Armory Fieldhouse Opened 1954 Click image for larger picture.	Laurence Pool Opened 1961 Click image for larger picture.	Nippert Stadium Opened 1902 Click image for larger picture.
Armory Fieldhouse Opened 1954 Click on image for larger picture.	Laurence Hall Opened 1961 Click on image for larger picture.	Historical arial view Click image for larger picture.
Shoemaker Center Opened 1989 Click on image for larger picture.	Campus Recreation Center Opened 2006 Click on image for larger picture.

Recreational Athletics has held a place in UC’s history since the 1890’s. The first interclass basketball championship was held in 1897 and the first field day occurred with great success in the same year.[1]  “There were at least three thousand people in the audience. There were running, and jumping contests, tennis, (singles and doubles), throwing the baseball, a potatoes race, and a “tug of war”.[2]  In 1909, the first organized bowling league was formed and continued for several years.[3]  In 1912, Schmidlapp Hall opened giving the University a gymnasium for student use.  By 1936, intramural sports at UC had grown to 20 teams; by 1982, interest in recreational intramural sports had grown to 82 teams. Armory Field House opened in 1954, followed by Laurence Hall in 1961. The Field House was converted into a recreation facility for the general student body in the 1980’s.  Shoemaker center (Now Fifth Third Arena) opened its doors in 1989 and was designed as a multipurpose facility for athletics and recreation. The department of Campus Recreation operated facilities and programs in three buildings (Armory Field House, Laurence Hall, and the Shoemaker Center) that provided free weight areas, cardiovascular equipment, multi-purpose rooms, an indoor track, and three basketball courts. These facilities were used until the new Campus Recreation Center opened in February 2006. Today the Campus Recreation Center serves over 400 intramural league teams, provides multiple group and instructional classes, and serves approximately 2,400 patrons daily. 

Campus Recreation Center
In February of 2006, the Campus Recreation Center opened its doors. The building is an astounding 200,000 square feet.
It holds:

• Eight racquetball courts
• A six-court basketball arena that is larger than a football field. (Badminton and volleyball are also played in this area.)
• An Olympic-sized lap pool with eight lanes.
• A leisure pool for water aerobics along with a current channel, water wall, whirlpool, and bubble couch. 
• A 40-foot climbing wall
• A 17,000 square-foot fitness and weight area with over 200 cardio and fitness machines, 10,000 pounds of free weights, and a cardio theater with eight plasma TVs.
• A suspended track with four lanes
• Three multi-purpose rooms and warm-up and stretching areas

[1] Reginald, Moore  The University of Cincinnati. (1963).
[2] Reginald, Moore  The University of Cincinnati. (1963).
[3] Cincinnatian, 1912