Erma Lowe Hall was constructed in 1921, not for dance, but instead as a gym. Known by the name “The Gymnasium,” the facility was the center of all TCU physical education activities until 1973 when a new physical education center, the Rickel Building, opened.

The Gymnasium featured a high basement with classrooms and offices; a swimming pool; men’s and women’s locker rooms; a basketball court with spectator viewing on the third floor; two handball courts; and a weight room.

In addition to physical education classes, TCU’s athletic program offices were housed in The Gymnasium prior to the construction of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum (now Schollmaier Arena) in 1961. It was from an office in “The Little Gym,” as it was also called, that Coach “Dutch” Meyer dreamed the plans and hatched the plays that would lead the Horned Frog football team to the national championship in 1935 and 1938. It was on the third-floor basketball court where the Frogs played their first Southwest Conference basketball games.

By 1973, all physical education and athletic programs left The Gymnasium for newer facilities. The pool, basketball court, and weight rooms were transformed as the new home for the University’s ballet program and the facility became known as the Ballet Building.

As dance at TCU continued to grow, the Ballet Building no longer met the programs needs. In 2011 the Ballet Building was renovated for the School of Classical & Contemporary Dance. It was renamed Erma Lowe Hall in honor of Erma Lowe, an avid University supporter who served as a Trustee and honorary Trustee for over two decades.