CSU Buildings and Grounds History

Athletic Club House, 1917

From CSU's Sense of Place:  A Campus History of Colorado's Land-Grant University, by James E. Hansen, Gordon A. Hazard, and Linda M. Meyer.  Fort Collins, CO:  Colorado State University, 2018.

Designer – Harry Walker Hughes

Builder – College staff led by Farm Superintendent William “Billy” O’Brien

The Athletic Club House was the locker room building that was constructed in 1912 when Colorado Field was first opened.  This 30’ x 60’ building had 12 showers with hot and cold running water.  The building had two large locker rooms.  Visiting teams were given the use of one of the locker rooms while here to play the Aggies.  There were specially built facilities for players to get rubdowns.  The two “rubbing tables” were made of concrete with pipes running inside them that carried hot water to keep the surface warm and comfortable.  Traditionally, freshmen boys were assigned by the upperclassmen to give rubdowns to the football players.  Missing one’s rubdown duty assignment usually meant an icy dunking in the old Lily Pond or water trough behind the South College Gym.

The building’s walls were said to have been made from the wood of the old fence that surrounded Durkee Field from 1901 to 1911. The exterior was then covered in a stucco concrete finish.  In September 1915, Harry Hughes had a 16’ x 16’ addition built to accommodate his office as well as providing some extra storage room for sports equipment.

Following the construction of the South College Gym in 1926 with its upgraded locker, storage and office spaces, the old building became little more than a general storage facility for the campus.  In the spring of 1950, athletes who were members of the “A” Club got permission to convert the now abandoned storage facility into a lounge and recreation facility for their members.

Located in the northwest corner of Colorado Field next to the railroad tracks and across the street from the Vocational Education Building, the building was razed in 1962 based on aerial and yearbook photos.  The site is now the location of the University Station of the city’s MAX Transit system and where cars access the parking lot just north of the Jack Christiansen Track.