North Side Gym In Elkhart Truly Is A Gem
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Roger Grossman, Lake City Radio-
Tuesday night, I got the chance to go back to that grand ol’ barn at the end of Main Street in Elkhart known as North Side Gym.
When I stepped across the threshold and walked into the corridor outside the arena, it was like stepping back in time a half-century.
The hallways around the arena look the same.
The concession stands look and smell the same.
The doors to the playing floor look the same.
It's like a time warp!
When it was built in 1954 it was the largest high school basketball arena in America at a capacity of 8,284 and there was not a bad seat in the house.
It has played host to other things like pro wrestling with Dick the Bruiser, ice shows, RV shows, the circus and even Bob Hope's tour.
But when you think North Side Gym, you think of basketball.
I could write all day about the players who have run out of the corner doors to take the court at NSG: Kemp, Fox, Skiles ... it goes on and on.
The classic games, the moments ... the memories.
I stood there last night and pointed out to my broadcast buddy Ray Davis where I sat to watch the Argos teams of '78-'81 play in the regionals. I remembered every seat I sat in, and the sounds and sights easily came flowing back to me. I only wish my 1986 Dragons could have played there.
In 1989, the old girl underwent about $2-million in renovations, and they did a great job! New lighting, a new floor and new seating all made it an even better place for fans to watch games.
It now hold 7,373 spectators, but lately it hasn't need nearly that many. It hosts the boys sectional, which is always well-attended. But the regional is in Michigan City (which does a great job of hosting by the way), and it had the girls semistates for a while, but not anymore.
The sign to the upper level corner Section 23 that reads “THIS SECTION CLOSED” has a layer of dust on it that I was tempted to wipe off, but I couldn't out of a sense of preserving history.
That dust marks the time of the great history of basketball in northern Indiana like the rings of an old oak tree.
It's seen a lot of great games.
And by God’s grace it will see me again for the boys sectional in March.[[In-content Ad]]
Tuesday night, I got the chance to go back to that grand ol’ barn at the end of Main Street in Elkhart known as North Side Gym.
When I stepped across the threshold and walked into the corridor outside the arena, it was like stepping back in time a half-century.
The hallways around the arena look the same.
The concession stands look and smell the same.
The doors to the playing floor look the same.
It's like a time warp!
When it was built in 1954 it was the largest high school basketball arena in America at a capacity of 8,284 and there was not a bad seat in the house.
It has played host to other things like pro wrestling with Dick the Bruiser, ice shows, RV shows, the circus and even Bob Hope's tour.
But when you think North Side Gym, you think of basketball.
I could write all day about the players who have run out of the corner doors to take the court at NSG: Kemp, Fox, Skiles ... it goes on and on.
The classic games, the moments ... the memories.
I stood there last night and pointed out to my broadcast buddy Ray Davis where I sat to watch the Argos teams of '78-'81 play in the regionals. I remembered every seat I sat in, and the sounds and sights easily came flowing back to me. I only wish my 1986 Dragons could have played there.
In 1989, the old girl underwent about $2-million in renovations, and they did a great job! New lighting, a new floor and new seating all made it an even better place for fans to watch games.
It now hold 7,373 spectators, but lately it hasn't need nearly that many. It hosts the boys sectional, which is always well-attended. But the regional is in Michigan City (which does a great job of hosting by the way), and it had the girls semistates for a while, but not anymore.
The sign to the upper level corner Section 23 that reads “THIS SECTION CLOSED” has a layer of dust on it that I was tempted to wipe off, but I couldn't out of a sense of preserving history.
That dust marks the time of the great history of basketball in northern Indiana like the rings of an old oak tree.
It's seen a lot of great games.
And by God’s grace it will see me again for the boys sectional in March.[[In-content Ad]]
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