University gymnasiums
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- Lingley Hall
Lingley Hall
Lingley Hall was a colonial style building, which served as a lecture and oratory hall for the Ladies’ College between 1855 and 1909, and was located where Hart Hall now stands. In order to make room for the construction of Hart Hall in 1910, Lingley Hall was moved in the summer of 1909 to a position in front of the Ladies’ College building, Allison Hall, where it stood until at least May 1910. It was offered for sale in June 1910, and was dismantled in autumn 1911.
In spring 1912, it was reconstructed as the new University Gymnasium at the head of the Athletic Field, near the University men's residence, in an area presently occupied by Edwards and Thornton House residences. Insurance from the previous gymnasium funded the construction of an additional 22 feet to the length of the building. Upon its completion, the new gymnasium measured 90 by 48 feet, and was the largest gymnasium in the Maritime provinces. A handball court was also constructed at the rear of the gymnasium by December 1912.
In December 1914, Mount Allison received government funding to refit Lingley Hall as a military drill hall for the Training Corps, complete with a new floor, sheathed walls and ceiling, and a reconstructed foundation. The following year, and subsequent years after that, new athletic apparatus and appliances were purchased. By April 1916, horizontal and parallel bars were installed, and by 1917 students of both the Ladies' College and Male Academy were also using the gymnastics equipment and playing basketball inside the new gym. There were suggestions in 1919 to install a swimming pool and a suspended running track, but on 31 January 1921 Lingley Hall burned down.
Ladies' College Pond and buildings, ca. 1905 (Lingley Hall in background)
Ladies' College physical culture drill, ca. 1910 (Lingley Hall in background)
Ladies' College students inside University Gymnasium, 1917
University Gymnasium (Lingley Hall), ca. 1920
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Sackville, New Brunswick
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This project was funded by the Marjorie Young Bell Endowment Fund