[1] Prior to the construction of Robertson Stadium, the University of Houston campus had been built nearby in 1939.

In the summer of 1941, construction began on Jeppesen Gymnasium as part of a joint project between the Works Progress Administration and the Houston Independent School District.

[2] It was built of reinforced concrete and steel with masonry walls.

Buttresses, columns, and steel trusses supported a sound-absorbing roof.

On the south end of the structure were four entrances to a lobby that led to the basketball court itself.