After YMCA departs, Athenaeum plans to open its own gym

This undated photo shows Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union students exercising in an outdoor space presently occupied by the Rathskeller Biergarten. (Photo provided by the Athenaeum Foundation)

A new fitness center sporting a retro name is planned at the historic Athenaeum building in downtown Indianapolis.

The Athenaeum Turner Gymnasium is scheduled to open May 1, the Athenaeum Foundation announced Thursday. The gym will feature cardio, strength and weight training equipment previously managed by the YMCA of Indianapolis.

The Athenaeum’s YMCA location will permanently close on Friday.

“Opening this gymnasium takes us back to the Athenaeum’s core roots and mission, a building dedicated to nurturing a sound mind and sound body,” said Craig Mince, president of the Athenaeum Foundation, in a written statement.

The Turner name is a nod to German immigrants who helped establish the Athenaeum, originally known as Das Deutsche Haus, in 1894. The German word for gymnastics is “turnen,” and followers of the Turnverein movement were known as turners in the United States.

In 1907, the building became home of Normal College of the North American Gymnastic Union.

Mince told IBJ that the revived fitness center will occupy about 9,000 square feet of the 94,000-square-foot building at 401 E. Michigan St.

Many U.S. cities were home to “turner halls” that included gymnasiums, restaurants and theaters under a single roof.

More than 130 years later, the Athenaeum will continue to host all three components.

In addition to Athenaeum Turner Gymnasium, the building is home to two food-and-beverage concepts—the Rathskeller and Coat Check Coffee—as well as arts entities Urban Musical Theatre and youth theater group React.

Memberships for the Athenaeum Turner Gymnasium, starting at $45 per month for individual adults, are available at athenaeumindy.org. Mince noted that some classes and services associated with the YMCA, such as child care, won’t initially be available.

“Those things aren’t going away forever,” he said. “But for May 1 we’re focusing on the wellness floor.”

The YMCA notified members of its upcoming closure at the Athenaeum in a Jan. 30 email written by YMCA of Greater Indianapolis CEO Gregg Hiland.

In terms of the reason for the closure, Hiland wrote that the decision “was made with the goal of ensuring our organization’s long-term sustainability while continuing to meet the needs of our members and the community.”