adding an aerobics
studio, a second weight room, a new wrestling/combative
room, courtside food concessions, and an improved
and integrated Pro Shop. The following year,
construction began on an Outdoor Recreational
Facility (see Pond and Lake House). In 1993,
the building was renamed the Olds-Robb Student
Recreation-Intramural Complex to acknowledge
the name of Richard Robb, a member of the
Board of Regents (1967-1992) who had long
supported the Rec/IM, and to include the new
outdoor recreational facility (see Pond and
Lake House).
|
Location
of Olds/Robb Student Recreation Center
(Click on the image for a bigger view)
|
|
|
