Milburn created plans for the building. In February 1904, President Venable announced that the building's plans had been approved by Bynum and the trustees and work will begin "at once," weather permitting. It was to be , with three stories and an above ground basement. The building itself was created with a Greek influence and was to feature a Powhatan grey mottled brick and terra cotta trimmings. The roof was to be slate and the front would feature a central portico. There were to be arched openings and pilasters on the sides of the venue for the gymnasium. It was designed symmetrically and has quoins at each corner. The building included a main gymnasium floor and equipment, a swimming pool, locker rooms with eleven showers, a running track gallery that was above the floor, a room for "Swedish movements," and rooms for fencing and boxing, among other amenities. In addition, there were lounges for the students and office spaces for faculty. The building was expected to be heated by a hot water system, along with electrical work for lighting. The prospect of building the new gym caused some relief with regards to Memorial Hall, which had been hosting physical activities and suffered many broken windows. The Morning Post reported on May 10, 1904, that material for the gymnasium had arrived to campus and work was expected to be starting that week. At this point the location of the building was more defined as to be between Smith library and the Carr Building. Mr. Waring of Columbia, South Carolina was announced to be the contractor responsible for building the structure, along with building the Campus Y building concurrently. The construction was revealed to be delayed because the company supplying the bricks did not have their plant properly set up initially. The construction was expected to be uninterrupted during the 1904 summer. By mid-July, it was thought that the construction of the gym would be completed in the fall. An update in November on construction was published by The Evening Tribune, where it stated that the building was coming along rapidly, but the new target finish date was in February 1905. Student newspaper The Tar Heel wrote a column in early February 1905, where it commented on the beauty of the building and pleaded to the student body to keep it in good condition. On February 20, it was announced that the