Cabby O’Neill Gym now a National Historic Site

The Cabby O’Neill Gym at Jasper High School has been officially designated as a National Historic Site, culminating a 13-year effort by volunteers Bernie Vogler and Bob Waddell to secure federal recognition for the 86-year-old facility.

The gymnasium, built in 1938 and 1939, became only the third gym in Indiana to receive this distinction out of approximately 750 that existed in the state during the 1960s. The designation was confirmed in a letter received by the school district in early June.

“We now have not only the best high school gym in southern Indiana, or maybe in Indiana, we also have a good old 86-year-old building,” Vogler told the school board during a presentation about the achievement. “It’s got the prestige of a national historic building.”

The project began in 2012 when Vogler approached then-new superintendent Dr. Tracy Lorey with the idea of pursuing historic designation for the gym. Initial meetings with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources were discouraging, with officials telling Vogler that “gyms in Indiana are a dime a dozen” and he was “wasting his time.”

Admittedly, Vogler realized there were quite a few old gyms around the area.

Vogler continued gathering information and documentation for several years before recruiting Waddell to assist with the effort, returning to DNR in 2019. “They told him the same thing,” Vogler said. “Good luck. This isn’t going to fly.”

Undeterred, Waddell and Vogler continued working on the project.

“We decided to do it ourselves,” Vogler said, explaining that they completed the application without hiring professional consultants or attorneys.

But the COVID-19 pandemic caused additional delays when the DNR suspended operations for two years.

The application process required extensive documentation, including a 65-page narrative written by Greater Jasper Consolidated School Board President Greg Eckerle, photography by Jay Hamlin, surveying work by Ken Brosmer, and administrative support from Julia Hearst at Hoosier Business Machine.

The volunteers had to overcome several bureaucratic hurdles, including switching from paper to digital submissions and correcting the official name from “Cabby O’Neill Gym” to “Jasper High School Gym” to match its historical designation.

In spring 2025, the team received notification that the gym had achieved state historic designation and was invited to present their case for federal recognition at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis. Eckerle delivered the presentation, which Vogler credited with putting the application “over the top.”

The national designation was granted on May 27, 2025.

The historic designation brings both prestige and practical benefits to the school district. Officials learned at the state fair that buildings with this designation may be eligible for grants covering up to 50 percent of costs for major improvements such as air conditioning systems, flooring, or facade repairs.

The gym was originally constructed with $50,000 in local funding and federal assistance during the late 1930s. Eckerle noted that the building’s preservation was itself remarkable, as it nearly faced demolition in 2009.

Eckerle credited Vogler with leading the charge to save the facility back in 2009, along with a group of individuals dedicated to the project.

Vogler and a team of volunteers spent a year and a half renovating the gym after its near-demolition, working approximately six days per week. The group, known as the Friends of Cabby O’Neill Gym, continues to maintain the facility at no cost to the school district.

“We provide the minor stuff down there, the light bulbs. We do all that kind of cleaning and all that stuff,” Vogler explained. “And we have about a 10 member group that does it. It doesn’t cost the school corporation anything.”

The volunteers maintain an endowment of approximately $25,000 for gym maintenance and continue to receive donations from the community. The facility is used nearly every school day by students.

State officials indicated that the interior features of the gym, rather than its exterior appearance, were the primary factors in earning the historic designation. This suggests that future exterior modifications would be less likely to jeopardize the building’s status.

The volunteers plan to install a bronze plaque commemorating the designation, with the location and wording to be determined in consultation with school officials.

Looking ahead, Vogler and Waddell, both acknowledging their advancing age, have developed a succession plan to ensure continued stewardship of the facility, though they declined to reveal specific details about their chosen successors.

“It’s out pleasure doing what we do and I’m glad to keep doing it and will for as long as I’m capable,” Vogler said.