The mess hall was the center of community life at Manzanar. Meals, meetings, movies, and socials. There were 36 mess halls serving three meals to 300 people daily. At the camp's peak years, it became the largest town between Reno, NV and Los Angeles, CA. When manzanar closed, wood here was recycled for local construction. The camp Gymnasium, was later used by Caltrans for highway maintenance equipment. Today, the building is the center of the Manzananar Nation Historica Site, preserving Manzanar's past.