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   The Old Gym enjoyed a run of only about 35 years in L’Anse, but left an indelible mark in local hearts and history books.
   Glen Sands of L’Anse attended fifth grade there. So did Bob Johnston, Curt Menard and the former Oscar Johnson. A lifetime later, the four pooled their memories to share these lasting impressions of the Memorial Community Building, best known as the Old Gym:
   “The building was constructed in 1922, and was used by the L’Anse Schools for classrooms, athletics and plays,” Sands noted. “I and other members of my class attended the fifth grade in the upper left classroom; Oscar Johnson stated that he attended class in the basement room.
   “The gymnasium was used by the school and other local basketball teams,” he continued. “The local basketball team was named the “L’Anse Cardinals.” Plays were also put on by other individuals from the locality, as well as concerts by local talent.

   “The L’Anse Library was located in the middle, right area. Later this was used by the Village of L’Anse for its Electric Light Office,” Sands wrote, “and their council meetings were held there. Some of the others using the building over the years were the WPA office, Draft Board and Welfare Office.”
   Sands speculates that the Old Gym housed classes that simply didn’t fit in L’Anse’s evolving school system. He attended three schools–the Gray School, Portable School and Red School–plus a year in the Old Gym as he progressed from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
   Last year, the Friends of the Library in L’Anse commissioned a painting of the Old Gym. L’Anse artist Sonya Evans drew upon photos and notes by Sands to recreate the gym, which also housed a branch of L’Anse’s first library in the 1950’s.
   Sands described the colors of the building for Evans, who otherwise had only black and white photos to work from. Then the four former students went the extra mile, recreating floor plans for the Old Gym which may someday be available to the public as well.

   The basement level included boys and girls locker rooms, showers, a janitor’s area and Mildred (Bentzen) Wilson’s fifth grade classroom. The main level featured a large gym and basketball court, with a balcony on one end (seating above and below) and a stage on the other.
   A jog in the building contained a cloakroom and water fountain, the library and the village elect office. The library was fronted by double glass doors, and on the wall opposite the doors was a fireplace chimney flanked by bookshelves. Above the library and office there was a second floor classroom.
   The building was as ornate on the outside as in. The part of the basement that showed above ground was covered with Lake Superior sandstone. The first story was of dark, reddish-brown brick, possibly from the L’Anse Brick Company, and the second story was finished in cream-colored stucco, all topped with a black shingled roof.
   Sands learned that Fraki’s, now Main Street Market, opened in 1958, so the Old Gym must have been demolished in 1956 or 1957. Evans’ painting of the Old Gym can be seen on display at the L’Anse Library.