North Side High School Gym was an indoor gymnasium in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It hosted the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons from 1941 until they moved to the newly constructed 10,000-seat War Memorial Coliseum in 1952. [1] The gymnasium held near 3,000 people and hosted games for North Side High School in Fort Wayne through 2004 when the school was renovated. The teams at North Side now play in a new gym, By Hey Arena, and the old facility was transformed into the school's library in the renovation. [2]
References
- ^ Reichard, Kevin. "The Detroit Pistons and the Journey to Little Caesars Arena", Arena Digest, September 20, 2017. Accessed January 31, 2024. "In those early NBL days, the Zollner Pistons played out of Fort Wayne’s North Side High School Gym. But the Fort Wayne Pistons outgrew that 3,000-seat high-school gym (which was later repurposed into a library, still standing), and the team’s success led to the construction of Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in 1952. Seating over 10,000 for basketball, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum also hosted pro hockey (indeed, the original Fort Wayne Komets launched in the IHL in 1952, though the present Komets franchise dates back only to 1990) and still is a community resource, hosting the aforementioned Komets as well as G-League basketball."
- ^ "Exploring great Indiana high school gyms", Indianapolis Star, August 10, 2016, updated March 2, 2023. Accessed January 31, 2024. "The By Hey Arena at Fort Wayne North Side was named for Byard Hey, former coach at North Side for 31 years. The gym was dedicated in 2004. The former gymnasium hosted the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons until 1952. That gym was repurposed into the school's library."