Today’s prayer goes to these commercial buildings/shells on North Alabama Street, just south of 16th Street on the west side of the street. Paul Smith referred to this Old Northside gem in his interview earlier this year.
Both buildings were used as garages for the Vaught Auto Company, which sold automobile accessories and did repairs. The building on the left is the earlier of two, dating from about 1913, and was used by the company as its main office and show room. The building on the right was built in 1923, but was apparently first used as a tailoring shop, then a flooring store, and then became part of the auto company in 1927. The buildings remained in automobile-related uses until the past decade or so.
Closer views of the buildings.
The buildings as they looked in the late 1970s and 1979 (IUPUI/IL photos: 1970s, 1979)
These buildings have great potential–what do you envision going here when it finally gets redone?
Tiffany: There is an old tale that Louis Chevrolet had some involvement in these buildings. Do you know anything about this? It’s interesting that he is buried in St Joseph Cemetery in Indy.
Lynn Molzan