Some of the early coaching heroics of Edward C. Gallagher in wrestling and Henry P. Iba in basketball occurred in the armory-gymnasium that was completed by the end of World War I. After the war, it was simply called the gymnasium and served as the location for indoor sports for almost twenty years.
The building was reportedly designed in three days and nights by the head of the School of Architecture at the time, Frederick W. Redlich, in a style that some described as "suggestive of later Renaissance." The second floor of the building included the gym and locker rooms with offices on the ground floor.
The east wing of the building housed a 20 by 60 foot swimming pool (picture in this photo series) and the west wing provided quarters for the military department. It was used as a site for military drills on rainy days.
The floor of the gym was also a popular site for many of the college YMCA activities. With a total floor space of almost 29,000 square feet, local officials declared it: "The biggest and finest equipped gymnasium in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Arkansas."
The most striking features of the building were retained during a massive renovation that made it the Donald W. Reynolds School of Architecture in 2009 (pictured in photo series). The building received an AIA Oklahoma Honor award for its outstanding design in 2011.