Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Theater Under the Stars

Butler students clowning around on the stage of the newly completed Brown Theater in 1955. (Image: Butler University) Life just seems better outdoors. During summer months, it is always enjoyable to eat dinner on one...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Christian Theological Seminary

Christian Theological Seminary at 42nd and Michigan Road With a not-so-subtle tie-in to this week’s What’s in a Name, we travel up Michigan Road, across the street from the north gates of the Indianapolis Museum...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania The Graham-Stephenson House

The Graham-Stephenson House in Irivington – Photo by Ryan Hamlett As the nights grow crisp and cool, the coming fall always reminds me of my childhood in Irvington. Though the October festivities at Connor Prairie...

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Posted in: Flashback Fridays Flashback Fridays: Joanie Nichols

Indianapolis history is not just made up of buildings, historic homes, and age-old events. After all, it IS people who make history happen, so what better way to know Indianapolis history than to hear from...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania The Bona Thompson Memorial Building – Irvington Historical Society

Bona Thompson Memorial Building, Irvington Historical Society – Photo by Ryan Hamlett The Bona Thompson Memorial Building has certainly seen significant revitalization since I first set foot inside, sometime in the mid-80s. At the time,...

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Posted in: Building Language Building Language: National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark. The month of May is Preservation Month and to celebrate, I’ll be featuring preservation related Building Language terms for the five Tuesdays in May! We’ll start with National Historic Landmarks. A National...

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Posted in: Building Language Building Language: Monitor

Monitor on Lone Hall, Arsenal Technical High School Monitor. A monitor is a raised section found straddling the ridge of a roof. The monitor commonly imitates the roof form of the primary structure, but includes...

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Posted in: Ladies Lounge Ladies Lounge: Catharine Merrill, Butler University’s First Lady

  Catharine Merrill, by T. C. Steele, 1890–photo of a younger CM is available at the Indiana Historical Society A few weeks ago, one of my girlfriends was tweeting stats from a documentary she was...

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Posted in: Sunday Ads Sunday Adverts: Butler College and Bobbs-Merrill

Butler College, 1910, Irvington Foreshadowing on a Sunday… Having visited the current Butler University campus twice this week: once for the public introduction to Local Stake, a new way of connecting local entrepreneurs and investors...

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Posted in: Indianapolis Collected Indianapolis Connected: Six Degrees of Hiram Bacon

You’re probably familiar with the “Six Degrees of Separation” theory (or its drinking-game cousin, “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”). The basic premise is that everyone in the universe is no more than five people away...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Butler in the Old Northside, Part 2

Following up on some feedback from yesterday’s article, here is some more on the former Northwest Christian College (later Butler University) site at 13th and College. Above, a newspaper article from 1910 describing the demolition...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Where Butler University was born

Ever passed this sign at 13th and College? Imagine 13th and College 150 years ago… Rather than Butler Bulldogs, imagine Northwestern Cardinals or some such mascot adorning the hats, license plate frames and sweats of...

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