Posted in: General 5 Indy Hotels You’ll Wish You’d Seen

Above: The Grand Hotel in 1937 (Indiana Historical Society, William H. Bass Photo Company, #237,900) It goes without saying that the Claypool would be at the top of the list, but we just covered that...

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Posted in: General How the Claypool Hotel Began

Early vintage luggage label from Claypool Hotel (Don’t forget–May is preservation month! Which is why we are revisiting some of the best of what we’ve lost. Let’s not do that again. Mmmmmk? ) Of all...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Claypool Hotel…Menu 110 Years Ago today…

Head north on Illinois to the northwest corner at Washington and back 110 years and this is approximately what you would see. This postcard, postmarked December 28, 1907 and reads: “All drunk & having a...

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Posted in: Then & Now Then & Now: Wesley Hotel, 16th & Capitol

Hard to believe how many buildings in Indianapolis have been razed under the guise of  “progress” or “enhancing” a neighborhood or block. All the harder to understand when a building fronts major thoroughfares with a constant stream of...

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Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: History Paved Over

Although it’s heartbreaking to think about the buildings and businesses that have been lost over the years in Indianapolis, it is still exciting to discover a long lost building for the first time. Interstate 65 looms...

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Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: A Lost Roadside Beacon

The big green sign could once be seen by drivers exiting turn one at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Image: eBay) For anyone who may have grown up from the sixties through the eighties, childhood trips...

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Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Why is that a Parking Lot?

The rooms and lobby appear to be very well appointed for 1960s standards. (Image: eBay) When enjoying a spring day on the War Memorial Mall, it is easy to become mesmerized by the vast island...

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Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Rebirth Along Tinker Street

The neighborhoods bordering Sixteenth and Meridian Streets are some of the next “in” places to be. Much like Massachusetts Avenue a decade ago and Fountain Square more recently, years of reinvestment in housing is paying...

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Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: The Hotel Antlers

The Scottish Rite Cathedral looms large on the northern fringes of downtown. Aside from the towering neo-Gothic architecture, a primary reason for its great presence is the existence of vast parking lots surrounding the building....

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Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: The Hotel Washington

The Hotel Washington as it appeared in 1913, shortly after completion. (Image: Bass Photo Collection, Indiana Historical Society) Towering 17 stories over east Washington Street, The Symphony Center stands out gracefully among the other early...

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Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Rubbing Elbows with Indy’s Elite at The Marott Hotel

An early postcard showing the Marott Hotel and Meridian Street Bridge. (Image: eBay) Today’s visitors to the Circle City have a wide array of lodging options when looking for a place to spend the night....

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Posted in: Misc Mondays Misc. Monday- It wasn’t just zoning…

…that kept the use of the southeast corner of Illinois and Georgia Streets the same for so long. It was proximity to our transit hub–Union Station. Before the Severin Hotel was built in 1913, The...

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Posted in: Friday Favorites Friday Favorite: The Name Game

Following the trail of any one person’s life can be fascinating and addictive. You can follow a physical trail: where  a person lived, traveled or worked; A person’s social contributions: clubs, community involvement and the...

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Posted in: Vintage Flats Flats Saved: Heier’s Hotel

The Heier Hotel, located at 12-18 South New Jersey Street, is named after original owner Fred Heier. Heier had multiple business ventures, including Heier & Shea and Heier & Son. Heier & Shea, with partner...

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Posted in: Vintage Flats Flats Lost: Lorraine Building

The Lorraine Building, an extended-stay hotel constructed in 1891, was located at 201 West Washington Street. The location was incredibly desirable even from the beginning, because of its proximity to the current State House (completed...

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Posted in: Sunday Ads Sunday Adverts: The Remy Hotel

This ad, from the 1880 City Directory, features the Remy Hotel, once located on the southwest quadrant of the Circle in downtown Indianapolis.  The hotel was built in 1875 by Allison C. Remy, who went...

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Posted in: Sunday Ads Sunday Ad: Barney’s Jewelers, Lincoln Hotel

If you missed Libby’s fascinating article of yesterday, take a look at the map that shows the jewelry store out in front of the Lincoln Hotel, at the point where Washington, Kentucky and Illinois Streets...

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Posted in: Bicycles, Friday Favorites Friday Favorite: Recycling History For Now

It’s refreshing to see that some of the new projects in town pay homage to the city’s oldest development history. Indy has a nice trend going on–honoring pieces of our past. Ralston’s Draft House opened...

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Posted in: Sunday Ads Sunday Adverts: Pluto Water

Since Thomas Taggart was already fresh on my mind, his former hotel in French Lick seemed like good fodderr for today’s advert. The following two have been made into greeting cards. And if you haven’t been to...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania An Englishman’s Stay in Indianapolis, 1851

In the early 1850s, Englishman J. Richard Beste and his family came to America and toured the interior, including Indianapolis. As was popular at the time, he wrote a travelogue “The Wabash: or Adventures of...

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