Joliet Central’s gym does not have a formal name or any nickname that I’m aware of. Which is a rarity given that the most of the gyms seen as the best gyms in the state, which Central is one of, have names; Wharton, Max Morris, The Titan Dome, and many more. Even a bigger testament to the gyms greatness is the fact that both myself, a grad of rival Joliet Catholic and the Sun-Times’ Michael O’Brien, a grad of cross-town rival Joliet West, both agree this gym is so special it deserves consideration towards the top of the list.
The school, built in 1901, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is just an incredibly beautiful structure outside to the inside and is worth a visit for that alone. I’m not 100% sure if the gym was part of that build or later expansions in 1917, 1922, 1924, or 1931. More research needs to be done on that, but my guess is probably the 1931 expansion given the size of the gym, estimated to hold 6,000 spectators, and a ceiling that spans much further than any others that would have been built in the 1900s or 1910s.
A 1/16 running track is at the very top of one-half of the gym, about three-stories high. While the other half of the gyms has a barn-like ceiling.
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