The pride of the normal school nearly finished

Editor’s Note: This is an archive of the Northern Iowan as it was previously named The Normal Eyte.

Next week the fine new gymnasium which Supt. Robinson has been building for the past two years will probably be opened for class work. No pains or money have been spared in its construction and the great state of Iowa may well be proud that its Normal School has one of the best gymnasiums anywhere in the west and one which is not surpassed by any in the United States for the purpose for which it is intended.

This great building, which is the longest of the Normal buildings being 231 feet in length, contains two great exercise rooms 160 feet in length, one of them without a pillar or support of any kind in it, a race track of nineteen laps to the mile, a swimming pool large enough for a whole class of Normal girls to sport in at once, 670 lockers and 560 lockers with showers and dressing rooms for the men. There are also numerous offices, examining and class rooms.

This building will be occupied exclusively by the department of physical culture. In the north section, which has been allotted to the women, Mrs. Hack and Miss Paffendorf will hold sway. In the men’s department Prof. Affleck will expound gymnastic theory while “Doc” Pell mixes the dope and puts the boys through the stunts. 

This new building will give a great impetus to physical culture and athletics. There will now be plenty of room so that every woman in school can put in her full allotment of time in physical training and the magnificent exercise room is so large that it will permit all indoor games being played to the best advantage. The swimming pool will afford an opportunity for everybody to become proficient in this delight and valuable accomplishment. The running track will give coach Pell a chance to work his sprinters and distance men up into form during the winter, while the high ceiling of the exercise room will allow much work in the jumping and vaulting. The Normal students of the future can congratulate themselves upon the opportunity of attending a school with such splendid equipment for physical training.