How Old Is Your Gym?

B

Blue Jay Fan

Well-known member
With so many schools building new gyms that mostly all look alike, I was wondering how many schools have "vintage" gyms. How old is your gym and does it have any unique features that you don't see in the new gyms?

Post pictures if you have 'em.
 
 
Miss the old school gyms. Mogadore had what was then state of the art gym built in 1950. Low ceiling, theater seats 1st 3 rows, fans separated from court by iron railings. Stage at end with students on portable bleachers. When 3 point line was introduced you had to basically stand with your feet sideways to not step out of bounds!! You are correct all new gyms basically look alike!
 
A classic, see what you think?
Dedicated December 18, 1951
The historic Struthers Memorial Fieldhouse (3,200):

Struthers Memorial Field House.jpg
 
Springfield Shawnee has 2 gyms. The old gym was built wit the school in ~1958 and the new gym was added on in 1975.

The old gym has a stage at one end, the bleachers come right up to the sidelines and there was a balcony for additional seating. Made for quite an environment on a packed night. Unfortunately during the current school renovation the bleachers were changed out and no longer get as close to the sidelines and the balcony was closed off. This gym has really only been used for practice and the occasional Jr. High and below game for the past 15 years. Also used for all drama presentations and most concerts for the district.

The new gym has the playing floor located in a pit with walkways and seating on both sides. The pep band section is on the Visitors side. Up until this year it still had the original floor. Unfortunately, the floor was damaged beyond repair by the construction company doing the school renovations and had to be completely replaced. Side note: the band room is located under the home stands so you can feel and hear them warming up before coming upstairs for the game.
 
Struthersfan said:
A classic, see what you think?
Dedicated December 18, 1951
The historic Struthers Memorial Fieldhouse (3,200):

View attachment 14296
Click to expand...

I haven't been in the Fieldhouse since I moved to Indy in 1997. It still looks great. Best damn place to watch a game in the Valley.

In the late 70's and through the 80's the two weeks of the Class AAA Sectional / District were the best two plus weeks of the year and when we were able to score a pass it was even better Enter through the back door on Euclid when we had those passes. We would sit across from the benches at the far end away from the door - head out the hallway and around back to the concession stand.

Al Campana on the buzzer with that humongous ring on his hand. Ray Schwab announcing the starting lineups and reminding us "national anthem - SECOND ball game". Sal Guappone keeping the book. The people watching was tremendous and the games were generally entertaining as well.

I only saw a couple of games at South Fieldhouse - the use for anything more than City games had ended by the time I got my driver's license in 1975. Last game I saw there was when Joe James and Greg Jones played for Rayen.

I've found a lot of fantastic places to watch a game in Indiana. Struthers Fieldhouse is one of the few from Northeast Ohio that would fit in out here.

Question for the Struthers guys - where did the Cats play before the Fieldhouse was built? Another gym in the school? Did it stay a gym after that? The old school was demolished (except for the Fieldhouse) wasn't it?
 
As for the history of Poland's gyms

The current fieldhouse opened for the 1999-2000 season. This was after I moved to Indy and I've only seen one game (shortly after it opened)

The prior gym opened with the new high school in the 1972-73 season. If there was a distinguishing characteristic when it was built, it was the bench style backs for the seats in the two sections behind the benches. Those were sold as reserved season tickets at the time.

The current middle school gym opened for the 1939-40 season. I loved that band box. Walls on each side of the court with about 8-10 rows of bleachers. A balcony behind the west basket and a stage behind the east basket. I think it was a very common set up of gyms built in the 1930's.

Poland had no home gym for 1938-39 - they played a few home games at Boardman. I believe the new gym was built on the site of the prior gym that had been built for the 1927-28 season. Prior to that, Poland played home games at Elser's Barn in North Lima - yes a barn.

Here's are two blurry images of the 1939 gym from a freshman game in the 1968-69 season. Ten year old me was not a good photographer :) Note the Tri-County League banners hanging on the walls. This gym also had the three foot restraining lines for inbounding the ball with the walls just right beyond the sidelines and baselines.

Carson226.jpg



Carson227.jpg
 
wack7 said:
you may be a little biased as I'm sure I am I like another memorial fieldhouse (where I actually saw Luke Witte play against Nate Witherspoon in around 68) in Canton
Click to expand...

FWIW

Nick Weatherspoon[/B] - AKA 'Spoon'

... McKinley never played Marlington at the Field House

1960's - Page 7

CantonMcKinley.com: Online home of the Canton McKinley High School Bulldogs
www.cantonmckinley.com www.cantonmckinley.com

... McKinley (with 'Spoon') and Marlington (with Witte) met 3 times
all were in Section/District play at Canton's Memorial Auditorium
(1967 sectional : 1968 district semi : 1969 district final )

In the 1969 game Spoon scored 37 points while double teamed most of the night
Witte put in 38 points of Marlington's 57
When asked about the Pups game plan in not double teaming Witte, Rupert's reply
(para-phrased) ...
"Witte is a fine player, he'll get his 30 no matter what we do, so we'll deny
his team mates the oppertunity to score."
McKinley won 87~57

:>---

SALT
 
Last edited:
ohiopup said:
FWIW

Nick Weatherspoon[/B] - AKA 'Spoon'

... McKinley never played Marlington at the Field House

1960's - Page 7

CantonMcKinley.com: Online home of the Canton McKinley High School Bulldogs
www.cantonmckinley.com www.cantonmckinley.com

... McKinley (with 'Spoon') and Marlington (with Witte) met 3 times
all were in Section/District play at Canton's Memorial Auditorium
(1967 sectional : 1968 district semi : 1969 district final )

In the 1969 game Spoon scored 37 points while double teamed most of the night
Witte put in 38 points of Marlington's 57
When asked about the Pups game plan in not double teaming Witte, Rupert's reply
(para-phrased) ...
"Witte is a fine player, he'll get his 30 no matter what we do, so we'll deny
his team mates the oppertunity to score."
McKinley won 87~57

:>---

SALT
Click to expand...
guess it was the auditoruim than was it laid out like the fieldhouse I was only 11 and the Canton Fieldhouse is still my favorite place to watch a game
Spread All Day said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
 
My grandfather was the principal of Canton Mckinley when the Fieldhouse opened! He was so proud of it and I love going to games there. Not a bad seat. Do miss the old bleachers which were closer to the floor. I even met an usher who had remembered my grandfather who was his principal!
 
ysuindy said:
As for the history of Poland's gyms

The current fieldhouse opened for the 1999-2000 season. This was after I moved to Indy and I've only seen one game (shortly after it opened)

The prior gym opened with the new high school in the 1972-73 season. If there was a distinguishing characteristic when it was built, it was the bench style backs for the seats in the two sections behind the benches. Those were sold as reserved season tickets at the time.

The current middle school gym opened for the 1939-40 season. I loved that band box. Walls on each side of the court with about 8-10 rows of bleachers. A balcony behind the west basket and a stage behind the east basket. I think it was a very common set up of gyms built in the 1930's.

Poland had no home gym for 1938-39 - they played a few home games at Boardman. I believe the new gym was built on the site of the prior gym that had been built for the 1927-28 season. Prior to that, Poland played home games at Elser's Barn in North Lima - yes a barn.

Here's are two blurry images of the 1939 gym from a freshman game in the 1968-69 season. Ten year old me was not a good photographer :) Note the Tri-County League banners hanging on the walls. This gym also had the three foot restraining lines for inbounding the ball with the walls just right beyond the sidelines and baselines.

View attachment 14318


View attachment 14321
Click to expand...
That’s pretty cool. My mom went to Poland
 
For What It's Worth...

Back in the day when there were only 2 Classes (A & B): Youngstown South
Fieldhouse was the host for many Class A District games; sometimes shared
with Kent State's Gym or the Goodyear Gym (in Akron). McKinley advanced to
Columbus for the OHSAA final-16 many times thru Youngstown.

:>---

SALT
 
Last edited:
ohiopup said:
For What It's Worth...

Back in the day when there were only 2 Classes (A & B): Youngstown South
Fieldhouse was the host for many Class A District games; sometimes shared
with Kent State's Gym or the Goodyear Gym (in Akron). McKinley advanced to
Columbus for the OHSAA final-16 many times thru Youngstown.

:>---

SALT
Click to expand...

Interesting - I had never researched the Class A tournament back in those days. South High Fieldhouse opened in December 1940. I'm not sure if there was another venue in Youngstown that could have hosted. The old Rayen gym seems like it would have been too small. The Mahoning County Class B tournament was played at Boardman until South Fieldhouse opened.

From looking at the 1957 version of the OHSAA record book, it looks like they went to the regional format for Class A in 1942 and Class B in 1943.

South High Fieldhouse appears to have hosted 11 regionals - with quite the Stark County representation in those games.

1942 Class A - Canton Lehman beat Warren Harding in final
1944 Class A - Canton Lehman beat Canton Timken
1944 Class B - Akron Ellet beat Bellaire St John
1948 Class A - Canton South beat Canton McKinley
1948 Class B - North Canton beat Midvale
1949 Class A - Niles beat Struthers
1950 Class A - Garfield Heights beat Youngstown Rayen
1950 Class B - Geneva beat Norton
1951 Class A - Canton McKinley beat Martins Ferry
1953 Class A - Girard beat Canton Timken
1954 Class B - Copley beat Columbiana

My apologies to Blue Jay Fan as we've kind of hijacked this thread for a Mahoning Valley history discussion :)
 
Conotton Valley playing for the last season in the gym built in 1951. Until about the 90s the teams sat on folding chairs on the stage, at timeouts coaches and players had to make the 3 foot jump to the floor then crawl back onto the stage,got kind of comical to watch out of shape coaches trying to get back on.
 
Green's gym was built, along with the new high school, in 1996. Before that they played at what is now the Middle school. The original Green gym was probably at Kleckner Elementary School. Kleckner opened as Greensburg High back in 1908. Even though its small for a school of Green's size, I love the current gym. The last two seasons it has had several sellouts, and has been filled up on the home side for almost every game. I think that's more fun than having a big gym that's mostly empty.
 
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