North Carolina State University

The Frank Thompson Building has been an important gathering place on the campus of NC State University for more than 80 years. Designed as a gymnasium by renowned New York architect Hobart B. Upjohn and completed in 1925, this architectural landmark was the first athletic facility of its kind in the Southeast, complete with indoor running track and swimming pool. The building was named in memory of Frank Thompson, NC State class of 1910, who served as captain of both the baseball and football teams and died in combat during World War I.

In its heyday, Thompson was home to all NC State athletic endeavors, including physical education, intramurals and the Wolfpack men’s basketball team. Thompson was also the center of campus social life, with a myriad of activities — student dances, concerts and commencement exercises — held under its roof. Due to the exponential growth of the university later in the century, basketball games moved to Reynolds Coliseum in 1949, and physical education moved to the modern facilities of Carmichael Gymnasium in 1963.
Over the years, “Old Thompson Gym” housed an extraordinary mix of campus programs ranging from drama, crafts and music to ROTC uniform storage and the campus rifle range. In 1964, the “Crafts Shop” moved from the Erdahl-Cloyd Student Union to the lower level of the Frank Thompson Building. In the 1970s, the main floor of the former gymnasium became the official home for an NC State theatre program that led the region in student- and community-produced theatre.

Adapting, adjusting, making do: In its service to generations of NC State students, Thompson has been modified in innumerable ways to make use of each square foot of available space.

 

“Everett Case’s dramatic success with NC State’s basketball program signaled a new era for the school, as well as the closing of a chapter at Thompson. The 1946-47 team, which included freshman Norman Sloan, compiled such a winning record that fans poured in to watch. Despite warnings, crowds of more than 3,800 fans pressed in to witness games with archrivals Carolina and Duke. Officials actually canceled the UNC game and condemned the building hours before the Duke game. The old gym was finished as a basketball arena except for one final game against High Point College played behind locked doors with only college officials and newsmen present."
—Frank J. Weedon Sr., Associate Athletics Director