Empty pool beneath NC State's Thompson Hall was once a naked swim testing ground

An unused pool sits beneath the wood shop on the bottom floor of Thompson Hall at North Carolina State University. The space, currently used for storage, was once a mandatory testing site for male students. The building, completed in 1925, was the campus's first standalone gymnasium. It was designed by Hobart Upjohn, an architect born in Brooklyn.

The facility was named Frank Thompson Gymnasium after Frank Martin Thompson. Thompson graduated from the university with an engineering degree in 1910. He served as captain of both the football and baseball teams during his time at NC State. He was killed in World War I in 1918.

Tom Stafford, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Emeritus, said the gym housed a swimming pool on the lowest level. Male students were required to pass a swim test in that pool. If a student failed to complete a lap, they were enrolled in a course called Introduction to Swimming. Stafford noted that no physical education classes were offered to women until 1962.

Stafford confirmed a long-running campus rumor regarding the state of dress during these tests. He stated that the swim tests were performed completely nude. Stafford said he heard the rumor for years and was unsure of its truth until he spoke with a former student. That individual confirmed the group was naked during the evaluation.

The gymnasium served as the primary social hub for students. It hosted dances, concerts, and games for the men's basketball team, then known as the Red Terrors. The team played in the building until 1949. That year, Reynolds Coliseum opened after a seven-year construction period.

The building became the center of campus athletics when Everett Case was appointed head coach in 1946. Under Case, the team, now the Wolfpack, became the largest draw on campus. In 1947, the team forfeited a game against UNC-Chapel Hill. Raleigh Fire determined the gym was too crowded, and students refused to leave the building.

Overcrowding issues continued into the 1948 season during a game against Duke. Stafford said students crawled through windows and knocked down doors to enter the venue. The fire marshal visited the campus after hearing about the chaos. Stafford said the official took one look, condemned the building, and shut down the game.

Physical education classes continued in the gym until 1963. That year, Carmichael Gymnasium opened. The old gym was then converted into the University Theatre and the Center, which was named The Craft Shop at the time. The pool was assigned to the ROTC to serve as the Riddick Rifle Range.

The rifle range operated until 1980. An Army team from Fort Bragg conducted an investigation and found the space failed to meet U.S. Army safety specifications. Stafford said he was told by then-vice chancellor Banks Talley that there were close to 100 safety violations. Talley shut down the range and gave the space to the Craft Center.

The building remained the University Theatre and Crafts Center until 2007. It then underwent a two-year renovation that cost $16.8 million. Frank Thompson's name is inscribed on a metal plaque in the shrine room of the Memorial Belltower. The plaque lists 35 students and alumni killed in World War I. Stafford said he enjoys leading groups through the mechanical room to stand inside the empty pool, where the water was once nine feet deep.