Sulphur Springs gym suggested for National Register of Historic Places

The "Camp Crowder" gymnasium at Sulphur Springs will be considered for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places because of its World War II construction and good condition.
The "Camp Crowder" gymnasium at Sulphur Springs will be considered for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places because of its World War II construction and good condition.

— A “Camp Crowder” gymnasium which dates to World War II, located in Sulphur Springs, will be considered for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The State Review Board of the Arkansas Historical Preservation Programwill consider the structure, along with 13 other Arkansas properties, on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

The gymnasium is a large wood-frame structure built around 1941 at Camp Crowder Military Base near Neosho, Mo. It was moved to Sulphur Springs around 1948.

“Though the Camp Crowder Gymnasiumwas moved in 1948, it has been situated in its current location for far longer than it was in Neosho, Missouri,” the National Register nomination says. “The building retains its original siding, doors and many of its original windows. Inside, the large roof trusses and the wooden basketball court also recall thebuilding’s initial construction. Though some windows on the lower half of the gymnasium have been replaced, an effort was made to retain the original muntin pattern. Once the renovations are complete, the structure will once again serve the recreational purpose for which it was originally built.”

News, Pages 8 on 07/27/2011