Illnois town wants to rebuild historic high school gym

Known as “the Pit,” the historic 85-year-old gymnasium at Gillespie High School in Gillespie, Ill., sustained major damage last month when an tornado with winds of up to 115 miles an hour ripped through town. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the wind blew the roof off the north side of the building and crumbled walls; the weight room was destroyed. The Pit is believed to be the third-oldest continually used gymnasium in Illinois. Because of its historical importance,  the school district wants to rebuild, rather than tear it down and erect a new facility.