The sale of bonds allowed construction of this combination two-story brick gymnasium and central heating plant, completed in 1908. Its boiler system heated the two schools, auditorium, and public library that once sprawled across the block. Attorney E. C. Day played a key role in planning the functional building; F. Jacoby and Son received the construction bid. A regulation-size basketball court, banked running track, manual training room, showers with hot and cold water, and lockers of perforated steel “to make them as sanitary as possible” made the facility the “best equipped gymnasium in the state.” The $26,000 building served Helena High School until the 1930s when a new high school was built. Central School then acquired use of the gymnasium. While the other buildings original to the block no longer stand, this well-used survivor supplied heat to Central School until 1993 and continues to provide an activity area for the children.
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