Toledo turns old basketball fieldhouse into new classrooms

BGSU33 · Post by **BGSU33** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:43 pm

Gotta say, I think it's a pretty cool idea and project:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 81/-1/NEWS

h2oville rocket · Post by **h2oville rocket** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:48 pm

Looks fabulous. A lot of personal hx there for me. Played hoops against Steve Mix there, ran 40s with Mel Long, Sr., used to high jump in the lobby during the winter, took a shower with Billie Jean King in the locker room and swapped T-shirts with a Soviet wrestler before the World Cup. Saw Pink Floyd, Edgar Winter, Taj MAhal, Poco, It's A Beautiful Day and a slew of others there. Watched UT play several nationally ranked teams there-South Carolina when they were big time and some others. Saw Walter Luckett, George Gervin and, of course, Steve Cooper of UT/BG. Took years of Tai Kwan Do classes in the old Women's Gym upstairs and sold programs at hoops games to raise money for the track team. Used to throw the javeline into foam pads above the seats in the stands. Used to walk through the steam tunnels over to U-Hall during the winter to avoid going out in the slush.

Thanks for indulging my nostalgia. Exciting to see it come back as a viable building.

Post by **ZiggyZoomba** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:48 am

h2oville rocket wrote:Looks fabulous. A lot of personal hx there for me. Played hoops against Steve Mix there, ran 40s with Mel Long, Sr., used to high jump in the lobby during the winter, took a shower with Billie Jean King in the locker room and swapped T-shirts with a Soviet wrestler before the World Cup. Saw Pink Floyd, Edgar Winter, Taj MAhal, Poco, It's A Beautiful Day and a slew of others there. Watched UT play several nationally ranked teams there-South Carolina when they were big time and some others. Saw Walter Luckett, George Gervin and, of course, Steve Cooper of UT/BG. Took years of Tai Kwan Do classes in the old Women's Gym upstairs and sold programs at hoops games to raise money for the track team. Used to throw the javeline into foam pads above the seats in the stands. Used to walk through the steam tunnels over to U-Hall during the winter to avoid going out in the slush.

Thanks for indulging my nostalgia. Exciting to see it come back as a viable building.

Kudos to UT for this project!! I love it when an historic building is saved and re-used as opposed to being torn down in favor of "progress." Sounds like some great memories there! I know I've been in the building... but that's as memorial as I can go.

You played hoops against Steve Mix... I got dunked on by Jim Jackson. That's sort of a common bond there....

Class of 61 · Post by **Class of 61** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:28 pm

ZiggyZoomba wrote:
h2oville rocket wrote:Looks fabulous. A lot of personal hx there for me. Played hoops against Steve Mix there, ran 40s with Mel Long, Sr., used to high jump in the lobby during the winter, took a shower with Billie Jean King in the locker room and swapped T-shirts with a Soviet wrestler before the World Cup. Saw Pink Floyd, Edgar Winter, Taj MAhal, Poco, It's A Beautiful Day and a slew of others there. Watched UT play several nationally ranked teams there-South Carolina when they were big time and some others. Saw Walter Luckett, George Gervin and, of course, Steve Cooper of UT/BG. Took years of Tai Kwan Do classes in the old Women's Gym upstairs and sold programs at hoops games to raise money for the track team. Used to throw the javeline into foam pads above the seats in the stands. Used to walk through the steam tunnels over to U-Hall during the winter to avoid going out in the slush.

Thanks for indulging my nostalgia. Exciting to see it come back as a viable building.
Kudos to UT for this project!! I love it when an historic building is saved and re-used as opposed to being torn down in favor of "progress." Sounds like some great memories there! I know I've been in the building... but that's as memorial as I can go.

You played hoops against Steve Mix... I got dunked on by Jim Jackson. That's sort of a common bond there....

Yeah Grant, But did YOU take a SHOWER with Billie Jean King?

h2oville rocket · Post by **h2oville rocket** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:41 pm

Class of 61 wrote:[

Yeah Grant, But did YOU take a SHOWER with Billie Jean King?

Can't believe no one else picked up on that one. True story though. Sort of.

always a falcon · Post by **always a falcon** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:03 pm

I was afraid to ask. I might get an answer

h2oville rocket · Post by **h2oville rocket** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:29 pm

She was playing in an exhibition at the Field House that night- I was the only track guy left in the locker room and was showering after a late track practice- for reasons that remain unknown to me they had her set up in the Men's Locker room and were taking her for a tour. Tour included the shower that I was using. Pretty sure she wasn't impressed.

Rightupinthere · Post by **Rightupinthere** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 9:56 am

h2oville rocket wrote:She was playing in an exhibition at the Field House that night- I was the only track guy left in the locker room and was showering after a late track practice- for reasons that remain unknown to me they had her set up in the Men's Locker room and were taking her for a tour. Tour included the shower that I was using. Pretty sure she wasn't impressed.

I thought my practicing Horn next to Natalie Merchant was a cool story. That trumps me by a country mile.

Rightupinthere · Post by **Rightupinthere** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 9:59 am

This is an awesome project. I love the revitalization of historical structures - which is one of the many reasons I love the Toledo Zoo so much. Other zoos would just shun their history, tear down and rebuild. TZ embraces their past and modernizes. I love eating in the old Carnivore building. It takes me back to my youth.

Huge tip of the cap to UT on this project!