NEWS

Historic Evansville Gym Needs a New Use

Indiana Landmarks and the YMCA are working together to seek a solution that will preserve Evansville’s historic downtown gymnasium.

Evansville YMCA gym

On the Rebound

Walking into the old Central High School Gymnasium in downtown Evansville is like entering a time-capsule from the movie “Hoosiers.” One can almost hear players dribbling the ball and fans cheering for the hometown “Bears.” The court, the wood bleachers and press table, even the old track timekeepers’ clock on the wall, all remain unchanged. Basketball fans everywhere would appreciate the nostalgia the building evokes. Today, however, the historic gym and its addition need an assist.

Architect Frank Schlotter designed the gym, built in 1927 for Central High School’s men’s basketball team in accordance with new state rules calling for physical education. The Gothic Revival-style red brick and limestone exterior provided an impressive compliment to the late-1800s-era school building across 6th Street.

For over 40 years, the gym hosted countless practice sessions and intense basketball games on the court and races around the elevated track. It all changed in 1970, when Central High School —the oldest free public high school in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains —moved to a new building several miles north of downtown. The high school was demolished in 1973, but the local YMCA acquired the historic gym and used it for many years.

In 1981, the organization constructed a new addition to connect the gym to the YMCA’s main location, an adjacent 1913 building fronting Vine Street. With a new lap pool, locker rooms, office space, and multi-purpose rooms, the complex of new and old buildings continued to serve the public for many more years.

Evansville YMCA gym

In 2019, the YMCA built a new facility and began seeking reuse proposals for the older buildings. Last year, Indianapolis developer Jon Anderson adapted the 1913 building as Central Lofts apartments using a combination of state tax credits for low-income housing and economic stimulus funds from the Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration & Development Initiative. However, plans for the 1927 gym and its addition remain undetermined.

For many Evansville natives, the gym is the last tangible reminder of their old downtown high school, or where they played pick-up ball as long-time YMCA members.

Indiana Landmarks and the YMCA are working together to seek a solution that will preserve the historic gym and contribute to the vitality of downtown Evansville.

“The YMCA is committed in our efforts to seek out an owner/developer that will preserve this community treasure,” says Johnathan Pope, president and CEO of the YMCA of Southwest Indiana. “We’d like to see the structured re-purposed in a way that continues to serve and meet the growing needs of the individuals in our region.”

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