Illinois College Memorial Gym comes down to prepare for future possibilities
Memorial Gymnasium has been a part of the IC campus since 1951, but has not been used as an athletic facility since the Bruner Fitness and Recreation Center opened in 2003. IC stopped using Memorial Gymnasium completely in 2016 when offices in the building were relocated. IC officials determined that the cost to maintain or remodel the building in its poor condition was too high. The gym’s site will become a green space that will serve students and be prepared for possible future construction.
Former basketball coach, Bill Merris ’56, began coaching the Illinois College men’s basketball team in 1958. He says he is glad he had the opportunity to coach in Memorial and has many fond memories of the gym.
Illinois College Memorial Gym comes down to prepare for future possibilities Coach Merris reminisces in Memorial Gym.
“My first team had some players that I had played with and I was a little concerned about how I could handle coaching them,” Merris said. “But we started with the McKendree tournament and won it, and then I felt more comfortable with the team.”
Memorial Gymnasium was named in honor of the IC men and women who participated in wars the United States fought in from 1829 to 1947. The gym has served as the site of many notable moments in IC history, including commencements, the college’s first sports competitions for women in the 1970s and many record-setting games over the years.
