Today this building houses the NPS National Center for Preservation Technology and Training Photo by Rolonda Teal, courtesy of Cane River National Heritage Area

The Women’s Gymnasium is a three-story brick Jacobean Revival building located on the campus of Northwestern State University (NSU). Constructed in 1923, it began to serve the NSU Women’s Physical Education department in the early 1930s. The department grew and prospered in the building for more than 40 years, developing the first academic major in physical education in Louisiana. The gym is a largely rectangular building with modest decorations. Most notable of its architectural features are the grouped windows under single hood moulds and extensive quoining. The interior of the building originally held several classrooms, dressing rooms and a dance studio on the first floor, a full gym on the second floor and a walking track that overlooked the gym on the third floor.

Women's Gymnasium, Northwestern State University Photo by Candice Pauley, courtesy of Cane River National Heritage Area

The Women’s Physical Education department outgrew the facility in 1970 and moved to its current location on Tarleton Drive. The building stood vacant for many years, during which time the roof collapsed and the first floor was used only for storage. The building received new attention in 1992, when the National Park Service’s National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) was established at NSU. The Park Service began rebuilding the Women's Gymnasium in 1997, but the project was delayed by a fire that gutted the building in November of that year. NCPTT started a second round of renovations in 2000, and finished the project the following year. The building was renamed Lee Nelson Hall after a distinguished preservation architect who worked for the National Park Service. The organization moved in shortly thereafter, and since then the Women’s Gym has served as an important center for historic preservation. The first floor now houses offices, a laboratory and conference rooms. Much of the second floor is still a gym, but today it is used for training programs, meetings and special events. The walking track has yet to be restored.

The Women’s Gymnasium, known as Lee H. Nelson Hall, hom of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, is located at 645 College Avenue on Northwestern State University campus in Natchitoches. The offices are open from 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday-Friday. The building is often open for special events concerning historic preservation. To find information on these events, check the NCPTT website. The Women’s Gymnasium has also been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey.