Originally posted 12/14/2009
Evansville residents may wonder why Central High School is not very centralized within the city. Geographically it lies more north than North High School. For those old enough to remember Central used to be downtown when that area was still very residential. Old Central was the oldest free public high school in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was a massive brick complex spanning the entire block of 6th St, Vine St, ML King Jr Blvd (formerly 7th St), and Court St (formerly Division St). It was torn down in 1973 and is now the YMCA parking lot.
After holding high school classes in various locations, the city finally got a dedicated building in 1868 when Old Central was built. It was simply called Evansville High School since no other secondary schools were in town. Once Reitz High School was built in 1918, the name Central which typified its location downtown came about.
At first, the school was a small building compared to its final state. It was a two story school house fronting 7th St.
In 1896 a clock tower and two wings were added. This massive tower that dominated the Evansville skyline is what most people associate with Old Central.
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Additions in the early 1900s saw the school expand to 6th St encompassing the entire block.
After 100+ years and numerous expansions, Old Central outgrew its location. The downtown residents and families migrated north with the urban sprawl. The new Central was built out on First Ave and in 1971 the school left its home downtown for a more spacious site. The school sat vacant for a couple of years and despite some protests to preserve the tower as a downtown landmark the school was razed in 1973. The block was slated to be used for a new building for the YMCA, but that never came to pass and Old Central is now nothing more than a parking lot.
The only thing that remains of the Old Central complex is the 1927 gym on the corner of Court and 6th. Built in 1927, it is still used by the YMCA for an indoor track and basketball courts. If you look at the stone above the door facing 6th St it reads “Gymnasium C.H.S.” for Central High School.
Old Central High School on HistoricEvansville.com
http://www.historicevansville.com/site.php?id=oldcentral