Waterman Gymnasium

Waterman Gymnasium
	c. 1920
Location	930 N University Ave; Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Owner	University of Michigan
Operator	University of Michigan
Surface	Hardwood
Construction
Opened	1893
Renovated	1898 (Barbour Gymnasium addition), 1916
Closed	1946
Demolished	1977
Construction cost	$42,705; ($1.39 million in 2022 dollars); $25,000; ($879,400 in 2022 dollars)
Tenants
	Michigan Wolverines men's basketball (1908-1924)

Last updated October 09, 2023

The Waterman Gymnasium was the first on-campus gymnasium at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The building was the first home of the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. The building stood at the corner of North University Avenue and East University Avenue, at the northeast corner of the original campus.

History

By 1878, an effort began to build a gymnasium for sporting events on campus. Fundraising took several years, but the first major donation of $20,000 ($651,407 in 2022 dollars^[1]) came from Joshua W. Waterman of Detroit in 1891. In all, $48,800 ($1.65 million in 2022 dollars^[1]) was raised for the building of both a men's and women's gymnasium; however, due to the Panic of 1893, this was not enough to build the women's gymnasium. In 1893 the men's gymnasium, named for Waterman, was opened, with the excess funds being used to equip the gymnasium.^[2]

In 1895, University Regent Levi L. Barbour gave the university several lots in Detroit to be used for an art building. At the January, 1898 regent's meeting, it was decided to sell the lots and use the profits of $25,000 ($879,400 in 2022 dollars^[1]) to build a women's gymnasium. The Barbour Gymnasium addition was completed that year to the north of the original Waterman Gymnasium and was intended for use by women students. The two buildings were connected by several doors that could be opened for larger events, such as University Senate receptions and dances.^[3]

By the 1910s, however, both buildings were proving inadequate. In 1916, Waterman Gymnasium was expanded to its east and west ends, making the building 248 feet long, with a 1/10 mile long elevated running track on the second level. Even this renovation, however, was not enough to meet the needs of the rapidly growing University. In 1924, Fielding H. Yost Field House opened to the east of Ferry Field, with the basketball team moving to it that season. With the Intramural Athletic Building opening north of the field in 1928, Waterman and Barbour both ceased to be used as the primary site of athletics on the campus. The Angell Auditorium in Barbour was used for dance classes (having been condemned for use as an auditorium a few years earlier), and several offices took up residence in the buildings. Barbour was torn down in 1946,^[3] with Waterman being torn down in 1977.^[2] The Williard Henry Dow Laboratory building was built on the site as an addition to the neighboring Chemistry Building.

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References

1 2 3 4 5 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 May 28, 2023.
1 2 "Waterman Gymnasium". University of Michigan Millennium Project. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
1 2 "Barbour Gymnasium". University of Michigan Millennium Project. Retrieved February 15, 2015.

42°16′41″N83°44′11″W / 42.278157°N 83.736330°W / 42.278157; -83.736330

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[inflation-US-1] 1 2 3 4 5 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 May 28, 2023.

[Waterman-2] 1 2 "Waterman Gymnasium". University of Michigan Millennium Project. Retrieved February 15, 2015.

[Barbour-3] 1 2 "Barbour Gymnasium". University of Michigan Millennium Project. Retrieved February 15, 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
Venues	Waterman Gymnasium (1908–1923) Fielding H. Yost Fieldhouse (1923–1967) Crisler Center (1967–present)
Rivalries	Duke Michigan State Ohio State
Culture & lore	Fab Five (film) Scandal WWJ Michigan IMG Sports Network Fox Sports Detroit
People	Head coaches NBA draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1908–09 1909–17 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
NCAA national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Construction
c. 1920

Location	930 N University Ave Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Owner	University of Michigan
Operator	University of Michigan
Surface	Hardwood
Opened	1893
Renovated	1898 (Barbour Gymnasium addition), 1916
Closed	1946
Demolished	1977
Construction cost	$42,705 ($1.39 million in 2022 dollars^[1]) $25,000 ($879,400 in 2022 dollars^[1])
Tenants
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball (1908-1924)