The gymnasium at St. Mary’s Seminary in Garrison, where young men trained for the priesthood in the Capuchin Franciscan Order, is shown in the early 1960s and today, with participants from the men’s pickup games held on Monday nights at what is now the Philipstown Recreation Center doing their best to recreate the scene.

Postcard courtesy Jamie Rockett via John Froats; photo by Chip Rowe

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

A former longtime national magazine editor, Rowe has worked at newspapers in Michigan, Idaho and South Dakota and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Northwestern University. Location: Philipstown. Languages: English. Area of Expertise: General.

2 replies on “Then & Now: St. Mary’s Gym”

  2. Just stumbled across the picture of our gym at St Mary’s Seminary. I was in last freshman class in 1973); the school was closed at year’s end after 50 years. It was an amazing gym for a school with a student body of 40 or so. The reason we had the amazing space is because it was built and donated by MGM for the filming of the ballroom scene of “Hello Dolly.” Happy it’s still being used.

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