Madison (Old) (1,300) Built 1924
December 13, 2024
December 13, 2024
One of my absolute favorite parts of crisscrossing the state looking for and visiting gyms is driving through and stopping in the litany of small towns Indiana has to offer. So many of them feel the same, yet distinct. Some are more picturesque than others, some are more rugged, others are just weathered by time. Trying to understand their history and the journey that took them to where they are today is always a small joy of mine. Out of every town I've visited along the way, I'm not sure any stands out to me more than Madison. There is a huge historic district with immaculately cared for buildings that slope their way down to the river. The old Indiana mainstreet that every small town seems to have actually has tenants in the majority of the shops. You have the views of the river right next to the rolling hills of Clifty Falls. You also have all of this beauty sitting in the shadow of the enormous billowing smokestacks of the coal power station right outside of town. This was my second time visiting in the last few years, and the town just hits all the right notes. The only thing that could make it even more perfect for me personally would be a beautiful gym, and wouldn't you know it? Madison actually has two of them.
I've had the current home of the Madison Cubs on my short list of gyms I really want to visit for a long time. They weren't playing in town the night we were in Madison so I had to look elsewhere in the area. Luckily the former home of the Cubs is open throughout the week to the public. It's mostly used for walkers and the almighty sport of pickelball now, but you can still see remnants of what was once a fabulous house of hoops. Even better, it was just two blocks walk away from where we were staying. Brown Memorial Gymnasium sits at the bottom of a long sloping hill that stops right at the edge of the Ohio River. Built exactly 100 years ago, it had to be extensively remodeled in 1937 when the river reached record highs and completely flooded the building. The gym helped put Madison basketball on the map along with two state runner-up teams in the 40s and then a state championship in 1950. After that, there were numerous great players along the way like Larry Humes (who if you haven't read about him in Ed Snyder's Their Times in Indiana, stop what you're doing now and go get that book. His life story is amazing and the whole book is incredible) who continued the school's grand tradition in the ensuing decades. The gym looks a little different today than it did back then, but the heart of the place is still very evident.
If you look at old pictures, you can see that the gym once had seating on three sides of the court plus a stage behind one baseline. Today the stage and two sections of bleachers are gone. This leaves a lot of wide open hardwood floor around the edges of the court, which is great for pickleball and walking laps, but it looks a bit cavernous when viewing it as a gym for basketball. The hardwood is a bit heathered with both lighter and darker hues of brown. Red matting runs across the end that I believe is where the stage once stood. On the opposite baseline is a vinyl banner honoring the state championship and runner-up teams. Otherwise the walls are bare except for a few sponsor signs and a burgundy stripe running across the wall all the way around the gym that matches the maroon on the bleachers. There are old windows at the floor level that were filled in at some point over the years. A little concession stand sits in one corner.
The focal point of the gym today is the one large section of original (at least to 1937) sideline seating that is still intact. There are 11 rows of beautfiul wooden bleachers that are painted white on the sides and maroon on the seat benches. It's a simple but perfect color scheme. The coolest part about these bleachers are the ends which actually curve in a zigzag pattern instead of being cut in a straight ninety degree angle. It provides a little extra flair. Looking at old pictures, you can also see that there used to be bleacher sections standing over a corner entrance up against the stage that is no longer there. That would've provided a really neat vantage point to watch the game from. The scorer's table sitting at midcourt is worth pointing out as it is long and grand with "officials and press" written across it in immaculate maroon script. You have to walk down a big set of stairs to enter and exit the gym, and in this corridor you'll find two display cases that do a great job of honoring the past teams that called this wonderful place home.
I told my wife multiple times in the 24 hours we were in town that in an alternate reality I could see myself moving to and living in downtown Madison. I didn't want to leave. Visiting it at Christmas time didn't help either as it is particularly magical this time of year. It also has my favorite restaurant on earth, the Red Pepper. We ate there three different times the last time we were in town because I simply wanted to try everything on the menu. Naturally we went back this time. Talking online with a few people who grew up and experienced Madison basketball from the golden age of Indiana hoops all the way up through today, they are very proud of the tradition that has been carried on now for over a century. I don't blame them. It's easy to see why people call this place home and put down roots. Their two beautiful gynmanisums are just an extension of that. I can't wait to come back and see their current digs, and hopefully try another wrap at the Red Pepper.
