Elgin High School's first gym was built in 1911. It was the first of three gyms used by the school from then to the present day.
Here's a look at each venue:
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Third Floor Gym: (1911-38) Built in 1911, the third-floor gymnasium in the old Elgin High building was hailed as the perfect remedy for the poor skills that Elgin had demonstrated in basketball to that time. For 11 years, the high schoolers had to make do at a variety of buildings, some suited for basketball, such as the Elgin YMCA, and others decidedly not.
The gym occupied the west end of Elgin High School's new wing. The basketball court was approximately 70 feet long and 40 feet wide, a huge floor at the time. As was typical for gymnasiums of this era, a running track was suspended from the walls a convenient 10 feet above the court surface, the same height as the track in the Springfield College gymnasium where basketball was invented.
But the gymnasium that in 1911 seemed so spacious was soon bursting at the seams with basketball fans. Elgin won its two state titles in 1924 and 1925 while playing on this court.
Spectators shared close quarters on a few rows of bleachers around the court. On the running track, spectators leaned over the railings to get a closer view. The curve of track hung out over the corners of the court, making it impossible to take a long shot from either side.
But that wasn't the only obstacle.
Occasionally, fans behind the backboard would reach out and knock away opposing shots.
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The Snakepit: (1938-72) The gym annex, lovingly labeled łThe Snakepit˛ in its later years, was constructed in 1938 on Elgin High School's east wing. Although Elgin had established itself as a basketball powerhouse by this time, the Snakepit gave the Maroons a greater advantage. Elgin did not lose at home the first two years it played in the annex, and from 1942 to 1946 the Maroons won 42 consecutive games there. In the 34 seasons there, Elgin won 82 percent of its home games.
The new gym was a winner from the start, but it was never noted for its size. But what the Snakepit lacked in size it made up in character. The bleachers at the sides of the court rose up to meet towering glass windows that could be pulled open to let in the cool winter breezes when the temperatures inside rose too high. At the east end of the court, there was double trouble for opponents: a balcony on top and a peanut gallery below.
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Chesbrough Field House: (1972-present) In 1972, Elgin High School moved to a pastoral campus on the east edge of town, giving the school enough room to build a gymnasium big enough to handle the throngs ‹ or so we thought.
Compared with the Snakepit, the Field House seemed unbelievably immense and high-tech.
The floor was made of synthetic rubber. A four-sided scoreboard (capable of registering scores over 99!) hung above center court. Radio announcers had their choice of seats along the north catwalk.
The official capacity was 4,200, although that may have been a generous estimate. Elgin's first four seasons in the new gym produced a 93-18 record, the winningest four-year period in the school's history.
Some say Elgin basketball lost its intimacy when it left the Snakepit. Certainly the cigar-filled lobby and the organ in the balcony are but a distant memory. But the Field House, renamed Chesbrough Field House after the legendary coach in 1985, has a character of its own. With a huge sports wall of fame at the east end, and banners from a century's worth of graduating classes hanging from the rafters, it's impossible to ignore Elgin's link with its own history.
Scott Johnson graduated from Elgin High School in 1974.
