The JHS Bowl was constructed by the Jacksonville School District as a gymnasium and sports event venue. Built in 1952, this was a modern building built to Evansville, IN architect Ralph Legeman’s patented design for semi subterranean gymnasium construction. He designed only 30 gyms all over the Midwest with his patent, with approximately a dozen in Illinois. The building has local and statewide architectural significance.
The JHS Bowl is located in a very prodigious area of the city—between the historic residential district and its historic commercial core. This transitional area was historically marked by important community functions servicing both the residential and commercial zones, many of which remain to this day. Four churches, the Masonic Temple and the Newton Bateman Memorial High School (now School Apartments) are all located within a block of the Bowl.
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