Intended to be multi-purpose, hence the name auditorium, the Tyson Auditorium was really about high school basketball. When it was built in 1950, it seated more than the population of the town. In fact, the Milan Five – famously fictionalized in the movie Hoosiers – often played their home games at Tyson on their way to the 1954 state basketball championship. Their home gym wasn’t big enough to accommodate the crowds.

Faced in terra cotta tile, the National Register-listed school and auditorium complement the similarly styled municipal library and Methodist Church – a group constructed through the generosity of James Tyson, a Versailles native who grew up to co-found the Walgreens drugstore chain.

The auditorium closed in 2008 as a result of school consolidation. The town of Versailles took ownership of the auditorium, but has neither the money nor expertise to maintain, redevelop or operate it. It’s a beloved landmark that needs a new vision.

Contacts for media use:

John Holzer

Versailles Town Council

317-694-1867

Kent Abraham, Director

Indiana Landmarks Southeast Field Office

812-926-0983

kabraham@indianalandmarks.org