Cunningham Hall
Built in 1973, the sports complex including the adjoining buildings of Cunningham Hall and Gross Coliseum, occupies 322,979 gross square feet. Not seen in this photo, taken from the Highway 183 Bypass, is the portion of the structure housing four gymnasiums and five racquetball courts. A Wellness Center, swimming pool, locker rooms and offices occupy the rest of the space in Cunningham Hall. Gross Coliseum is the copper-clad portion of the complex. Departments housed in the complex include Athletics, Health & Human Performance, Allied Health, and Gross/Cunningham Operations.
Cunningham Hall was named for Dr. Morton Christy Cunningham, known as the "Builder President," the fifth administrative head of the Fort Hays Kansas State College. He assumed his duties as President on August 15, 1949. Once the postwar conditions eased, Dr. Cunningham led the college through a major building and remodeling period. Construction during his tenure as President included: an Applied Arts Building named Davis Hall (which was razed in 2017); a new wing for Custer Hall; a south wing for McGrath Hall (which was razed in 2000); a residence for the President of the university, Agnew Hall (which was razed in 2010 - a second Agnew was built on the same site); the Memorial Union; Wooster Place apartments for married student housing; Wiest Hall (which was razed in 2017); Malloy Hall; Forsyth Library; a new dairy barn, silos, sheds for cattle and hogs, and machine shops. The library was air conditioned in 1957. The Industrial Building, later named Rarick Hall, was remodeled, as was the Social Building, which was renamed Martin Allen Hall. (Rarick was razed in 1978 and replaced by a new Rarick Hall in 1981.) A new wing was added to Science Hall, now Albertson Hall, in 1962. New service buildings were completed in 1960 to house garages, repair shops and other facilities. There was additional work on Lewis Field Stadium, and new tennis courts and softball fields were built. A road across Big Creek to join the campus to the housing area, new water mains, new electrical wiring, and a new telephone system so there could be telephones in offices were some of the many projects that improved the campus under President Cunningham's tenure at the helm of the university.