Old Texas Gymnasiums

[duckpluck]

I have always had an interest in high school sports. For sometime now I have been particularity interested in old gymnasiums around Texas. I am very interested in documenting some of these old structures in the form of a photo documentary I plan on compiling.

To continue my quest to find them, I am asking people like yourselves, to let me know if there is an old gymnasium in your school district/institution? In addition, if you are aware of other structures that I should also inquire about please let me know. I am also trying to find the oldest gymnasium in Texas.

To date I have found many that are very old and interesting. Lockhart, Pflugerville, Lampasas, Antelope, Alto, Orangefield, Granger, Martins Mill, D'Hanis, and others. some of these I have seen. Most were built during WPA in 40's.

Also any other information about the buildings would be greatly appreciated and add to the story and history of my endeavor.
I have heard some great stories such as one I cant recall that have the out of bounds line on the wall. To throw the ball in you had to put foot on the wall.
Another one in North Texas is reportely haunted.

email me at duckpluck1@yahoo.com or post the info here.

[Antec]

East Bernard's old gym is pretty cool-built in the 40s or 50s

high bleachers on each side with railing and of course a stage.


Van Vleck's is pretty old oval shaped with wooden bleachers.

Tidehaven's is about the same oval shaped-over 50 years old.

The Tidehaven junior high gym in El Maton which used to be the black school is very unique

Boling's old gym-still is use-is like a square small cracker box when bleachers on one side- not much room outside the lines.

Schulenburg's old gym was unique also

Wallis's old gym before the consolidation with Orchard was unique also


The old Damon gym had high bleachers up from the floor and was different

The old Garwood Gym was small but had a homey feeling


Louise's old gym which was tore down- had bleachers on both sides and had a different atmoshphere


Gansdo still has its old gym with bleachers on one side- even has a ticket booth


The old Kendleton gym was all wood with crickety bleachers.

The Crescent Gym outside of Wharton is oval and has a stage- is now used for Wharton County Fairgrounds

El Campo's hs gym has been renovated but spacios with wooden bleachers on both sides.

West Columbia gym is pretty old- dark and that old style-i hink bleachers on only one side.


Of course best college gym-Gregory Gym at UT in Austin- was different

got noisy when full.


Super Drum was build in mid 70s-think they use it for volleyball still

[mac77]

Columbia's gym has stands on both sides but only holds about 800 fans. Lost the floor a few years ago and now has SportCourt floor, A/C and new paint.
El Campo still has that old wooden gym back behind the main gym that's pretty unusual.

Does Boling still have that old gym in Iago with the little balconies?

[luvhoops34]

Kenedy has an old gym. All the bleachers are up stairs

[Snyder_TigerFan]

Snyder's Travis Gym dates back to the 30's and was built by WPA. Maybe someone from Snyder can post some pictures. I know that they are currently debating on tearing it down.

[pooch]

Livingston, TX - go to the old HS/junior high off of Church street. the gym is old and backs up to the football field home bleachers.

Saltillo, TX - near Sulphur Springs. high stands on one side but only seats about 100, I'd say. reminds me of Hoosiers. their out of bounds was really close, about a foot from the wall.

Cumby, TX, vaguely remember this gym, but do remember that our bench had to lift their feet when we dribbled by.

[Dogman_1969]

Hey come and tour the Ackock Gym in Rockdale. It was used until the schools combined.

[duckpluck]

I saw the one in Rockdale from the outside. It looks like a great gym.

[burnet44]

Paint Rock has a corner cut out of the court where the brick wall is
and
has the dotted lines for the in bound still around it

[Reds fan]

Two unique old gyms come to mind:

Round Top-Carmine Gym (still in use as far as I know)

Sealy Jr High Gym, now may not be used since new High School school was built. Stepping into that gym you got that "Hoosiers" feeling

:)

[luvhoops34]

Flour Bluff had a really old gym. When I was in jr. high we had to use it. It was really, really dark inside with raised bleachers.

[Antec]

Gym in Missouri City was pretty old and had that old time look-before it closed down in the 50s to consoliated with Dulles


It still standing on 90A--not sure if its still used as a gym but part of a junior high

Old Dulles HIgh School Gym was pretty different-right on t he campus--

They even had their old f ootball ball field since they were first school

[Gsquared]

Go see the old gym in Antelope Texas. Right out of Hoosiers

[duckpluck]

thanks guys. I have a huge Texas map with push pins in all the places I have to go to.

[charlesrixey]

Celina's old middle school (i went to 7th/8th grade there) was built i think in 1942 or sometime close to that

The gym had the requisite small stage, two basketball hoops on opposite sides posted on the walls, and permanent full wooden bleachers with no spaces, just solid front and stairs that ran from the side; hollow inside with storage for the gym equipment

stairs inside side hallways to the stage also went down to two separate locker rooms (with no showers)

[18handicap]

Missouri City HS gym is still there. It was renovated in 1977 when FBISD built Missouri City JH (Middle now). The old Sugar Land HS gym is still standing at the Lakeview Elementary campus. Dulles never had a football stadium at the current high school site. The old administration building, maintenance, and bus barn used to be on the site of the current football field. Dulles played football games at the old Kempner Stadium in Sugar Land (SLHS Field) and kept adding sets of bleachers until Mercer Stadium was opened in 1977. I remember the last game at Kempner when Galveston Ball scored about a 70 yard TD in the last minute to win.