Frances School Gymnasium

The Frances School Gymnasium in Marion, Kentucky was built in 1938 as a New Deal era construction employment project. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1][2]

Frances School Gymnasium
Frances School Gymnasium is located in Kentucky
Frances School Gymnasium
Frances School Gymnasium is located in the United States
Frances School Gymnasium
Location100 Elementary Circle, Marion, Kentucky
Coordinates37°13′06″N 88°08′38″W / 37.218333°N 88.143889°W / 37.218333; -88.143889
Area9 acres (3.6 ha)
Built1938
MPSNew Deal Era Construction in Kentucky MRA
NRHP reference No.93000046[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 1, 1993

The gym is a one-story gambrel roofed structure with both balloon frame and steel beam support. It is 102 by 60 feet (31 m × 18 m) in plan and sits on a poured concrete foundation. It is adjacent to a one-story brick school building built in about 1960.[2]

It was listed on the National Register along with other New Deal projects covered in one study.[3]

Its NRHP registration asserts:

The gymnasium is a good local example of the education building property type defined by the context. The structure, constructed in 1938, is important for showing that recreation for children was given a priority in the rural school experience. The gym is also important for documenting the partnership between school and community because it provided space for various community activities, within the framework prescribed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This structure also is important for indicating Crittenden County's attitude during the late 1930s to school consolidation. Because the structure blends a variety of uses (educational, social, recreational, cultural) it is an important reflection of New Deal program goals, that projects would serve the public good broadly.[2]: 6 

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c L. Martin Perry (August 1, 1992). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Frances School Gymnasium / Site # CN-1". National Park Service. Retrieved June 28, 2017. With six photos.
  3. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation: New Deal Era Construction in Kentucky MRA". National Park Service.