Sixty-three years. One family. One club.
A skinny red-haired teenager wanted to be Mr. America and to own a gym. Red Lerille did both. He won the title in 1960, opened his club three years later, and never stopped building it.
At 15, Red was a skinny red-haired kid, inspired by his Uncle Harold’s muscles. His dream was simple: be Mr. America, and own a gym. He did both.
Joe Gold tells a 17-year-old he could win it all
In 1953, Joe Gold, who went on to found Gold’s Gym and World Gym International, opened his first gym, the Ajax Gym, in New Orleans. Joe took to Red, then just 17. Over lunch one Saturday, looking at a magazine with Bill Pearl on the cover, Joe told him something Red never forgot.
Joe became his mentor. On the way up, Red won Mr. New Orleans, Mr. Audubon Park and Mr. Navy.
“You could win Mr. America one day.”
Joe Gold, to a 17-year-old Red Lerille, 1953
In 1960, Red Lerille won Mr. America.
Three years later, he opened the club.
4,000 sq ft
Red opens his club. It is the start of a story that runs to 212,400 square feet on 20 acres today.
The weight room, and a move that stuck
In 1964 came the weight room. In 1965 the club moved to Doucet Road: the same ground it stands on today, sixty years later.
Lockers, a vinyl-lined pool, a whirlpool, more weights
The club filled out fast in its first decade: locker rooms, a vinyl-lined swimming pool, a whirlpool and a growing weight room. In 1968 came a health food store, run by Boyer Coe. In 1973 the club added two racquetball courts, three indoor tennis courts and a pro shop, and took a new name: Red Lerille’s Health & Racquet Club.
The racquet sports boom
By 1978, racquet sports were booming: 10 outdoor tennis courts, 8 racquetball courts and 3 indoor tennis courts. The front entrance moved alongside the outdoor courts, and a permanent pool and lounge were built.
A junior olympic pool, a basketball court, a nursery
The early 1980s brought a junior olympic pool, a basketball court, indoor and outdoor jogging tracks, six more tennis courts, four more racquetball courts, an aerobics room, a nursery and a children’s pool. The first card-check desk appeared at the front door.
Racquetball courts become workout floors
Courts were turned into co-ed and women’s workout areas and a cardio area. Through the 1990s came treadmills, computerized cardio, step aerobics, spinning bikes and free weights, with new colors throughout.
The kids’ pool becomes a mini waterpark
A zero-entry pool, a lazy river and a water slide arrived in 2004. The Big Slide was a big hit, and dodgeball kept the line happy. A poolside snack bar and a party room followed.
Two indoor pools go up
More group fitness rooms, more parking and two indoor pools followed. The cold plunge arrived and was an instant hit with runners. By summer 2006, members were swimming in the new indoor pools.
Studios, and a full-size boxing ring
2006 brought Studio A for large classes, Studio B for small ones, a cycling studio with 60 bikes overlooking the pool, and Studio D, with bamboo floors and glass block, for yoga. Kinesis and Pilates rooms were added for personal training.
In 2007 a co-ed gym opened upstairs, the family gym grew, and a full-size boxing ring arrived, with former world champion Chad Broussard training members. The lounge became a coffee bar by day.
The Splash Park, Group Training, and a bigger cold plunge
The Splash Park opened for younger children in April 2009. The front entrance was expanded in 2010. In 2011, Group Training, then called Maximum Intensity Training, opened. Fifty new Coach-by-Color cycling bikes arrived in 2014, and a design-your-own salad bar came to the snack bar in 2015. In 2016 a very large cold plunge was added to the indoor pools, and the old one became a hot plunge.
2018 brought Les Mills Body Pump, and new treadmills and cardio bikes. New lockers went into the men’s locker room in 2019 and the ladies’ in 2020. Yoga 2 doubled in size, and bookkeeping moved downstairs.
Six pickleball courts
The club built six pickleball courts.
Construction starts on the new Women’s Gym
Work began on the new Women’s Gym.
Twelve new pickleball courts
The club built twelve more pickleball courts.
A refurbished nursery
The nursery was refurbished, with a custom-built jungle gym, new furniture and toys.
A new locker room for the women
The club built a new locker room for the women.
2025
Red was named to the first class of the Health and Fitness Association Hall of Fame, one of six pioneers of the industry. Red passed away in Lafayette on March 14 at the age of 88. His legacy lives on through the family, the club, and the countless lives he touched along the way.
The Women’s Gym opens
The new Women’s Gym opened in October.
Watch Red’s story
See the club for yourself
Sixty-three years of building is easier to see than to describe. And meet the people who run it today.