BROOKVILLE — In September 1957 the Brookville School Board proposed a bond issue to provide for upgrades to the school building.

They reported that the state department of education, through the division of vocational education, had requested that more adequate space for shop facilities be provided for vocational agriculture or the state would withdraw financial support for the program.

Also cited was space for physical education classes, both boys and girls; locker room space was needed for boys Phys. Ed classes and for interscholastic teams; storage space for gymnasium equipment, clothing, game equipment; additional shower rooms; drying room for athletic equipment; basketball playing courts; movable seating in the gym; improved quarters for vocational agriculture; expansion and addition to space for the trade and industrial classes; and a need for these areas both gym and shop, for adult community use, community recreation, church groups and individuals who might desire either recreation or adult classes in trades.

They further reported that health and physical education facilities were perhaps the poorest of all areas. A gymnasium 34×65 feet (wall to wall, 2210 sq. feet) is all the space available for 1,313 pupils. Brookville’s school alone filled all seats in the gym. Nearly all schools except those required to play by league rules refused to play on Brookville’s floor.

The school was using one locker room 20×23 feet for boys with temporary use of an adjoining room. One shower room 7×12 feet served 280 boys in grades 7 through 12. Lockers were only available to about one third of the boys.

The proposed addition provided for an area to be used for industrial arts and the trades. This area would be located in the front of a portion of the gymnasium and extend parallel to Hill Street to the alley at the north side of the school grounds. The area, approximately 135 feet long by 65 feet wide, was to be divided into smaller areas by portable partitions.

The gymnasium proper was about 110×94 feet. This provided a useful space adequate for two large gym classes at the same time or a playing floor of 84×50 feet for varsity basketball games. All seating on the main floor would be folding, only occupy 4 feet on one side and 2 feet. on the other, making space available for use. At interscholastic basketball games, the bleachers would seat about 1,190 people.

There would also be a balcony about 25×94 feet and would be used for noon hour activities or small physical education classes. In the future, folding bleachers would be installed which would seat 910 people.

Other areas in the gym to be included were locker rooms, shower rooms, treatment and first aid room, athletics office, and a drying room. The athletics office would be located at the entrance from the high school building and would control and supervise traffic to all from the two buildings.

Provision was being made so that every boy would have a locker or basket where his clothes or equipment could be locked up at all times. The lobby to the gym facing Hill Street would have a ticket office, concession room and coat checking room. The gym would have a wood floor and concrete block wall faced with brick on the exterior and glazed tile about 6 feet high on the interior.

On November 6, 1957, the voters of Brookville passed the levy on the proposed addition to Brookville School.

All information and the photo for this Look at Brookville article were supplied by the Brookville Historical Society. Do you have a photo or historical information to share or add? Please contact the Brookville Historical Society at 937-833-0285 or email to [email protected].