The Distler House was constructed in 1891 as a gymnasium. Architect James H. Warner designed the building in a Tudor Revival style. A few years earlier he had designed Lancaster’s Central Market.
       This gymnasium included a bowling alley in the basement. A basketball court was added in 1920. The new Biesecker Gym replaced this gymnasium in 1926. This former gym was later remodeled as a student recreation hall, named the Campus House, with a billiard room and student lounges.
     In 1960 the main floor was redesigned as a bookstore. That store moved to the College Center in 1976. This former gym was renamed the Distler House in 1977 for former F&M President Theodore A. Distler. In 2013 the building received a glass atrium for use with a new café.