Streator Township High School has two gyms, but it’s the old gym that gets the call for the book.
The Bloomington Street Gym, as locals call it would have been a sight to see when it was first built in 1921. The gyms brick walls and large arched windows give it a unique look, but a closer look at the gym reveals some changes were made long ago. There was more to the balcony than what you currently see above the east baseline. The original look would have included an U-shaped upper deck around the court, putting more fans hanging above the players.
When I visited the school the former balcony was even an unknown to athletic director Nick McGurk, who grew up in Streator and went to games in the gym as a kid. So, it’s a bit of a mystery as to what exactly they looked like or when they were removed.
The Bloomington Street gym is the oldest remaining part of Streator High and has outlived two additions, one in the 1960s and another in 2007.