Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Oliphant's Gym

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. (non-admin closure) DavidLeighEllis (talk) 00:35, 17 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Oliphant's Gym[edit]

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If it were the "oldest gym in North America", it might, just might, have a reason to be here, but I'm not seeing anything to back up the claim, or any significant media coverage. Clarityfiend (talk) 00:22, 31 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]
@Clarityfiend: Hello Clarityfiend,
There are sources that lend support to the claim that Oliphant's Gym was founded in 1913.
1. A documentary about Oliphant's Gym from approximately 30 years ago (now on Youtube) is consist with the information in the Wikipedia entry for Oliphants Gym's start date: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGQwZLPb1dk. Notably, this documentary includes an interview with a gentleman who personally began attending the gym in 1927.
2. A letter from Toronto city councillor for Ward 20, Adam Vaughan, in support of an initiative to rename a street in Toronto, Canada in honour of William Oliphant Sr. (the founder of Oliphant's Gym) notes that the gym was started in 1913: www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-63833. Notably, Councillor Vaughan's letter traces the history of the gym from 1913 to present day.
These sources should be sufficient to demonstrate Oliphant Gym's historical significance.
Thank you for your efforts administering wikipedia policies.August08 (talk) 01:52, 31 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This debate has been included in the list of Ontario-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 00:42, 31 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This debate has been included in the list of Health and fitness-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 00:42, 31 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This debate has been included in the list of Organizations-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 00:42, 31 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Comment. Sorry, but a documentary made by people associated with the gym doesn't qualify as a WP:reliable source. You need something more substantial than what you've offered. See WP:notability for the general guidelines. Clarityfiend (talk) 04:48, 31 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so a clearer consensus may be reached.

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, Lankiveil ^{(speak to me)} 11:03, 11 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Keep The institution has gone by several names such as William Oliphant Barbell Academy and Oliphant’s Academy of Physical Culture. It gets attention in works which cover this field such as Gyms of the Past and Strength & Health. The councillor's history gives us plenty of detail and so the topic just needs work per our editing policy. Andrew (talk) 12:23, 11 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Comment - Just noticed this one. Give it a little longer -- there might be some additional secondary sources out there (article improvement as a result of AfD nomination). - tucoxn\^talk 13:15, 11 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Keep I think there's enough evidence of the Gym's provenance that deleting the article would do more harm than keeping. It's not as if there are no sources. The claim for being the oldest might need to be toned down, an outsized claim requires very good sources (academic published). The article obviously needs more work but AfD is an existential topic-level discussion not content-level. -- GreenC 15:53, 11 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This debate has been included in the Article Rescue Squadron's list of content for rescue consideration. GreenC 15:53, 11 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Keep - Although it's not America's oldest gym (see perhaps Boston Young Men's Christian Union, operating for 160+ years), it might be Canada's, and it's likely one of the oldest continuously operating gyms on the continent. From what I've found, this topic has "gained sufficiently significant attention by the world at large and over a period of time" WP:N. The article should not be deleted. Access to local libraries and other resources in Toronto would likely help uncover other WP:reliable sources for inclusion in the article. - tucoxn\^talk 22:22, 12 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Keep The arguments made by others are most convincing. It has a street named after its founder, it is mentioned in places, and it was founded in 1913 so it has been continuously operating for a hundred years. How many hundred year old gyms are there out there? Clearly notable. Dream Focus 23:25, 12 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.