The Old Central High School had a gym in the older building, but the growing school needed more. With Reitz and Bosse having newer gymnasiums, Central wanted something that would showcase Bears athletics. As part of five-year building campaign, the school was promised a new facility.
Famous local architect Frank J. Schlotter was tasked to design the new gymnasium.
The style was English and Gothic architecture made of brick, concrete, and steel. The building covered a quarter city block at the southern corner of 6th St and Division St (later renamed Court St). Eight huge steel trusses extended over the full width of the building allowing a clear view from any seat. They were supported by heavy steel columns built into the brick wall.
The fireproof gymnasium cost $150,000 and included maple flooring and the exterior had ornamental metal marquees.
The gymnasium seated 6800 and was the largest structure for athletic contests in the state. Because of its size, it virtually guaranteed Evansville a regional spot in the state tournament, putting Evansville basketball on the map. Plus, the three public entrances were double sets of outer and inner doors that allowed the building to be filled or emptied in minutes!
The ticketing office was located to the left of the main entrance on Vine St as was the ladies room and check room “for coats and wraps.” The men’s room was to the right. The original scoreboards were designed in school shops as ones on the market where either inefficient or too expensive.
The “ultra-modern” gymnasium was dedicated on December 10, 1927. IHSAA chairman A. L. Trester was the main speaker for “Dedication night,” and the ceremony was broadcast on WGBF radio. Afterwards, Central opened its 1927-28 basketball season with a game against Linton H.S. It is also worth noting “East and West Highs” (Bosse and Reitz) got permission to use the building for larger events.
The 1937 Flood reached several landmarks downtown including Old Central. They gym was partially flooded as shown below.
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Central stayed in the downtown area until the early 1970s. When the new Central High School was built on First Ave, the old school was vacated. The brick building, including the enormous tower, was demolished in 1973 leaving the gym as the only remaining structure from the downtown complex.
In 1979 the YMCA expanded from its original building and incorporated the gym into its facilities. It was also used regularly for ISUE (now USI) basketball games.
When the new YMCA officially opened the September of 2019, the old building which included the 1927 gym was vacated. With the newer facilities, there are more modern amenities but the YMCA has lost a lot of its historical context. We may be biased but the best part about the new YMCA is the excellent view of the old building from the second story workout room.
As for the future of the old gym, the YMCA doesn’t have any final plans for it at this time. We talked with Marketing and Annual Campaign director, Lisa Verkamp who confirmed they are using the old gym for some special events like the U of E Coaches Luncheon, the Futures Worth Fighting For Boxing Show, and the November Battle of the Paddle pickle ball tournament. Encouragingly, the YMCA is exploring all options including keeping it for programs, finding a partner organization to share it, or possibly selling the property. Lisa was cognizant of the historical importance of the building so even though the YMCA doesn’t have an answer to what they are going to with it, they are looking for a solution.
Old Central Gym http://historicevansville.com/site.php?id=oldcentralgym
Old Central http://historicevansville.com/site.php?id=oldcentral