preservation

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: Then & Now Then & Now: 1400 Block of Delaware

A neighborhood is not just a collection of houses in one geographic area. It’s part of the identity of those who live there. It’s a patchwork quilt of stories–to the city, state and families. It...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania New Life at Central State Part III: The 1899 Building

The 1899 Building, formerly the Men’s Dining Hall for Central State Hospital. (Photo: 1899indy.com) When last RWAV headed west, we visited Central State Hospital’s Administration Building in the middle of its restoration and transformation into “Central...

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Posted in: Misc Mondays Misc Monday: Preservation One Artifact at a Time

Ever wonder the worth of that old painting collecting dust in the depths of your attic? Or have you always had the feeling that your grandmother’s heirloom necklace is more valuable than the eye beholds?...

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Posted in: In the Park In the Park: A Baaaaa-a-a-d Idea Turned Good

The Indianapolis Parks system history is filled with delightful stories of united communities, honored heroes, and family fun. But there are a few tales in our city’s annals that might also raise an eyebrow...

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Posted in: In the Park In the Park: Skiles Test Nature Park

Welcome to Skiles Test Nature Park Just across the street from Woollens Garden you’ll find another of the city’s most primitive parks, Skiles Test Nature Park. There’s no better place to take in the sites...

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Posted in: In the Park In the Park: Woollens Garden

The northeast section of Interstate 465 is one of Indianapolis’s busiest roads. Travelers speed through it on their morning commute, perhaps unaware that one of the City’s most picturesque parks lies beneath this road, just...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Karl Bitter, Elmer Taflinger, and the Holliday Park Ruins

Last episode, we learned of the short but prolific life of Austrian born, Indianapolis transplant Rudolph Schwarz, sculptor of the Soilders’ and Sailors’ Monument. After his untimely death, his art school friend and fellow Austrian...

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Posted in: Penny Post Penny Post: The Old Marion County Courthouse

When Charles Bookwalter began his second term as Mayor of Indianapolis in 1906, he made it a priority to build Indianapolis a City Hall. For the previous 30 years, the second Marion County Courthouse was...

Posted in: Historic Miscellania Indy Indie Artist Colony, the Former St. Regis

The Indy Indie Artist Colony and former St. Regis Apartment building at the Corner of Pennsylvania and 14th Streets – Photo: Ryan Hamlett It seems that everywhere you look, there are new, high-end condos and...

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Posted in: Then & Now Indianapolis Then and Now: Hammond Block, 301-75 Massachusetts Avenue

The Urban Dictionary defines a time suck as “Something that’s engrossing and addictive, but that keeps you from doing things that are actually important, like earning a living, or eating meals, or caring for your...

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Posted in: Sunday Prayers Sunday Prayers: Irvington Post Office (Stevenson Building)

5502 E. Washington St.–The old Irvington Post Office, also known as the Stevenson Building. (photo by Dawn Olsen) “I’ll tell you something about this building that you probably don’t know,” the man told me. I...

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Posted in: Friday Favorites Friday Favorite: Statuary on Penn

This one is a favorite, but a bittersweet one. If you’ve ever walked north on Pennsylvania Street, you may have noticed a little threesome along the southern wall of 241 North Pennsylvania. If you need...

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Posted in: Heritage Steward Heritage Steward: Paul Diebold

NAME: Paul Diebold TITLE: Team Leader, Registration & Survey FOR: Indiana DNR – Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) SINCE? 1988 ORIGINALLY FROM? Indianapolis YOUR JOB DUTIES INCLUDE? Reviewing nominations for the National Register...

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Posted in: Heritage Steward Heritage Steward: Glory-June Greiff

NAME: Glory-June Greiff TITLE: Public Historian FOR: Historian-at-Large SINCE? I’ve been working on history and preservation projects for 30 years. ORIGINALLY FROM? Michiana! YOUR JOB DUTIES INCLUDE? Research, fieldwork, writing, photography, presentations, programs, first-person performances,...

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Posted in: Building Language Building Language: Adaptive Reuse

Kendall Inn at the former Fort Benjamin Harrison Adaptive Reuse. Our last preservation themed Building Language term for Preservation Month lets us examine adaptive reuse. Adaptive reuse is the ultimate building recycling – when a...

Posted in: Building Language Building Language: Facadism

Facadism. Our next preservation related Building Language term, in honor of Preservation Month, is facadism. The term facadism occurs when a construction project “saves” the historic façade (or front) of a structure, but demolishes the...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Seldom Seen Space: Sommers Mansion

Never heard a thing about this place until Janie White Hensley shared her story last week. I’d never heard of “Stewart Manor,” part of the campus of Tudor Hall School for Girls the last ten...

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Posted in: Building Language Building Language: Infill

Infill. If you live in a locally designated historic district, today’s Building Language term should be a familiar friend. In preservation, infill describes new construction that remains sensitive in design to the surrounding historic buildings....

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Posted in: Heritage Steward Heritage Steward: Meg Purnsley

NAME: Meg Purnsley TITLE: Sr. Architectural Reviewer FOR: The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, Department of Metropolitan Development, City of Indianapolis SINCE? 2000 ORIGINALLY FROM? Chicago, Illinois YOUR JOB DUTIES INCLUDE? • I review applications for...

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