EXHIBITS
The Built Environment: 130 Years of Growth, Development, and Change on the USU Campus: Sporting Venues: Smart Gym, Field House, and Spectrum
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Sporting Venues: Smart Gym, Field House, and Spectrum
Smart Gymnasium (1912–1969)
In 1912 Board of Trustees member Thomas Smart donated funds to construct a college gymnasium. The Smart Gymnasium offered exercise facilities for the student body, including a heated pool. Most importantly, however, it provided a home for Aggie basketball, previously relegated to leasing facilities at its chief local rival, the Brigham Young College. Razed in 1969, the Smart Gym became a parking lot until construction of today’s Living Learning Community.
Nelson Field House (1939–)
As state appropriations languished during the 1930s Depression, the College Building Association proposed using federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds to build two identical field houses, one at the college, the other at the U of U. The new buildings opened concurrently in January 1940. In 1956 the Board of Trustees named the USAC field house in honor of longtime wrestling coach and team trainer George “Doc” Nelson.
