Hidden Gyms: Centralia’s Masterpiece

Hidden Gyms: Centralia’s Masterpiece

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Centralia’s Masterpiece


Many basketball enthusiasts say that a trip to Centralia, IL is a basketball pilgrimage because for nearly a century, its Orphans were considered America’s winningest high school basketball team. Although they have surrendered that title in recent years, you are still reminded of the honor while driving through town. It was during the 2007-08 season that the Centralia Orphans won their 2,000th game, a feat that only a select few basketball programs can put on their program’s resume. As you enter the new CHS athletic arena, you are welcomed to the “Home of the Orphans” and to one of the largest high school trophy cases that I have seen. Trophies, jerseys, and other basketball memorabilia introduce visitors to the teams decorated past but it also reminds its players, students, and community what’s expected in the future.

One of many trophy cases outside new CHS athletic arena

Even though the program's basketball history is on display at the new school, all basketball enthusiasts will agree that you must take the 2 minute car ride up the road to Trout Gym because it’s the true mecca of Illinois high school basketball. And until you visit it, your pilgrimage is not complete.

Sign hanging outside Trout Gym

Our family was thrilled to be given the luxury last year to enter Trout Gym, because in 2006 a new school and gym were built and as a result, the old school was sold to a local group, the doors were locked, and the lights were turned out in Trout Gym. Although a story on Trout Gym is deserving for obvious reasons, it was a hidden gem that caught our eye before we entered the historic gym, that I had to write about. Above the gym’s entrance, a colorful stained glass work of art is arranged to depict a Centralia player in motion, shooting the ball over his opponent. But, it’s the message incorporated into the stained glass that left an everlasting impression with us.


Stained glass window from the outside



In 1936, Trout Gym was built in the midst of the Depression as a project of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, which concentrated on the construction of large-scale public works such as schools, dams and bridges, with the goal of providing employment and contributing to a revival of American industry. Architect Frank Rixman designed the gymnasium in the WPA Moderne style, which was a popular style from 1925 through the 1940s.

According to an article in Chicago Art Deco Society magazine's 2007 Spring and Summer edition, the stained glass panels were designed by Emo Fry and constructed by the St. Louis Art Glass Company. The influence of the Art Deco aesthetic is unmistakable in the side panels; the only known depiction of such a scene in stained glass.
 

Players in motion and the Latin phrases


Although the stained glass is visible from the outside, it's positioned so you can view it while climbing the inside staircase leading to the balcony seating. Most visitor’s eyes are immediately drawn to the players but a quick glance to their left and right and you will notice the Latin phrases: Mens sana in corpore sano and In omnia paratus.

Mens sana in corpore sano translated means "a sound mind in a sound body", which can be construed to mean that only a healthy body can produce or sustain a healthy mind. Its most general usage is to express the concept of a healthy balance in one’s mode of life. The other phrase, In omnia paratus, translated means "prepared for all things", which is the desire to provide those with the skills they need to be successful in whatever they choose to do. Also within the stain glass are various symbols represent standard curricula, including music, biology, athletics, etc.

While speaking with one of the gym’s owners, we were told that legendary coach, Arthur Trout, had the large stain glass window installed because he believed in these values and taught his players to believe in them as well. He felt that the combination of academics and athletics would make a student a well-rounded individual.

It is only fitting that Illinois greatest high school gym has its own masterpiece for everyone to inspire to and see when entering this basketball museum of sorts. Its message should be embedded into every basketball program across the nation because it was from these values, that Arthur Trout and his Orphans turned winning into an art.