Fire heavily damages Indiana town's Depression-era gymnasium

HOPE, Ind. (AP) — A fire heavily damaged a south-central Indiana town's former gymnasium that was built by a Great Depression-era public works program, officials said.

Firefighters used two aerial trucks late Wednesday and early Thursday to pour water onto the old gym building in the the Bartholomew County town of Hope. But the building suffered significant damage, Hope Volunteer Fire Chief Chad Emmert told The Republic.

Damage estimates will be difficult to determine because the old gym, located next to the Hope Community Center, was in a state of disrepair prior to the fire, Emmert said.

“The stage inside the gym had already partially collapsed,” he said. “There were also a lot of leaks throughout the entire structure.”

The building has served no purpose for about 12 to 13 years, said Community Center of Hope Executive Director Chelsea Warriner said.

The gym was built in 1938 as a project of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration and originally had a seating capacity of 1,200.

The building became the permanent home for the local high school basketball team, which had been playing in the Petersville and Taylorsville gyms. It also also had a stage for drama productions and other school and community events.