Tyson Auditorium Recognized During Indiana DNR Historic Preservation Month

May is Historic Preservation Month and the 2024 theme is Indiana’s Scholastic Gymnasiums

Tyson Auditorium. Photo via Indiana DNR.

(Versailles, Ind.) – The Indiana DNR Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology is celebrating Historic Preservation Month.

This year’s theme is Indiana’s Scholastic Gymnasiums.

Indiana’s fascination with basketball goes back almost to its invention in 1892. The Indiana DNR credits “Hoosier Hysteria” for the construction of large gymnasiums in both urban and rural school districts that showcase the state’s enthusiasm for and dedication to the sport.

Earlier this week, the DNR featured the Tyson Auditorium in Versailles among the great historic basketball venues in the state.

The gymnasium was completed in 1950 and was designed in the Art Deco style by the Greensburg Engineering Company as an addition to the 1938 Versailles School.

The Tyson Auditorium was the home to the famed Milan Indians basketball team during the 1953 and 1954 seasons to accommodate larger crowds (1,850 capacity).

In 2006, the Versailles School and Tyson Auditorium were listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Other notable gymnasiums making the Indiana Scholastic Gymnasium list are New Castle Fieldhouse and Indiana University's Assembly Hall.