National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form

Home , Downtown Evansville, Ford Center (Evansville), History of Indiana, Lamasco, Old National Bank, Willard Library

NPS Form 10-900-b OMB Control No. 1024-0018

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

This form is used for documenting property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Complete each item by entering the requested information.

______New Submission ___X_____ Amended Submission

A. Name of Multiple Property Listing

Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville, Indiana

B. Associated Historic Contexts (Name each associated historic context, identifying theme, geographical area, and chronological period for each.)

Architecture of Downtown Evansville, 1850-1950

Economic Development and Commerce in Evansville, 1850-1950

Industrial Development in Downtown Evansville, 1850-1950

Evansville Politics and Local Government, 1850-1950

Social Reform and Humanitarian Efforts in Downtown Evansville, 1850-1950

Development of Transportation Systems in Evansville, 1850-1950

History and Contributions of German Immigrants in the Development of Downtown Evansville, 1850-1950

C. Form Prepared by: name/title Ryan VanDyke/Senior Principal Investigator; Kendal Anderson/Architectural Historian; Deqah Hussein-Wetzel/Architectural Historian organization Gray & Pape, Inc. street & number 1318 Main Street city or town Cincinnati state Ohio zip code 45202 e-mail [email protected] telephone 713-818-9509 date February 14, 2020

D. Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR 60 and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation.

______Signature of certifying official Title Date

______State or Federal Agency or Tribal government NPS Form 10-900-b OMB Control No. 1024-0018

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville Indiana Name of Multiple Property Listing State

I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register.

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

Table of Contents for Written Narrative Create a Table of Contents and list the page numbers for each of these sections in the space below. Provide narrative explanations for each of these sections on continuation sheets. In the header of each section, cite the letter, page number, and name of the multiple property listing. Refer to How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form for additional guidance.

Page Numbers E. Statement of Historic Contexts E-1 to E-7 (If more than one historic context is documented, present them in sequential order.)

F. Associated Property Types F-1 to (Provide description, significance, and registration requirements.)

G. Geographical Data G-1 to G-6

H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods H-1 to H-1 (Discuss the methods used in developing the multiple property listing.)

I. Major Bibliographical References I-1 to (List major written works and primary location of additional documentation: State Historic Preservation Office, other State agency, Federal agency, local government, university, or other, specifying repository.)

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. NPS Form 10-900-b OMB Control No. 1024-0018

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville Indiana Name of Multiple Property Listing State

Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for each response using this form is estimated to be between the Tier 1 and Tier 4 levels with the estimate of the time for each tier as follows:

Tier 1: 60-100 hours (generally existing multiple property submissions by paid consultants and by Maine State Historic Preservation staff for in-house, individual nomination preparation) Tier 2: 120 hours (generally individual nominations by paid consultants) Tier 3: 230 hours (generally new district nominations by paid consultants) Tier 4: 280 hours (generally newly proposed MPS cover documents by paid consultants).

The above estimates include time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and preparing and transmitting reports. Send comments regarding these estimates or any other aspect of the requirement(s) to the Service Information Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525.

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

United States Department of the Interior n/a Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indiana County and State National Register of Historic Places Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville Continuation Sheet Name of multiple listing (if applicable)

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E. Associated Historic Contexts

This Multiple Property Documentation Form compiles the historic buildings and districts of Downtown Evansville, Indiana. The Downtown Evansville area is an urban area, which is completely man-made, and includes the commercial center of Evansville, industrial, religious, educational, institutional, and government buildings. Originally, the Multiple Resources Area (MRA) of Evansville, a Multiple Properties Cover Document, was completed in October 1981. At the time, 117 buildings and sites were included in the MRA; however, several have been demolished (see complete list in Section F: Associated Properties). The following section summarizes the historic contexts for identifying and evaluating historic properties within the Downtown Evansville area. These historic contexts are arranged chronologically and are generally defined periods, not precise year dates, which span from the beginnings of Evansville’s history in 1812 to the mid-twentieth century.

Early History: 1812 to 1869

On March 27, 1812, Hugh McGary, Jr. purchased Section 30 in Township 6 South, Range 10 West from the federal government. The Downtown of Evansville would be platted within this section later in 1814. This section was bounded on the south by the Ohio River and extended north to the current Lloyd Expressway, east to the current Parrett Avenue, and west to the current Fulton Avenue. Originally, the land was an undeveloped forest with white oak, walnut, and sycamore trees. McGary was named after his father, a frontiersman who fought in the battle of Blue Licks in 1782. The McGary family settled in the now-Henderson area in 1796 and McGary, Jr. married Mary Polly Anthony, the daughter of the ferry operator. He had a vision of a city and he built a cabin at the corner of Main Street and Riverside Drive. Evansville was platted in 1814 and became the Warwick County seat before Vanderburgh County was created in 1819. McGary sold many lots, but due to legislative issues, which argued that Warwick County was too big, Posey and Perry Counties were created, and Evansville ended up in the southwest corner of Warwick County rather than the center of the county. The county commissioners moved the Warwick County seat to Darlington, east of Newburgh, and Evansville declined.

In 1817, only 13 log houses were constructed within Evansville. McGary was a ferryboat operator at this time and he ceased operating across the Ohio River and confined himself to Pigeon Creek, due to an outcry from people who had purchased lots on the premise that the town would be the county seat and who demanded their money returned. In order to repay the early buyers, he took on partners, General Robert Evans and James W. Jones, and sold 130 acres of land at $10 an acre. A young man named Joseph Lane arrived via McGary’s ferry and after much discussion, both McGary and Lane decided to attempt to convince Ratliff Boon, a powerful territorial legislative influence, to use his power in their favor. Lane made Boon’s acquaintance and suggested that Boon would have more power if he had more counties supporting him. This led Boon to make his home, Boonville, the seat of Warwick County and he created Vanderburgh County in 1818 with Evansville as its center. The county was named after Judge Henry Vanderburgh, a territorial judge who died in 1812. Boon was later elected lieutenant-governor in 1820. Lane later served five terms in the state legislature. Two townships, Pigeon and Armstrong were established on March 9, 1818 by the first board of county commissioners. In 1819, approximately 101 residents were living in Evansville and McGary became postmaster and his general store became the center of activities. His log cabin house became the courtroom and he was also appointed court clerk and county recorder. In 1819, Evansville was incorporated as a town and McGary was elected as one of the eight trustees and president of the board. A courthouse was built by Harrison and Daniel F. Goldsmith in 1820 at the corner of Main Street and Third Street. By 1823, Evansville had a school, a newspaper (the Evansville Gazette), and a church (the First Presbyterian Church). McGary left Evansville in 1826 or 1827 and left behind his wife and two children in an unmarked cemetery at the intersection of NW Fourth Street and Sycamore Street. NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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Evansville continued to grow at a steady, if not moderate, pace until the 1830s. In 1836, the State of Indiana underwrote a canal system from Toledo, Ohio to Evansville. This canal prospect, the Wabash and Erie Canal, attracted industry to Evansville, including hotels, shipping, banks, and more. People and prospects flocked to the town for a chance at success. Lamasco, the city’s first suburb, was laid out to the northwest of Evansville in 1836. The oldest bank, Old National, began in 1834 by the State Bank of Indiana and the first bank president was John Mitchell. The bank was originally housed at the corner of Main and Water Streets, but moved to 21 Main Street, where it remained for over 80 years (it was moved in 1916 to a six-story building at 416 Main Street). However, the canal project was a bust and the state went bankrupt before it could complete construction. Issues plagued the construction of the canal, including muskrats burrowing into the banks and landslides. Following this event, the entire country went through an economic failure and the canal was stagnant until 1853, when it was finally completed. However, railroads had already been completed in Evansville since 1851 and the canal was considered obsolete. Despite the economic issues with the canal, Evansville established an industrial base and became the industrial center of the state. Due to the conjunction of the Ohio River, the railroad, and the canal, Evansville became a hub of activity. In 1845, the city extended only approximately five blocks north from Riverside Drive (originally known as Water Street). The waterfront was the bustling main street of Evansville and hotels, stores and warehouses were built along Water Street. The population of Evansville was approximately 3,000.

Evansville became a city in 1847 and the first mayor was James G. Jones, a judge and lawyer. The Riverside neighborhood, a collection of large Victorian homes, began in the 1850s and the first high school opened in the city in 1854. Immigrants were attracted to Evansville’s large industrial economy and to the surrounding rich farmland. In 1848, the Irish and the first wave of German immigrants arrived. The German immigrants were committed to their culture and language and many began leaving their mark on the city. Included in this wave of German immigrants was John A. Reitz from Dorlar, Germany. Reitz started a sawmill and helped make Evansville one of the largest hardwood producers in the country. He was also a key contributor to Evansville’s second bank, National City, which opened in 1850 as the Canal Bank. It became the First National Bank in 1863 and moved from its original location on Water Street near Main Street to First and Main Streets in 1866. In addition, Evansville’s tobacco industry grew due to rising tobacco prices in Europe and German-born, Herman Fendrich, opened a cigar manufacturing firm in 1855.

In 1851, Evansville’s first railroad, the Evansville and Crawfordsville Railroad, was completed from Evansville to Vincennes, with the idea on continuing to Crawfordsville, Terra Haute, and eventually Indianapolis. By December 1853, the line had opened to Terra Haute and later it became part of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI). Due to the importance of the railroad on Evansville’s economy, it was a key factor in the decision to remain with the North during the Civil War.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as president of the United States. The turmoil caused by the firing on Fort Sumter in 1861 was evident due to Evansville’s location on the border between the North and the South. Henderson, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River, was included in the secession supporters in western Kentucky, while Evansville, with its railroad ties to other cities in the north, was included in the supporters of the Union. The tension was high and riverboat captains armed vessels, a local foundry supplied the city with cannons for protection, and local militia units came into service, including the Evansville Rifles, Evansville Light Guard, and the Vanderburgh Cavalry Scouts. Slaves fled to the Indiana side of the Ohio River in increasingly large numbers. By 1862 and the Battle of Fort Donelson, Evansville’s role became clear as medical support. Evansville sent medical assistance to soldiers and added nearly 19 facilities to the Marine Hospital. Military grave markers in the Oak Hill Cemetery are a testament to those that died in the hospitals in Evansville. Training camps for new recruits were established, including Camp Wallace at the base of Coal Mine Hill, and at least 3,364 men, NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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including 150 African Americans, left for war from Evansville. Several men made significant careers during the Civil War. General J.M. Shackelford captured Confederate raider, John Hunt Morgan, who had captured Newburgh. Conrad Baker commanded the First Indiana Cavalry Regiment from 1861 to 1863 as colonel, became the chief mustering officer for the State of Indiana from 1864 to 1864, was elected as lieutenant governor in 1864, acted as governor in 1865, and was elected as governor in 1867. He is also Evansville’s first governor and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.

In 1865, the population of Evansville had increased to almost 16,000 people. The railroads had brought cheaper transportation allowing more people access to Evansville from surrounding areas. Evansville was the second largest city in Indiana and the fifth largest between Pittsburgh and New Orleans. Several large manufacturing companies in Evansville included the Ingleheart Flour Mill (1856), E.Q. Smith Chair Company (1849), the Fendrich Tobacco Company (1850), and the F.W. Cook Brewing Company (1853).

Evansville’s Growth and Expansion: 1870 to 1899

The period following the Civil War marked an era of firsts for Evansville, including the first waterworks (1871), the first telephone (1878), the first electric generator plant (1882), the first electric streetcar, and the first automobile (1898). Evansville began to dominate the Indiana industrial economy and many companies, including Karges Furniture Company, Anchor Industries, Mesker Steel, and Vulcan Plow Works, began in the later part of the nineteenth century and continued into the twentieth century as industry leaders. In 1889, the lumber industry employed approximately 1115 workers and Evansville was the largest hardwood lumber markets. Sawmills dominated the landscape and Evansville’s furniture industry began. In 1890, Evansville boasted nine furniture manufacturing companies, employed 656 workers, and produced approximately $790,386 worth of furniture. The South was depleted due to the Civil War and Evansville stepped up as a key supplier of farm implements, railroad ties, rolling stock, clothing, household utensils, furniture, paper, and more. Due to the availability of raw materials and labor, Evansville began an industrial expansion and became known as a prominent wholesale and job center.

The canal was removed and filled in and the railroad dominated interstate and intercity travel. In 1881, David Mackey purchased the Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad. Mackey grew up poor and began working in a store as soon as he could see over the counter. He bought a partnership in the store at age 23 and branched out from dry goods with a cotton mill, coal mines, the St. George Hotel at First and Locust Streets in 1874, real estate, and banking. In 1870, Mackey purchased stocks in the Evansville, Henderson, and Nashville Railroad; however, this line went bankrupt and was absorbed by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) system. After he purchased the railroad in 1881, he obtained control of railroads in Peoria, Decatur, Poseyville, Griffin, Grayville, and Olney. However, he suffered the loss of his wealth in the panic of 1893 and much of his railroad empire was absorbed by the Illinois Central and the C&EI lines. Evansville became a railroad hub in 1885 when the first railroad bridge west of Louisville on the Ohio River was opened between Evansville and Henderson, Kentucky. By 1888, a second railroad, the Evansville, Suburban and Newburgh Railroad, was opened. It later extended to Boonville and used electric traction cars. The C&EI and the L&N offered commuting services, which gave people access to Evansville throughout a tri-state area and made Evansville the Tri-State commercial hub. NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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Social life among the elite of Evansville hit full swing in the 1880s and 1890s. Large, beautiful homes were constructed along Riverside Avenue, First Street, and Second Street. Weddings, balls, afternoon teas, dinner parties, and other events dominated the society section of The Evansville Courier. The most prominent families included the Garvins, Bayards, Orrs, Morgans, Sonntags, Scantlins, Hughes, Ingles, Stockwells, Chandlers, and the Vieles.

In the 1880s, the second wave of German immigrants arrived in Evansville. The German immigrants were a main part of the industrial work force in Evansville. During this period, there was a strict segregation with the Germans on the west side and the African Americans centered around the Lincoln Avenue and Canal Street area. This area became known as Baptist Town and was nearly self-sufficient. However, the living conditions were awful with drinking water from open cisterns, open privies in backyards, and the mortality rate was high. African Americans represented less than ten percent of Evansville’s population between 1880 and 1890; however, they accounted for almost 20 percent of burials within the city’s cemeteries.

Architectural buildings boomed in the Downtown area and in neighboring residential areas. Main Street was a commercial center with impressive Italianate stores. Second Empire and Queen Anne residences were constructed on Riverside Drive, First Street, and Second Street. Additionally, the Ruskinian Gothic-style Post Office was constructed in 1879 and the Beaux Arts Courthouse in 1890. The Liberty Baptist Church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the First Presbyterian Church, and the Willard Library were also constructed before 1900. The most impressive building was the Courthouse, which replaced the original building located at the corner of Third and Main Streets. The new courthouse was constructed in Union Block, which was bounded by Fourth, Division (Court Street), Fifth, and Vine streets. The building was designed by Henry Wolters of Louisville, Kentucky and built by Charles Pearce and Company of Chicago. The Masonic Grand Lodge laid the cornerstone on November 27, 1888 and the building was completed by 1890. The building was constructed with Indiana limestone and is heavily encrusted with flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other sculptures. Local artists, many of German descent, contributed to the interior woodwork. Franz Englesman, chief sculptor from Chicago, produced 14 human figures. The jail and sheriff’s residence were constructed at the same time as the courthouse and was also designed by Henry Wolters. The building is a miniature version of the Liechtenstein Castle in Wurttemberg, Germany. The city paved Main Street and Fourth Street with bricks in 1889 and 1894. In 1898, the first automobile made its way through the streets of Evansville and marked an end of an era.

The Automobile and the Great Depression: 1900 to 1939

The turn of the century brought additional growth to Evansville. In 1907, Willis Copeland developed his Simplicity car at the Evansville Automobile Company. Copeland was a buggy maker and he ventured into automobiles as an attempt to branch out. His first automobiles were little more than buggies with a motor and chain drive. Copeland produced a second automobile, the Traveler, in 1910, which was an improved version of the Simplicity. However, Copeland was not the only automobile manufacturer in Evansville and others included the McCurdy produced by the Hercules Buggy Company and the Graham produced by the three Graham brothers, Joseph, Robert, and Ray. The Hercules Buggy Company eventually transitioned to home appliances and became Servel, Incorporated. The Graham Brothers eventually merged their business with the Dodge Brothers Corporation and moved to Detroit as executives in 1925. They returned in 1928, purchased the Paige Auto Company in Evansville, and established the Graham-Paige Automobile Company. The Chrysler Corporation took over the plant that the Graham Brothers had sold to the Dodge Brothers on North Garvin. Chrysler manufactured cars in Evansville until the 1950s when the company moved to St. Louis.

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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In 1911, the first airplane flight in Evansville was witnessed by a large crowd at the fairgrounds at Kentucky Avenue near Covert and Madison. Seventeen years later in 1928, the first commercial flight from Evansville to Chicago was completed by George Meyers. Aviation became an industry in Evansville and the first airport was dedicated on August 29, 1919 at Division Street and Green River Road.

Other industries in Evansville were also booming, including the furniture industry, which was led by Mayor Benjamin Bosse, who owned Globe-Bosse-World Furniture Company. Mayor Bosse also owned Imperial Desk, Bosse Realty, the Vendome Hotel, Bosse Coal, and the Evansville Courier. However, hardwood furniture manufacturing was a dominant industry in Evansville. Bosse had the Furniture Exchange Building (currently known as the Court Building), a Neoclassical Revival commercial building at 123-125 NW Fourth Street, built in 1909 as a center for all the Evansville furniture manufacturers to showcase and market their wares. By 1927, Evansville had 27 furniture companies and employed over 2,800 workers. Other industries in Evansville included Bucyrus Steam Shovel Plant (1910), Faultless Caster Company (1913), Mead Johnson & Company (1915), Graham Brothers Truck Company (1919), and others.

While industry was increasing, so was the urban poor. The living conditions for many poor and industrial workers was deplorable. Dilapidated buildings in downtown, shanty boats along Pigeon Creek, and the old Marine Hospital housed many of Evansville’s poor white community. Albion Fellows Bacon was the daughter of a Methodist minister and wife of a wealthy merchant. She dedicated her life to helping those less fortunate than herself, which included organizing groups of society women to take baskets of food and flowers to the poor and sick; worked to get lunchrooms and recreation halls in factories and mills where women worked long hours; set up a house where country girls who came to the city for work could live, known as the Working Girls Association it later became the YWCA; started the Anti-Tuberculosis League; wrote city ordinances for housing, sanitation, and slum clearance; wrote the state housing law; and she was appointed by President Herbert Hoover in 1931 to the Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership. She was known as “Evansville’s most famous woman” at her death in 1933. She was instrumental in the creation of better tenement housing including Rose Terrace, Albion Flats, and Ingles Terrace in downtown Evansville.

In 1929, the entire United States was hit with a severe economic depression, the Great Depression. Recovery was slow for the entire country; however, Evansville recovered slightly faster due to the industrial manufacturing plants that began in the 1920s, as well as the automobile industry, which continued to be profitable. Federal relief funding also aided in Evansville’s recovery through the establishment of a number of public works agencies, including the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Thousands of men and women were employed as part of the WPA’s relief efforts. Increased manufacturing of the growing refrigeration industry helped to pull Evansville out of the Depression by 1936 (Bicentennial History Committee 2012:57). However, the Great Flood of 1937 affected towns and cities all along the Ohio River, including Evansville. Torrential rain, sleet, and snow combined to create the flood and buildings along Riverside Drive were destroyed. Approximately 7,500 private homes were damaged, and thousands of residents were displaced. A levee system was constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. In 1938, another boost to Evansville’s economy came via an oil gusher on Green River. The discovery of oil had geologists and oilmen flocking to Evansville and within ten years, 600 wells and 5,000 people were employed by the oil industry.

World War II and the Post-War Era: 1940 to 1969

Evansville was one of the first cities to come out of the Great Depression and was aided by Federal Relief, the discovery of oil, and the start of World War II. The December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor launched NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB Control No. 1024-0018

United States Department of the Interior Put Here National Park Service Name of Property

County and State National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Name of multiple listing (if applicable)

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the United States into World War II. As Evansville was already a manufacturing and industrial center in Indiana, it received a number of wartime contracts, which further increased the stature of the city and aided to increase the population. By 1942, Evansville began constructing an aircraft manufacturing plant and a shipyard. In addition to the increase in industry, the population of Evansville increased from 100,000 to 150,000 and approximately 62,000 people were engaged in wartime manufacturing, including the Evansville Shipyard, Chrysler, Serval, Briggs, Republic Aviation, Sunbeam, and Hoosier Cardinal (Bicentennial History Committee 2012:69). Evansville industries shifted from their original products to support the war effort. Chrysler increased their workforce from 650 to 12,000 and instead of cars, cartridges and ammunitions were produced. Companies such as Servel began making wings for P-47’s, Faultless Caster made proximity fuses, National Furniture Company produced army cots, and many others expanded to produce goods for the war effort. The draft began in 1940 and boys from the agricultural farmlands moved to Evansville for work; however, many of their stays were short as they also shipped out and women entered the industrial work force. Entertainment venues increased as well due to the proximity to Camp Breckinridge in Morganfield, Kentucky, and Fort Campbell in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Road systems were improved due to the rapid industrialization and as the need to move people and goods increased throughout the war years. Approximately 1,100 miles of state highways were constructed or improved during this period.

The period following the end of World War II saw a dramatic housing boom due in part to thousands of returning soldiers and natural population growth. Municipal planning increased as communities recognized the need to coordinate growth. The housing boom manifested in “bedroom” or “freeway” suburbs fueled by the increase in automobile ownership, advances in building technology, and the Baby Boom population increase. Critical housing shortages occurred across the United States and the availability of low cost, long term mortgages, especially for veterans, spurred the increase in homeownership. The Veterans’ Emergency Housing Program (VEHP) was established in 1946 and provided the federal government with the avenue to address the housing crisis for veterans after the war. The goal of the program was to create a controlled realty market that increased the supply of homes. An emphasis was placed on using prefabricated materials for housing and prefabricated houses. The act was amended in 1947 to all veterans to purchase government-owned war housing that was no longer in use, which included 185 units in Evansville’s Diamond Villa (Evansville Press, June 29, 1948). Evansville was one of the leading areas in the number of applications for FHA housing under VEHP. Problems arose due to a lack of long-term, large-scale impacts on private building operations, including a shortage of materials and increased building operation costs. Many veterans could not afford the increased costs of housing construction. Building costs in Indiana increased and the average mortgage loans also increased.

Following the end of the war, economic recovery began with the return of free trade, business expansion, and stable consumer markets. Innovation, progress, and modernity were emphatically continued following the war period. Population boomed, as did consumerism and the middle class began to seem more attainable. Vanderburgh County experienced a population boom of more that 22 percent, while Evansville increased almost 33 percent population growth in the 1940s. Through the 1950s and 1960s, Evansville continued to county’s population, even as growth slowed due to the removal of wartime economy, recessions, and administrative issues. In 1950, 80 percent of the county’s population resided in Evansville and by 1960, that had increased to 85 percent. An economic downturn in the 1960s caused some to leave the city, but the county remained stable.

In 1951, a devastating fire ripped down Main Street and damaged or destroyed 17 stores on both sides between Third and Fourth Streets. Damaged buildings were repaired or removed and quickly replaced. In Evansville, industry continued to boom; however, consumer goods and household items were in high demand. One industry that increased was the production of refrigeration with Servel (manufacturing refrigerators since 1920), Hoosier Cardinal, Sunbeam Electric, International Harvester. Refrigeration goods included ice cube trays, Coldspot NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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refrigerators for Sears, Roebuck, and Company, and freezers. Evansville became the “Refrigeration Capital of the World.” Additional industry included the increase in the manufacturing of plastics and automobiles. By 1955, International Harvester sold their manufacturing plant, which had been the old Republic Aviation plant, and other operations to Whirlpool and Servel began selling off divisions as they failed to modernize. In 1959, Chrysler moved their production operations to St. Louis. Evansville had lost 8,000 jobs and many feared the city was doomed. However, Evansville quickly prepared with a new plan and the city retained Dr. Rudolph Frankel of Miami University (Ohio) as an advisory city planner. Dr. Melvin Hyde, president of Evansville College, and a group of local business and civic leaders created Evansville’s Future, Inc. In addition, the city organized new commissions including the Redevelopment Commission, Metropolitan Plan Commission, and the Chamber of Commerce.

The 1960s brought a demand for new products. Alcoa began manufacturing plastics in a plant constructed east of Evansville and many unemployed due to the closure of Servel and Chrysler found work at the new plant. Additional companies, including Ball, Imperial, Windsor, Fiberfil, and Arkla Industries, moved to Evansville. As economic growth continued, housing demands for larger houses increased and the demand for small, efficient housing decreased. Indiana experienced an era of high employment rates, increased incomes, and a continued shift away from agricultural economies. With this shift came a decrease in farm properties and the expansion of city boundaries, such as in Evansville with the expansion east toward Newburgh. In the mid-nineteenth and early- twentieth centuries, housing was mostly clustered around the central core, including Evansville. As populations increased, residential housing expanded from the central core into the east and west sides. The East Side of Evansville became the housing choice of the upper- and middle-class families, most of which were white collar. The west side of Evansville was more commonly occupied by blue collar families. The south side also saw the development of Interstate Highway 64.

Downtown Evansville underwent extensive renovation in the 1960s and renewal efforts included the construction of a new City Civic Center to house government offices, school corporation facilities, and law-enforcement offices. This new Civic Center was planned as a complex and required the removal of several old Downtown landmarks including the C&E Railroad depot, Cook’s Brewery, and the Assumption Roman Catholic Cathedral. The new complex was designed by Hironimus-Knapp-Givens of Evansville, Holabird and Root of Chicago, and Virgil J. Miller of Evansville. It was completed on May 23, 1969. Main Street also saw new buildings including the new Old National Bank, an 18-story building which replaced its old bank site and the Lincoln Hotel. Main Street was redesigned into a serpentine walkway with flowers, sidewalks, trees, and fountains that was also closed to motor traffic. The Main Street commercial center has since been opened back to one-way traffic. NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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F. Associated Property Types

The Downtown Evansville area is an urban area, which is completely man-made, and includes the commercial center of Evansville, industrial, religious, educational, institutional, and government buildings. Originally, the Multiple Resources Area (MRA) of Evansville, a Multiple Properties Cover Document, was completed in October 1981 and based on a 1977 survey of Evansville. The Downtown area is generally bounded by the Lloyd Expressway, E. Walnut Street, Oak Street, Riverside Drive, and S. Fulton Avenue. The Downtown Evansville area encompasses approximately 110 blocks and represents the commercial, manufacturing, and civic center of Evansville, as well as the retail and commercial center for the tri-state area. The area is located within a relatively flat floodplain on the banks of the Ohio River, which also inspired Evansville’s nickname, the River City. The majority of streets and alleys are paved in asphalt; however, brick paving has been added to Main Street as part of a beautification project. The original MRA form indicated that there were approximately 900 buildings within the Downtown area; however, multiple projects including the construction of the Ford Center, parking lots and garages, and other modern buildings, sites, and structures have resulted in the demolition of historic-age buildings and the infill of modern buildings. At the time, 117 buildings and sites were included as part of the MRA; however, several have been demolished.

Recorded Properties

The majority of buildings within Downtown Evansville are commercial buildings, with a smaller amount of industrial, religious, civic, and residential buildings. The buildings included in the Downtown Evansville MPDF are divided into three categories including updated resources, NRHP listed resources with complete nomination forms, and demolished buildings. Additional resources may be added later to the MPDF if future survey and research indicates that the property is significant under the described historical context. Each of the historic resources have been recorded in the Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database and Structures Map (SHAARD) with a unique assigned number. In addition, each of the extant resources has been given a NRHP number, which is also included in the table below.

Table 1: Updated Historic Resources within Downtown Evansville

NR Name of Name of Number NR Property in Property in Build (SHAARD) Number MRA List SHAARD Address Date Style Visiting Nurse NR-0515.02 82000084 Association Busse House 120 SE 1st Street 1901 Richardsonian Romanesque Cadick NR-0515.03 82000085 Plaza Building Apartments 118 SE 1st Street 1917 Renaissance Revival Southern Securities Citizens National NR-0515.05 82000087 Building Bank 329 Main Street 1916 Chicago 123-125 NW 4th Neoclassical Revival - NR-0515.06 82000088 Court Building Court Building Street 1909 Commercial Old Eagles NR-0515.08 82000090 Home Eagles Home 221 NW 5th Street 1912 Neoclassical Revival Brucken's and Evansville Brucken's Brewing 401 and 415 NW Romanesque Revival - NR-0515.09 82000091 Annex Company 4th Street 1893 Commercial NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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NR Name of Name of Number NR Property in Property in Build (SHAARD) Number MRA List SHAARD Address Date Style Old Journal Evansville 7-11 NW 5th NR-0515.10 82000092 Building Journal News Street 1910 Beaux Arts - Commercial Albion NR-0515.11 82000093 Apartments Albion Flats 701 Court Street 1910 Vernacular Huber Realty/Indiana American Trust 524-530 Main Neoclassical Revival - NR-0515.12 82000094 Bank & Savings Bank Street 1904 Commercial Geiger, Fred and Sons National 401 NW 2nd NR-0515.13 82000096 Geiger Moving Biscuit Company Street 1894 Commercial 301-303 Main NR-0515.14 82000097 German Bank German Bank Street 1883 Commercial Harding & Miller 518-520 Main NR-0515.15 82000098 ABC Music Music Company Street 1919 Commercial Indiana Bell Indiana Bell 129-133 NW 5th NR-0515.16 82000103 Building Building Street 1929 Art Deco - Commercial Chas. Leich Leich, Charles NR-0515.17 82000106 Company and Company 420 NW 5th Street 1900 Commercial Masonic 301 Chestnut NR-0515.18 82000108 Temple Masonic Temple Street 1912 Neoclassical Revival 101-111 SE 1st NR-0515.19 82000109 McCurdy Hotel McCurdy Hotel Street 1917 Renaissance Revival Hulman NR-0515.20 82000111 Building Hulman Building 20 NW 4th Street 1929 Art Deco - Commercial National City National City Neoclassical Revival - NR-0515.21 82000112 Bank Bank 227 Main Street 1913 Commercial Newman, HG 211-213 SE 4th NR-0515.22 82000113 HG Newman's Building Street 1900 Romanesque - Commercial O'Donnell O'Donnell NR-0515.23 82000115 Building Building 22 NW 6th Street 1900 Commercial Old Puster Puster, L and Furniture Company NR-0515.24 82000118 Building Furniture 326 NW 6th Street 1887 Commercial 301-313 NW 7th NR-0515.25 82000120 Rose Terrace Rose Terrace Street 1910 Vernacular Siegel's 101-105 SE 4th NR-0515.26 82000122 Siegel's Department Store Street 1903 Romanesque - Commercial St. John's Evangelical St. John's Protestant NR-0515.27 82000123 Parish Building Church 314 Market Street 1921 Gothic Revival Victory Theater Old Sonntag and Hotel 600-614 Main Neoclassical Revival - NR-0515.28 82000124 Hotel, etc Sonntag Street 1921 Commercial Van Cleave 704-708 Court NR-0515.29 82000125 Apartments Van Cleve Flats Street 1910 Neoclassical Revival NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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NR Name of Name of Number NR Property in Property in Build (SHAARD) Number MRA List SHAARD Address Date Style Zion Evangelical NR-0515.30 82000129 Zion Church Church 415 NW 5th Street 1855 Gothic Revival 609-619 Ingle NR-0515.32 82000104 Ingle Terrace Ingle Terrace Street 1910 Vernacular Auto Hotel 111-115 SE 3rd NR-0515.35 84001673 Citizen's Realty Building Street 1929 Commercial Glass Specialty NR-0515.36 84001701 Co. Fellwock Garage 315 Court Street 1908 Commercial Firestone Tire NR-0515.37 84001702 Uniroyal and Rubber Store 900 Main Street 1930 Art Deco - Commercial Huber Motor 215-219 SE 4th NR-0515.39 84001715 Garage Sales Building Street 1916 Commercial Old Fellwock Old Fellwock NR-0515.40 84001735 Auto Auto Company 214 NW 4th Street 1922 Art Deco - Commercial Pearl Steam NR-0515.41 84001738 Pearl Laundry Laundry 428 Market Street 1912 Commercial Roelker, John H 555 Sycamore NR-0515.42 84001741 Roelker House House Street 1858 Federal Kuebler-Artes NR-0515.43 84002895 Kuebler's Building 327 Main Street 1915 Chicago Barrett-Britz NR-0515.44 84001679 Store Building Building 415 Main Street 1875 Italianate - Commercial Neoclassical Revival - NR-0515.45 82000128 Old YMCA YMCA 203 NW 5th Street 1913 Commercial Parson and NR-0515.47 82000117 Pasco Building Scoville Building 915 Main Street 1908 Commercial Neoclassical Revival - NR-0515.49 82001853 YWCA YWCA 118 Vine Street 1924 Commercial Evansville Downtown 1850- NR-1520 00000197 -- Historic District -- 1950 Commercial District Haller T Chute -- 82000083 Store Building Building 223 Main Street 1860 Chicago NR-0504 82000086 Central Library -- 22 SE 5th Street 1931 Art Deco Church Salem Baptist NR-0476 82000121 Building Church 728 Court Street 1873 Romanesque Revival Old Montgomery Montgomery Georgian Revival - NR-0510 82000110 Ward Ward Building 517 Main Street 1880 Commercial

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Table 2: NRHP-listed Historic Resources within Downtown Evansville, which are not updated.

NR Name of Name of Number NR Property in Property in Build (SHAARD) Number MRA List SHAARD Address Date Style Willard Carpenter Carpenter, 405 Carpenter NR-0177 78000057 House Willard House Street 1848 Greek Revival Old Sear’s McCurdy 101 NW 4th NR-0255 79000050 Building Building Street 1920 Commercial Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Memorial NR-0266 79000052 Coliseum Coliseum 350 Court Street 1916 Neoclassical Revival Greyhound Greyhound 102 NW 3rd NR-0267 79000048 Depot Bus Terminal Street 1936 Art Moderne Ridgway Ridgway 313-315 Main Romanesque Revival - NR-0314 80000071 Building Building Street 1895 commercial Old Greek- Smith, Robert 118-120 Walnut NR-0366 80000072 Shears Mortuary Street 1930 Spanish Colonial Old Bitterman Old Bitterman NR-0368 80000070 Building Building 200 Main Street 1885 Italianate - Commercial New Bitterman Bitterman 202-204 Main NR-0369 80000068 Building Building Street 1923 Chicago 1902; Pro-Tex-All General Cigar 223 NW 2nd 1929 NR-1519 00000212 Building Company Street addition Art Deco - Commercial Old Entire block Vanderburgh bounded by Vine, Old County County 4th, Court, and NR-2011 70000010 Courthouse Courthouse 5th Sts. 1891 Beaux Arts Former Vanderburgh County 4th St between Old County Sheriff's Vine and Court NR-2013 70000009 Jail Residence Streets 1891 Gothic Revival Old Post Evansville 100 block NW NR-2016 71000010 Office Post Office 2nd Street 1876 Ruskinian Gothic

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Table 3: Historic Resources that have been demolished since the original 1981 MRA documentation.

Name of Name of NR Number NR Property in Property in Demo Date (SHAARD) Number MRA List SHAARD Address Build Date (if known) NR-0339 -- Skora Building Skora Building 101-103 NW 2nd 1912 2009 Street NR-0515.01 -- The Buckingham 314-316 SE 3rd 1911 1996 Buckingham Apartments Street Apartments NR-0515.07 -- “1886” Daesher 12-12 ½ SE 2nd 1886 1995 Building Building Street NR-0515.31 -- Old Hose Old Hose House 623 Ingle Street 1860 2011 House $4 No. 4 NR-0515.33 82000116 Orr Iron Orr Iron 1100 Pennsylvania 1912 2008 Company Street NR-0515.34 -- Dallas Music Connors 611-613 Main 1865 2018 Bookstore Street NR-0515.38 84001704 Gemcraft Gemcraft- 609 Main Street 1892 2018 Wittmer Building NR-0515.48 -- Garage Wabash Valley 206-208 SE 8th 1919 2018 Motor Company Street NR-0515.50 -- -- Old Peerless 420 SE 8th Street 1912 2015 Laundry Building

Significance and Associations

Architecture:

The architectural boom for Downtown Evansville began in the late-1840s with the construction of cast iron front buildings and the first local architect began a practice. Prior to the 1840s, buildings tended to be log or crude brick buildings; however, very few, if any, remain from the earliest founding period of Evansville. The Willard Carpenter House (NR-0177) was completed in 1849 in the Greek Revival style. Large and aggrandizing building were constructed in the post-Civil War era to bring Evansville to the view of Indiana and the surrounding area as a foremost commercial center. The Old US Post Office (NR-2016) was constructed in 1874-79 and was a symbol of the federal government’s presence in Evansville. It was designed by William Appleton Potter, supervising architect for the US Treasury Department. Other large-scale government buildings built in the post-Civil War era included the Old County Courthouse (NR-2011), which was designed by Louisville architect, Henry Wolters.

Local architects, such as Clifford Shopbell and Company, were active in the development of the architecture of Downtown Evansville. They designed public buildings such as the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum (NR- 0266), the YMCA (NR-0515.45), and the Walnut Street School (now demolished). Out of state architects included Lee Stoddart of New York, designed the Citizens National Bank (NR-0515.05); McGuire and Shook, NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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prominent design firm from Indianapolis designed the Hulman Building (NR-0515.20); Ziegler Dietz of St. Louis designed the McCurdy Hotel (NR-0515.19); and J.E.O. Pridmore of Chicago designed the Victory Theater and Hotel Sonntag (NR-0515.28). In order to be significant for architecture, a resource must be an excellent example of a high style; be a contributing resource to the Downtown Historic District (NR-1520); retain sufficient integrity of design, materials, and workmanship; or be associated with a prominent local or nationally recognized architect.

Architectural Styles:

Art Deco Art Deco was introduced into America during the 1925 Exhibition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris and, generally, is divided into two subcategories: Zigzag and Streamlined (or Art Moderne). The Art Deco style is evident in the linear, hard edges with a vertical emphasis and was popular from 1925 to 1940. It is characterized by a linear, hard edge with a vertical emphases and stylized decoration. Strips of windows with decorated spandrels contribute to the vertical composition. Ornamentation is found around door and window openings, string courses, and roof edges. Generally, metal sash or casement windows pierce the walls. Circular and rounded windows are also found on Art Deco buildings. The style features smooth wall surfaces, usually of stucco, flat roofs, and minimal decoration. The design is generally geometric and concentrated around window and door openings and rooflines. The zigzag style has an emphasis on vertical alignment. The style is found mostly in commercial and public buildings, although there are a few single-family residences.

Art Moderne The second of the two modernistic subtypes of Art Deco, Art Moderne also features smooth wall surfaces, usually of stucco; flat roofs; and minimal decoration, generally geometric in design and concentrated around window and door openings and rooflines. The Art Moderne style generally emphasized the horizontality of the building with continuous grooves or raised bands. Projecting lintel courses typically shelter doors and windows. Floor plans are often asymmetrical; sometimes stepped to allow for maximum cross ventilation and corner windows. Windows are commonly steel casement, bow and corner, glass block, or circular. This style was more popular for its use in commercial buildings and apartment buildings, but it was also used in homes.

Beaux Arts The rise of the Beaux Arts Style, from 1890 to 1917, is also known as Academic Eclecticism and American Renaissance style. Mostly the style was used for public buildings and the few private dwellings built in the style were homes of the wealthy. The style was influenced strongly by the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, and the style is most prominent in Washington D.C. and Boston. The style is characterized by impressive entryways, carved ornamentation, classical columns, and multiple stories. It is associated with architects Horace Trumbauer, Richard Morris Hunt, McKim, Mead, and White, Carrere and Hastings, and Daniel Burnham.

Chicago The Chicago School consisted of a group of innovative architects and engineers who utilized new technology and materials that transformed the urban landscape of cities around the world. Prior to the early 1880s, buildings relied on masonry bearing walls, which could not be built massive enough to support multiple upper stores. William Le Baron Jenney designed the first complete iron and steel skeleton building in 1883. Compared to previous buildings, skyscrapers designed in the Chicago School style were usually more than six stories. Ornamentation was limited and the use of the skeleton allowed for large expanses of windows and other non- supportive materials. Chicago architect Louis Sullivan is best known for his design of the tall commercial NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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building. His three-part treatment followed the design of the classical column: a base consisting of the lower two stores, a main shaft emphasized vertically by piers between windows, and an elaborated cornice. This building type usually featured a central projection. The most notable examples of the Chicago School’s Commercial style were largely built during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Although methods and materials spread quickly through the nation, many of the finest buildings of this type were built during the first decade of the twentieth century.

Commercial The Commercial style originated in Chicago during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and rapidly spread throughout the nation’s major cities. The Commercial style was often embellished with Art Deco, Art Moderne, Italianate, and Classical revival elements. Eleven forms of commercial buildings have been identified based upon the ways in which a façade is composed in those buildings built prior to the 1950s and are grouped into two categories. Six types, including the two-part commercial block, stacked vertical block, two-part vertical block, three-part vertical block, enframed block, and central block with wings, are identified by the way in which the façade is organized into distinct sections or zones. Materials, elements, decorative details, and stylistic expression are secondary characteristics to the basic compositional arrangement. The second category includes four types, the enframed window wall, temple front, vault, and arcaded block, which have no basic zone divisions and, instead, are organized by the arrangement of a few major features such as columns, large openings, and enframing wall surfaces. The final type, the one-part commercial block, has neither basic zone divisions nor a distinguishing set of major elements. It is a fragment, consisting of the lower section of a two-part commercial block.

The two-part commercial block is the most common type of organization for small and moderate-sized commercial buildings in the country. Buildings two to four stories are generally found in this type with the building divided horizontally into two distinct zones, which typically reflects the difference in interior use with the single-story street level zone dominated by public spaces such as retail stores, banking, insurance office, or hotel lobby and the upper zone consisting of less public spaces such as offices, hotel rooms, or meeting hall on the second, third, and/or fourth floors. The two-part commercial block has its roots in Roman antiquity but emerged in the United States as distinct type during the mid-1800s and remained in use through the 1950s.

Federal The Federal style was influenced by England but widely altered by Americans due to their desire to create a “new republic.” It is similar to the Georgian style but more formal and restrained in outline and detail. Characteristics include curving or multi-sided bays, elliptical rooms, domed or arched ceilings, three full stories or one story over a large basement, brick exterior, metal roofs, thin mortar joints, slim and light doorways, and large and thin windows and windowpanes. It is generally associated with the middle to upper class residential houses.

Georgian Revival The characteristics of the Georgian Revival style include a rectangular plan, two main stories, symmetrical elevations, axial entrance, gable or hipped roof, symmetrical facades, paired, double-hung sash windows, and simple, classical details. In larger buildings, these details are often exaggerated in scale repeated. Other details include tall and narrow single-hung sash windows, bilateral symmetry, tall end chimneys rising above the summit of the roof, modillion cornice, and octagonal cupolas with a bell-shaped roof. Columns are common around the front door. This style is typical in residential houses but is also found less commonly in commercial buildings.

Gothic Revival The Gothic Revival style had its beginnings in eighteenth century England with the romantic movement and the NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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“Father” of this revival movement was A.W. Pugin. The style began to appear in the United States in the 1830s and continues in modified forms today. Characteristics of the style include pointed arches, generally above entryways or window openings, steeply pitched gables, pinnacles, battlements, crenellated parapets, tracery, decorated medieval motifs, and stained-glass windows. While common in rural houses, the Gothic Revival style also can be found in buildings such as churches and college campuses.

A late phase type of the Gothic Revival style was Ruskinian Gothic. This style is a highly detailed and very elaborate interpretation of the Gothic Revival style. Typical characteristics include bands of polychromatic masonry, brick, or roof tiles; heavy in appearance; stone quoins; pressed brick; terra cotta panels; brick or stone trim on windows and doors; pointed arches on windows, entrance, dormers, and cross gables; and round turrets with corbelled brickwork and conical roofs. The style is also associated with English architect John Ruskin, who emphasized structural coloration as opposed to applied coloration. The style is often used for large-scale public buildings, school, or churches, but can also be found applied to large homes or mansions.

Greek Revival The Greek Revival style influenced both public and residential architecture during the nineteenth century. Greek Revival residences emerged throughout the United States in the 1830s and continued through the 1850s and into the 1860s in the Gulf Coast states. They are particularly common in the Midwest, the Eastern states, and the West coast. Trained architects spread the style among public buildings, but carpenter’s guides and pattern books influenced local carpenters and builders. The Greek Revival style was based on applying Greek temple shapes to all types of buildings, sometimes indiscriminately, by using pediments, columns, bold moldings and heavy cornices. Characteristics of the style include low-pitched gabled or hipped roof, often topped by parapet or balustrade, entry or full-width porches with prominent square or rounded Doric style columns, main entrance surrounded by sidelights and rectangular transom lights, and cornice line emphasized with wide band of trim. Brick, stucco/scoring, and wood (outside urban areas) are common materials. Windows are often decorative, with an iron or wooden grille and eyebrow windows are also common. Midwestern homes often use a looser interpretation of the original temple style.

Italianate The Italianate style was largely used in residential architecture, where the design and shapes were based on the classical villas of Northern Italy; however, Italianate style details are also commonly found on commercial buildings. Features of the style include low roofs, long overhanging eaves, decorative brackets, cupolas and arcade porches. Any available materials could be used, though the exterior was usually flat and often clad in stucco. Large double-hung sash windows either shielded by flat-topped, rounded, or pediment-shaped hoods or framed at the top, sides, and bottom with trim are common. Double front doors are also typical of the style.

Neoclassical Revival The Neoclassical style was typically constructed from the late nineteenth century to the first half of the twentieth century. Sometimes referred to as Classical Revival, this style was inspired by the World’s Columbian Exposition, which was held in Chicago in 1893. Nearly all the buildings in the Chicago exhibition were designed based on classical precedents and were widely copied in the United States. This style is commonly found on public buildings. A hallmark of the style is a full-height entry porch on the primary facade. Classical columns support the usually pedimented porch roof. Other features of the style include monumental proportions, large sash windows, simple roof lines and elaborated molding such as dentils and modillions. Symmetrical massing and simple but classic lines are also indicative of this style.

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Renaissance Revival Dominant from the 1890s to the 1930s, Renaissance Revival drew inspiration from sixteenth century Italy and was developed in contrast to the Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, and Shingle styles that were also popular at the time. Buildings tend to be symmetrical and typically feature a different window type or wall cladding on each story. The style is most common in public buildings and rowhouses. Typical features include an imposing scale, classical design features, arcades, arched and pedimented openings, projecting cornices, and roofline balustrades.

Richardsonian Romanesque In America this style, which peaked around 1890, was known as the Richardsonian Romanesque style and was associated with architect Henry Hobson Richardson. The style adapted many Romanesque forms to designs for homes of wealthy families. Found mainly in cities in the Northeast and Midwest, characteristics of the style include masonry arches, turrets, lookouts, towers, half-round bays, exteriors of masonry (preferably ashlar, but sometimes brick and/or terra-cotta or brownstone), gabled main rooflines, conical roofs on turrets, corbelling on eaves, arched windows, and recessed porches or arcades.

Romanesque Revival The Romanesque Revival style did not have widespread popularity and first introduced in the mid-nineteenth century (1840 to 1900). Typically, the style was applied to public buildings or churches; however, rowhouses were also constructed in the Romanesque Revival style. The style is characterized by heavy, massive, monochromatic masonry; round arched window and door openings; corbel tables; squat columns; decorative plaques with intricate or interlacing patterns; and round towers.

Spanish Colonial Revival From 1915 to 1930, the Spanish Colonial Revival style appeared especially in California, Florida, and the Southwest; however, examples exist across the US. The style is characterized by stucco walls, red-tile roofs, decorative vents, wing walls, multi-level roofs, arcaded porches, towers, and parapets. The size of the houses ranged from a modest mail-order home to a mansion. The style, which originated in the old world, is associated with architects Wallace Neff, George Washington Smith, and others.

Commerce:

The city of Evansville has been a recognizable center of commerce for the tri-state area since the end of the Civil War. Evansville’s economy was influenced by the increased trade following the Civil War, by the post-1900 boom, and by the increased efforts of aggressive industrialists and merchants. Both modest and large commercial buildings were constructed at the turn of the century and many of the representative examples date from the 1900s to the 1920s. Building types include banks, shops, office buildings, hotels, and theaters. The commercial construction boom was slowed considerably by the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s and continued with World War II. To be significant for commerce, a property must show association with the development and promotion of Evansville as a commercial center.

Ethnicity:

As with other cities and towns in the United States, immigration and movement of people between places often occurred in waves. For Evansville, as an industrial and commercial center and located along the Ohio River, the city depended on immigration for growth and development. The most significant group of immigrants to the nineteenth century development of Downtown Evansville was the Germans. Two waves of German immigrants NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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arrived in Evansville, the first in the 1850s and the second in the 1880s. Although many streets and businesses changed their German names during World War II, sites and buildings associated with German history are fairly common in Downtown Evansville. Germans were involved in almost every aspect of the city’s affairs, including government, architecture, education, politics, commerce, and industry. To be significant and associated with German Ethnicity, a property should be able to show a connection to a known German citizen or with a German centered activity, such as religious worship, education, commercial business, or industry.

Industry:

Evansville has been associated with various industries in it’s 200 plus history. However, some industries left their mark on the Downtown and are significant to the growth and development of the City. The hardwood lumber industry and the subsequent furniture industry were both instrumental in aiding the city to grow following the Civil War and into the turn of the century. Another Evansville industry, the brewing industry, once occupied some of the largest industrial complexes in the Downtown; however, most of them have been demolished. To be significant for industry, a property must show association with a major industry and be representative of an industry that aided in the growth and progress of the city. Industries, such as brewing, tobacco, furniture manufacturing, lumber, refrigeration manufacturing, and steel working, are considered significant industries to the development of Evansville.

Politics and Government:

The Downtown area was the center of the political and governmental processes that ran Evansville, which became the Vanderburgh County seat in 1819. While the first and second courthouses have been removed, the third courthouse was a testament to perseverance of the community’s founders and is a celebration of civic pride and wealth. The massive Beaux Arts style building was constructed in 1891 and remained the center of local government until 1969. However, it remains a visible representation of Evansville’s boom years. In addition to local government, the US federal government built a massive Ruskinian Gothic style post office and custom house in 1874-79. This building was recognition of Evansville as a major port city on the Ohio River, as well a symbol of the city’s position in regional trade and population. To be significant for politics and government, a resource must demonstrate a significant association with local or federal government operations, be associated with a well-known historical political figure, or be a public building associated with a political movement or agency.

Social Reform and Humanitarian Efforts:

The Downtown area was the center of housing and social reform in Evansville in the early twentieth century. Several organizations were created to aid youth and women, as well as the poor. For example, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) had Shopbell and Company build a new building for their organization in 1913 and provided safe recreational activities for young men in the city. Similarly, the YWCA was founded by Albion Fellows Bacon in 1911 and was geared towards helping young women find safe, clean, and affordable housing. The organization built their headquarters in 1924 and was designed by W.F. Thompson and Miss B.G. Geary of New York. In addition to the YWCA, tenement housing was also influenced by Albion Fellows Bacon and model flats providing clean and safe apartments were constructed, including Rose Terrace, Ingles Terrace, and Albion Apartments. The designs for Rose Terrace and Albion Apartments were created by Shopbell & Company and completed in 1910. In addition to the social reform and humanitarian efforts in housing, reform also took place NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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within the healthcare system, including prominent physicians and new associations to bring disease awareness to the citizens. To be significant for social reform and humanitarian efforts, a resource must retain its association with a significant person or organization and must be the location in which activities to improve the welfare and health of people occurred.

Transportation:

Evansville has been constantly growing and expanding. Transportation systems have been an indispensable factor in promoting that growth. The Ohio River provided the earliest and significant mode of transportation beginning with ferrying services, transitioning to steam travel, and finally freight and shipping services. People and goods have both been moved along the river. Similarly, the railroad provided a much larger expansion of commerce and industry with its ability to move large quantities of both products and raw materials across the country beginning in the 1850s with the arrival of the first railroad. However, most of the river and rail related resources have vanished from Downtown Evansville. Other significant transportation resources include the expansion of the twentieth century bus system, which allowed movement between the Downtown and the surrounding suburbs for people of all income levels. The private automobile changed the fabric of Downtown Evansville in the early twentieth century. Paved roads, dealerships, gas stations, and repair garages were necessary for the maintenance of the automobile, as well as parking accommodations. To be significant and associated with German Ethnicity, a property should be able to show a connection to the growth of transportation networks in Downtown Evansville and to the surrounding city. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Busse House Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000084 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this _X__ additional documentation ___ move ___ removal ___ name change (additional documentation) ___ other meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.

______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register __ additional documentation accepted other (explain:) ______

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Busse House Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000084 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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BUSSE HOUSE Owner: POLLUX PROPERTIES LLC 120 SE First Street PO BOX 999, Evansville, IN 47706 1901

DESCRIPTION:

This Richardsonian Romanesque building, at 120 SE First Street, is situated between two buildings and faces west onto SE First Street. The building rises two-and-a-half stories at its highest point. The front (west) façade is rough-faced, square-cut, uncoursed granite stonework, while the north and south facades are painted brick.

The building is rectangular in shape and features a two-and-a-half-story, steeply pitched cross- gable roof clad in asphalt shingles. The front façade features a steeply pitched front-gable offset north and a steeply pitched gable dormer. Both are flanked by projecting rounded column capitols and have parapeted gable walls in granite. The gable end on the south façade rises above the west façade’s roofline and has granite quoining on the west corner. An exterior chimney is located on the south gable end, capped with corbelled bricks. The two-story side-gable wing extends east and is clad in painted brick.

Fenestration throughout the building includes paired and single one-over-one, double-hung slightly recessed windows. A circular fixed window is located within the front gable on the front façade. Windows on the south façade feature granite lintels and sills. The second bay on the first floor features a triptych one-over-one double-hung window with a granite sill and lintel. Three windows on the second story of the south facade have a round arched brick lintel and a granite sill. Two slightly recessed entrances are on the front façade, separated by a paired one-over-one double-hung window. Doors are paneled and include transoms.

A full-width, unroofed, curved porch with semicircular cut outs is attached to the front façade. Two curved sets of stairs access the north and south side of the porch, bordered by a three-tier rough-faced granite wall.

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SIGNIFICANCE:

Constructed in 1901 for Dr. Edward P. Busse and designed by local architects Harris & Shopbell, the Busse House served as a primary residence and doctor’s office in Downtown Evansville until 1910, when Dr. Busse was offered a new position as the superintendent of the Southeastern Hospital for the Insane in Madison, Indiana. When it was built, the Busse House replaced the recently demolished 1837 Trafton House, the former home of Dr. Tafton, an early physician and surgeon in Evansville. Dr. Busse and his wife occupied the Tafton House until it was demolished and replaced by the 1901 Romanesque Revival residence and medical office. In 1907, Dr. Busse constructed a brick stable at the rear of his lot.

For a time prior to Dr. Busse’s move to Madison, he rented office space to Karl Kae Knecht, a cartoonist at the Courier newspaper, and Clarke Salmon, an editorial employee of the Journal- News. After the doctor was offered the position at the new state hospital, he leased the building to Knecht and Salmon, who purposefully organized the Evansville Press Club with other newspaper men so they would not have to give up their office spaces. With 35-members, the new club found a need to remodel the interior of the Busse House and they converted the 16-room house into a club house complete with sleeping quarters on the two upper floors. A library, reading room, reception hall, billiard room, den, parlor, dining area, kitchen, and bar were all on the first floor. After World War I, the club’s membership had greatly reduced and by 1919, they relocated to a smaller building on Walnut Street. By the late 1920s, the organization ceased to exist. However, in 1927, Dr. Busse donated his home to the Evansville Health Center run by E. Mead Johnson who significantly remodeled the home to accommodate offices, a waiting area, lockers, supply rooms, an examination room, and a dental room. During the mid-twentieth century, it was the home of the City Health Service and Baby and Children Clinic.

The Busse House is historically significant under Criterion A of the NRHP for its association with health and medicine. Throughout the early twentieth century, the building served as Dr. Busse’s medical office and the location of the Evansville Health Center. The building is historically significant under Criterion C of the NRHP as an excellent example of a Richardsonian Romanesque style building an possesses additional significance as an early- twentieth century residence in Downtown Evansville. The use of brick and stone as cladding express the heaviness of the architectural style and the high-pitched rooflines provide a dynamic juxtaposition that conveys the grandiosity of the style.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449664 E 4202483 N NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Busse House Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000084 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 15

Boundary: Parcel ID - 82-06-30-020-007.009-0

References: 1901 Evansville Courier and Press “Dr. Busse Will Erect Building on the Site of the Trafton Structure”. June 18, 1901. Pg 1. 1910 Evansville Courier and Press “Press Club Leases the Busse Home”. March 20, 1910. Pg. 8. 1947 Evansville Courier and Press “City Had Two Press Clubs”. May 25, 1947. Pg. 51 1907 Evansville Journal “New Brick Stable”. June 2, 1907. Pg. 12. 1927 Evansville Press “Health Center to Occupy New Home Shortly. August 25, 1927. Pg. 8. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Busse House Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000084 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 15

PHOTOS:

Proposed Drawing of Busse House, 1901. Courtesy of Evansville Courier and Press, June 18, 1901, pg. 1.

Section number F Page 16

Photograph of Busse House, 1904. Courtesy of Shopbell & Harris Architects, June 18, 1901, pg. 1.

Section number F Page 17

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0001 Busse House at 120 SE 1st Street, northeast view

Section number F Page 18

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0002 Busse House at 120 SE 1st Street, southeast view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Cadick Apartments Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000085 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number Section number F Page 19

State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this __X_ additional documentation ___ move ___ removal ___ name change (additional documentation) ___ other meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.

______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

CADICK APARTMENTS Owner: CADICK APARTMENTS LLC 118 SE First Street 420 NW Fifth Street, Ste 202, Evansville, IN 47708 1917

DESCRIPTION:

The Renaissance Revival Cadick Apartments, or Plaza Building, is located at 118 SE First Street, adjacent to a large parking lot north of the building on the corner of Locust and SE First Streets. The building is constructed of brick and limestone and is three stories tall and three bays wide. The building’s plan consists of three rectangular masses connected by a smaller mass, likely a stairwell or hallways connecting the flat-roofed residential blocks to the main entrance mass. The main mass on the west has a hip roof clad in barrel tiles and the other two masses have flat roofs. The north façade of the rear (east) mass has a slight parapet. A brick chimney is located on the northeast corner of the rear mass.

The westernmost (main) mass has exterior walls with limestone on the first story and buff brick on the second. The words “Cadick Apartments” is engraved in the limestone on the front (west) façade. The limestone on the first story is smooth pressed set in a regular coursed pattern. The yellow-brown, buff colored bricks on the second and third stories is set in a variation of the Common and Flemish bonds with three stretcher Common bonds separated by a course of Flemish bond with alternating stretch and header bricks. The north and east façades of the two rear masses do not feature a limestone first story. The same buff brick is used on the north façade, which changes to red brick on the east façade of the rear mass.

The first and second story fenestration on the front façade consists of thirty five-light fixed windows. Second story windows feature a decorative brick arch with an inner circle created from mosaic tiles above the window, framed by an arched hood mold. The current windows are replacements of the double-hung, multiple-light windows recorded in the original 1981 nomination form. A limestone banister with turned spindles are on each window. Third story windows feature diamond muntins surrounded by a square hood mold and limestone sills. A simple curved banister is featured on second story windows. Above the third story windows is a corbelled brick band course. A decorative brick pattern with diamond shapes within squares is created with brick headers and green tile below the wide eave overhang.

The primary entrance is located on the front façade, offset south. The door is wood paneled with iron brackets and a sidelight to the south of the door. Sconces flank the entrance which is sheltered by a curved canvas awning. Limestone stairs access the entrance. The entrance has been altered since the building was originally nominated in 1981 when it had a set of metal commercial doors sheltered beneath a flat roof hood with chain supports.

Ornamentation is minimal on the north and east facades. Limestone sills are included on all fenestration. The north façade windows are a combination of twelve- and eight-light fixed windows featuring splayed brick arched lintels. The third story middle bay window features a NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Cadick Apartments Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000085 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number Section number F Page 21

diamond muntin pattern. The north façade of the rear mass features recessed windows with simple iron banisters on the second and third floors. The north façade of the middle mass features a combination of recessed windows and windows with an arched hood mold. Second and third story windows feature a simple iron banister. Fenestration on the north façade of the main mass mimic the front façade.

SIGNIFICANCE:

Cadick Apartments was constructed by the Florentine Building Company between 1916 and 1917 and named after its president, D. E. Cadick. The building was designed by Indianapolis based architect, William Earl Russ, and his Evansville associate, H. Gilbert Karges. The building contained 14 units, which included bachelor's suites on the first floor and housekeeping quarters on the second and third floors. Cadick Apartments was constructed across SE First Street from the grand McCurdy Hotel. These buildings were erected almost simultaneously, and both contributed to the early twentieth century growth of Downtown Evansville. Each residential unit in Cadick Apartments was designed to accommodate a living room, kitchenette, breakfast room, bedroom, bathroom, and dressing room. Kitchenettes were equipped with electric stoves, ice boxes, and cabinets. Bachelor’s apartments were fully furnished with Murphy Beds, and built-in furniture in the living room, kitchenette, and dressing room. A full basement accommodated mechanical equipment, a dining hall, and laundry room. Research revealed that the building was sold to Walter Moll in the late 1940s, rehabilitated in 2018, and continues to serve as an apartment building.

Cadick Apartments possesses historical significance under Criteria C of the NRHP for architecture. The building is an excellent example of an early twentieth century Renaissance Revival apartment building with its symmetrical front façade, round arches above the windows, and decorative tile details. The building also a unique example of a well-designed multi-unit residence that provided unique and convenient living accommodations for its time.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 44682 E 4202472 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-007.002-029

Resources: 1917 Evansville Courier and Press “New Cadick a Novel Abode”. Pg. 17. 1953 Evansville Courier and Press “Walter Moll Buys Cadick”. Pg. 1.

PHOTOS:

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0003 Cadick Apartments at 118 SE First Street, northeast view

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0004 Cadick Apartments at 118 SE First Street, north view

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0005 Cadick Apartments at 118 SE First Street, southwest view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville - United States Department of the Interior Citizens National Bank Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000087 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number Section number F Page 25

______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK Owner: KUNKEL SQUARE LLC SUMMIT 329 Main Street 420 NW Fifth Street, Ste 202, Evansville, IN 47706 1916

DESCRIPTION:

The Citizens National Bank Building is located at 329 Main Street on the corner of Main and Southeast Fourth Streets and was constructed in 1916. The ten-story, Chicago style building is constructed of brick and steel with limestone veneer front (north) and west facades. The three- part vertical block commercial building is rectangular in shape and shares a party wall with the three-story building to the west. The first story on the front (north) façade features two large Doric pilasters, flanking the primary, recessed, entrance. Above the pilasters is the name, “The Hilliard Lyons Building.” A secondary entrance is located in the eighth bay on the east façade, within an arched bump-out. Fenestration on the first story are large picture windows with a round arched open pediment and a rectangular fixed picture transom above the pediments. A belt course with dentils separates the first and second stories of the building.

Windows on the second story of the bank building are paired historic steel casement windows, separated by an ornamental carving, while the third through the eighth stories feature slightly recessed one-over-one, double-hung, historic steel windows. Between every two windows is a slightly raised pilaster with a recessed panel above. A projecting belt course with a row of ornamental carved limestone separates the sixth and seventh floors. The seventh and eighth floor fenestration are separated by ornamental panels.

The building has a flat roof with a wide overhanging eave. Above the eight story, the architrave has circular medallions above the pilasters and decorative carving above the corner columns. The frieze has a row of rounded carving and a row of dentils. The cornice has rectangular mutules with guttae evenly placed in the soffits on the front and west façades. A carved statue head is located on the main façade and centered on top of the building.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The Citizens National Bank building was constructed in 1916. Noted as Evansville’s first skyscraper, the building was designed by Atlanta-based architect, William Lee Stoddart. The bank, originally chartered in 1874, had become the largest bank in the state outside of Indianapolis by the time the skyscraper was built. As a financial institution, Citizens National Bank was increasingly successful throughout the early 1900s. After it was reorganized in 1910, business grew rapidly, and the construction of the skyscraper in Downtown Evansville further boosted deposits and receipts. The bank building was the first in the city to be constructed in the Chicago School style, which used steel and stone as fireproofing materials. When it was built, the banking quarters occupied the first floor, basement, and part of the mezzanine level. The upper floors were available for rent. A marble lobby, two high-speed passenger elevators, a freight elevator, water fountains, 200 13-foot by 14-foot offices, and teller desks were also incorporated in the building’s design.

The Citizens National Bank building possesses historical significance under Criteria A and C of the NRHP. Under Criterion A of the NRHP, the bank building is important for its association with commerce in Evansville and represents the City’s growth as a commercial center. The building’s historical significance under Criterion C of the NRHP relates to its architecture. Citizens National Bank serves as an excellent example of an early twentieth century Chicago School style building and possesses additional significance as the first skyscraper to be constructed in Evansville, as well as the first to be built in the downtown area.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449844 E 4202768 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-022.013-029

References: 1916 Evansville Courier Press. “Skyscraper Has Fine Appearance”. January 9, 1916. Pg. 56 1916 Evansville Journal. “Citizen’s Grows from Small Bank to Biggest in State Outside Capital. Pg. 35.

PHOTOS:

Citizens Bank at Fourth and Main Streets, soon after its construction in 1916. Courtesy of The Willard Library, Buildings and Evansville Scenes: The Deeds-Glasock Collection.

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0006 Citizens National Bank at 329 Main Street, southeast view

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0007 Citizens National Bank at 329 Main Street, south view

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0008 Citizens National Bank at 329 Main Street, south view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Court Building Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indiana County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000088 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 32

______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

Section number F Page 33

COURT BUILDING Owner: COURT BUILDING DEVELOPMENT LLC SUMMIT REAL ESTATE 123-125 NW Fourth Street 420 NW Fifth St Ste 202, Evansville, IN 47708 1909

DESCRIPTION:

Built in 1909, the Neoclassical Revival-style commercial Court Building is located at 123-125 NW Fourth Street, on the northwest corner of Vine and NW Fourth Street. The building is six stories in height with an attic level on the corner mass. The three-part vertical block commercial building is a rectangular plan, running lengthwise down Vine Street. The exterior walls on the north and west facades are buff brick with limestone on the first and second floors of the larger mass. The limestone first story features Doric pilasters that separate the fenestration. A flat limestone cornice extends along the entire on the west facade and partially along the west façade. The rear (east) and south facades have red brick exterior walls. The building’s flat roof has two levels with the highest point being on the corner mass. An elevator shaft is located on the southeast corner of the roof, and an interior brick chimney is located on the east façade, offset north. A straight parapet runs along the north and east facades.

The first story of the west (front) façade is five-bays wide with a central primary entrance flanked by sets of paired, steel fixed windows with fixed transoms and wood bulkheads. The entrance is a set of commercial glass and metal double doors with a fixed transom. Sheltering the entrance is a closed limestone pediment with decorative brackets. Flanking the entrance are two sconces with metal, engraved title blocks reading, “Court Building.” Fenestration on the first story of the north façade features steel fixed windows with fixed transoms and wood bulkheads. The second through fourth stories on the north and west facades feature paired, one-over-one, double-hung windows, separated by buff brick pilasters. Six bays on the fifth floor of the west corner of the north façade feature limestone lintels that connect to a belt course. This pattern continues onto the front façade. Attic windows on the front façade are triptych, one-over-one double-hung metal windows. A limestone projecting belt course runs the length of the north and west facades above the fifth-floor windows. A wider projecting belt course is above the sixth- floor windows on the larger mass on the north and west facades.

The rear east and south facades feature one-over-one, double-hung windows. A secondary entrance is located on the east façade, offset south. It is currently boarded up, but the two light transom is visible.

The interior of the building has been altered since its original construction; however, several original Art Deco-inspired design details remain, including the US Postal letter box and Building Directory and features wall to wall carpeting and modern wallpaper and acoustic drop ceilings on the first floor. Doors are stained wood with transoms. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Court Building Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indiana County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000088 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 34

Section number F Page 35

SIGNIFICANCE:

The Court building, originally called the Furniture Exchange building when it was erected in 1909 by Mayor Benjamin Bosse and was designed by Harris & Shopbell architects. The National Concrete Company from Louisville, Kentucky served as the primary contractors for the project. Constructed to meet the growing demand for modern office suites, the $125,000 building was financed by fourteen local furniture factories and originally had 21 tenants and five vacancies at opening Reinforced concrete was used for the structure in lieu of wood for fireproofing. A combination of storerooms, display rooms, and office suites as well as high speed elevators and a vacuum steam system for heating were incorporated into the design. Upon completion of the Furniture Exchange Building, several businesses rented office space, including Harris & Shopbell architects. The furniture industry had greatly declined after the Great Depression and the building was renamed The Court Building in 1940. It became a prime office space for attorneys, insurance companies, and other firms, which it continues to serve as today The Court building is historically significant under Criteria A and C of the NRHP. Under Criterion A, the building possesses significance for its association with commerce and industry in Evansville. The building provided a myriad of local companies a space to conduct office businesses and was especially beneficial as a location for local furniture companies to display their products. The building is historically significant under Criterion C of the NRHP for its architecture, as an excellent example of a Neoclassical Revival style building.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449750 E 4203001 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-026.007-029

References: 1986 Evansville Courier and Press “Court Building Keeping High Occupancy Rate”. August 27, 1986. Pg. 14 1910 Evansville Courier and Press “Evansville One of the World’s Great Furniture Markets”. March 27, 1910. Pg. 49. 1908 Evansville Courier and Press “The Furniture Exchange Buidling”. August 9, 1908. Pg. 29. 2020 The Court Building. “The History.” http://www.courtbuilding.com/history. Accessed February 2020. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Court Building Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indiana County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000088 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 36

PHOTOS:

Proposed Drawing for Furniture Exchange Building, Harris & Shopbell Architects, 1908. Courtesy of Evansville Courier and Press, August 9, 1908, pg. 29.

Section number F Page 37

Proposed Architectural Plan for Furniture Exchange Building, Harris & Shopbell Architects, 1908. Courtesy of Evansville Courier and Press, August 9, 1908, pg. 29.

Section number F Page 38

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0009 Court Building at 123-125 NW Fourth Street, east view

Section number F Page 39

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0010 Court Building at 123-125 NW Fourth Street, northeast view

Section number F Page 40

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0011 Court Building at 123-125 NW Fourth Street, northeast view

Section number F Page 41

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0012 Court Building at 123-125 NW Fourth Street, north view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Eagles House Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indiana County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000090 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 42

______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

Section number F Page 43

EAGLES HOUSE Owner: MCCANDLES, KERRY P 221 NW Fifth Street PO BOX 6271, Elizabethtown, KY 42702 1912

DESCRIPTION:

Built in 1912, the Eagles House is located at 221 NW Fifth Street on the southeast corner of NW Fifth and Court Streets. The building is constructed out of limestone and brick in the Neoclassical Revival style. The building features a two-story main massing constructed ca. 1912 and a one-story ca. 1940 addition extending from the east façade, offset north, and bordering Court Street.

Rectangular in shape, the exterior walls are brick with a limestone base and painted brick on the rear, ca. 1940, one-story addition. Limestone capitals are on brick pilasters, terminating at a wooden belt course. The building has a flat roof that features a parapet with an overhanging eave, wooden cornice, and dentils on the two-story massing. The one-story addition has a two- tier flat roof. Two interior brick chimneys are located on the south side of the two-story mass.

Window openings have segmented brick arches and limestone lintels. Fenestration on the main mass includes paired nine-over-twelve single-hung windows on the first floor of the south façade and twelve-over-sixteen single-hung windows with paired four light transoms on the second story. Fenestration on the south façade of the one-story addition includes a six-light fixed window with a splayed brick lintel followed by six bays of eight-over-eight single-hung windows with eight light transoms. The north and west facades of the two-story main mass feature a combination of brick infilled windows on the west façade; fifteen-over-fifteen single- hung windows with paired four light transoms and fourteen light sidelights with four light transoms; and a twelve-over-twelve single-hung window with paired four light transoms on the north façade. Second story windows are twelve-over-twelve single-hung windows with paired four light transoms. The north façade of the one-story addition features a glass block window over a secondary entrance; six-over-six single-hung windows, one of which has a six-light transom; four-light fixed basement windows; and eight-over-eight single-hung windows with eight light transoms and splayed brick lintels. All but one of the four-light fixed windows has been infilled below the windows on the one-story addition’s north façade. Remaining basement windows throughout the building have been infilled with limestone.

The primary entrance is on the south side of the building and features a recessed commercial double-door with a fixed transom. Directly above is a single-light double-door with sidelights and a triptych transom, accessing a small curved balcony with simple steel balustrade. A stair and ADA accessible walkway framed by a limestone wall which curves directly in front of the entrance with a simple steel balustrade, accesses the primary entrance. A secondary entrance on the north façade features a historic limestone door surround framing commercial double-doors with a twelve-light transom. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Eagles House Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indiana County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000090 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 44

The building has undergone alterations since it was originally listed in the NRHP in 1977-1978. Multiple windows have been infilled with brick or limestone. In addition, the main entrance to the two-story mass has been replaced with windows on the west façade. Currently, the main entrance to the building is on the south façade and features a two-story limestone clad wall. The previous entrance on the west façade featured two sets of metal commercial doors recessed beneath a flat overhang, which read “Lockyear College”. The entire entrance has been removed and the pilasters have been repaired with a similar brick. The fabric awnings over the windows have been removed from the all facades of the building. The interior has also been altered and currently functions as an office building. Acoustic drop ceilings, tile flooring, large columns, and glass office partitions have been added to the first floor.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The Eagles House possesses historical significance under Criterion A of the NRHP for its association with the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a prominent local benevolent institution, and Criterion C of the NRHP for architecture. The building’s historical association with the local Evansville chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles is tied to their growth as an organization. Due to a large membership base, the Eagles needed a dedicated lodge to congregate ca. 1912. Their prominence is tied to social movements such as the creation of Mother’s Day and encouraging the need for Social Security benefits. By 1940, the Evansville chapter had grown even larger, necessitating the construction of a one-story addition. By the late 1960s, the Eagles relocated elsewhere, and their building was sold to the Lockyear Business College, who used the space as a student union until the school closed in 1991.

The architectural significance of the Eagles Home is tied to the building’s architect, Harry E. Boyle (1881-1947), a local practitioner who developed a regional practice in designing large public buildings using reinforced concrete construction. Boyle was born in Greensburg, Indiana and graduated from the Mechanics Institute of Cincinnati in 1902, where he studied reinforced concrete engineering. He came to Evansville to work for Harris & Shopbell, a local firm that needed a concrete specialist on staff to build the Furniture Exchange Building. By 1915, Boyle had established Harry E. Boyle & Company, a design firm that would have lasting influence on early twentieth century construction in Evansville. His career continued until his death in 1947.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449787 E 4203139 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-035.003-029

Section number F Page 45

References:

1923 Esarey, Logan. “History of Indiana From Its Exploration to 1922, Volume 3”. Dayton Historical Publishing Co., Dayton, Ohio.

PHOTOS:

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0013 Eagles House at 221 NW Fifth Street, north view

Section number F Page 46

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0014 Eagles House at 221 NW Fifth Street, southeast view

Section number F Page 47

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0015 Eagles House at 221 NW Fifth Street, southeast view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Evansvi lle Brewing CompanyPut Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000091 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 48

______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

Section number F Page 49

EVANSVILLE BREWING COMPANY Owner: UNIVERSAL WAREHOUSE INC 401 NW Fourth Street PO BOX 3365, Elizabethtown, KY 42702 1893

DESCRIPTION:

The Evansville Brewing Company is located at 401 NW Fourth Street on the south corner of Ingle and NW Fourth Street. The Romanesque Revival style building is constructed of brick and is four-stories tall. The building has a flat roof with a parapet, and recessed brick arches on the primary façade. . Two one-story commercial buildings share a party wall on the north and east facades.

The building’s exterior walls featurered brick on the upper stories with recessed brick arches extending between the second and third stories and white painted brick on the first story. Currently, the west façade is under renovation and the full height commercial bays are boarded over. The primary door is located in the third bay on the west façade, which features a single glass door with a transom and sidelights to the north. Above the entrance is a full-length marquee like sign with removable letters, in poor condition that wraps around the building onto a portion of the south façade.. The south façade features a boarded, full-height commercial bay offset to the west that features a secondary entrance flanked by two recessed, two-over-one single-hung windows with a curved splayed brick window hood terminating at corbelled bricks. The recessed entrance features a glass door and glass block door surround. A splayed brick curved pediment is located above the entrance.

Eleven bays of recessed, ,splayed brick, round arched hoods span the height of the second and third floors on the south and west facades. A corbelled brick belt course is broken by the pilasters with corbelled brick caps separating the arches. The east five bays on the south elevation feature a low belt course with recessed windows below, two of which are glass block.

Above the arches is a belt course with corbelled dentils. Fenestration above has been infilled with brick, but appear as though they historically had limestone sills, lintels, and a curved transom. The east eight bays on the south façade feature infilled rectangular windows with a limestone lintel and transom with corbelled brick. A square tower has been removed from the south corner and a flat roof fifth story has been removed from the northwest façade.

The interior features painted drywall, acoustic drop ceilings, and round columns with pyramidal caps. The building is currently vacant and under renovation and portions of the flooring and ceiling have been removed.

Section number F Page 50

SIGNIFICANCE:

The Evansville Brewing Company building was constructed in 1891. The company was incorporated in 1890 by Henry Wimberg. Born in Germany in 1851, Wimberg came to Evansville in 1869 and, in 1872, began a successful saloon business on the corner of Third and Division Streets. In 1881, Wimberg was elected to City Council and after serving three terms, he was elected Police Commissioner. In 1894, the Evansville Brewing Association was organized and merged three brewing plants, including the German inspired Evansville Brewing Company. Soon after, the brewing company relocated to a complex on Fulton Street.

The Romanesque Revival style brewery building was part of a larger complex for the German business. According to the 1895 Sanborn Map, the property consisted of cellars, a brewing house, an ice machine, a cooler, a washroom, a keg filling room, offices, an icehouse, a freezing tank, and wagon shed. The Romanesque Revival style was commonly used on turn-of-the- century brewery buildings, particularly German breweries due to the fact the brick masonry construction allowed for the cooler temperatures required for brewing lager beer. In 1918, the building was sold to Charles and Otto Hartmetz, who opened Dixie Motors at the brewery’s former location. Eventually, Dixie Motors relocated elsewhere in Evansville and the Brucken Company, seller of food service equipment and supplies, moved into the building.

The former Evansville Brewing company building is eligible under Criterion A for its association with the industrial growth of Evnasville and under Criterion C for its architecture, as an exceptional example of a Romanesque Revival industrial building, in Southwestern Indiana. It serves as a good example of a late nineteenth century manufacturing building constructed for the specific purpose of brewing beer. Even though the building has been repurposed a number of times since its construction as a brewery and most of the brewery complex is no longer extant, the former brewery building continues to convey its integrity of design and material as a Romanesque Revival brewery building. Furthermore, the building’s historic integrity of feeling, setting, and location all still remain.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449714 E 4203217 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-029-031.004-029

References: 1895 Sanborn Insurance Map. 1893 Evansville Courier Journal. “The Evansville Beer Barons”, Pg. 5, March 19, 1893.

Section number F Page 51

PHOTOS:

Evansville Brewing Company Advertisement at 401 NW Fourth Street. Courtesy of the Evansville Courier and Press, July 3, 1891; pg. 11.

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Dixie Motors Company, First Avenue and Ingle Street, circa 1923. Courtesy of the Willard Library, Historic Photo Collection.

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0016 Evansville Brewing Company at 401 NW Fourth Street, north view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0017 Evansville Brewing Company at 401 NW Fourth Street, northeast view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0018 Evansville Brewing Company at 401 NW Fourth Street, northeast view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Evansville News Journal Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000091 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X additional documentation ___ move ___ removal ___ name change (additional documentation) ___ other meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.

______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

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EVANSVILLE JOURNAL NEWS Owner: SMITH, DONALD R & JANE A TRUST 7-11 NW Fifth Street 11 NW Fifth Street, Evansville, IN 47708 1910

DESCRIPTION:

The Evansville Journal News Building, located at 7-11 NW Fifth Street on the south corner of Main and NW Fifth Streets, is a two-story, Beaux Arts commercial building clad in concrete with a limestone veneer on the west façade. The two-part block commercial building has a rectangular plan with a one-story addition attached to the rear (east) façade. The first story on the front (west) façade features a centrally located recessed entrance consisting of a single, aluminum frame, glass light door with sidelights and flanked by curved single-pane, fixed commercial windows. Two secondary, single, glass and metal door entrances are offset south. Both are single commercial windows with transoms. A large fixed pane commercial window is in the outer south bay and a fixed triptych window is positioned in the outer north bay. Three canvas awnings shelter the first story on the front façade. A decorative belt course with dentils and a scalloped design terminates at the middle secondary entrance and transitions into a simplified belt course over on the south three bays. Second story windows are fixed picture windows. Fenestration on the upper story is separated by fluted pilasters with the central four and outer pilasters featuring decorative elements. A belt course and paneled cornice are on the parapet of the flat roof.

The exterior walls on the north façade are clad in stucco. Two entrances are located on the west façade, one offset west on the original two-story main block and one offset east of the one-story addition. The single, glass and metal door on the two-story portion is recessed and sheltered by a canvas awning. A drive-thru window with a canvas awning is centrally located on the north facade. The second story on the north façade features two one-over-one single-hung windows. The one-story addition’s entry door is a solid metal door with a small square light.

SIGNIFICANCE:

Founded in 1833 by William Town, the Evansville Journal began publishing a daily newspaper in the late 1840s, shortly after the incorporation of Evansville as a city. This Beaux Arts commercial building was constructed in 1911, rear adjacent to the William Hughes Department Store Annex on Main Street, after its previous location at 512-514 Main Street caught fire and burned. Designed by Evansville architect, F. Manson Gilbert, the Evansville Journal building on Fifth Street included modern printing conveniences and designated spaces separated by use. The building covered a 55-foot by 75-foot space that featured a first-floor pressroom to be visible through the display windows. Large glass windows and skylights allowed for natural light to shine throughout the building. As a commercial and office building for the longest running NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Evansville News Journal Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000091 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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newspaper in Evansville, the building was constructed with sturdiness and stability in mind, utilizing modern construction materials such as steel and concrete.

In 1923, the Evansville Journal was sold to the Evansville Courier Company, which jointly published the Sunday Courier and Journal until the production of Evansville Journal was suspended in 1936. In 1924, the Evansville Public Library began using the building as the Central Branch Library. The library continued to function in this location, until 1932 when the new main branch was constructed.

The former Evansville Journal building is historically significant under Criterion A of the NRHP for its association with communications, as it was the headquarters of the prominent local newspaper and the first to introduce regular print media to Evansville. The building is historically significant under Criterion C of the NRHP for its architectural design, which was specifically conceived for a newspaper company seeking modernity. The building is a unique example of an early twentieth century, Beaux Arts commercial building in which modern methods of construction were steel and concrete as opposed to stone. The incorporation of skylights and large display windows in its original design, as well as the careful separation of spaces distinguished the Evansville Journal building from other commercial businesses. Architectural historical significance is also tied to this being first building in Evansville to be constructed specifically for a newspaper publication.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449937 E 4202907 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-033.003-029

References: 1910 The Sunday Journal News “The Journal-News Plans a New Home.” May 8, 1910. 1959 Evansville Press ‘Is It a Castle? March 1, 1959. Pg. 53. 2020 Library of Congress. About the Evansville Journal. Accessed February 7, 2020. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014296/

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PHOTOS:

Evansville Journal News Building at 7-11 Northwest 5th Street. Courtesy of the Evansville Journal, January 29, 1911. Pg. 31 NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Evansville News Journal Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000091 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0019 Evansville Journal News at 7-11 Northwest Fifth Street, southeast view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0020 Evansville Journal News at 7-11 Northwest Fifth Street, northeast view NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Evansville News Journal Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000091 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0021 Interior of the Evansville Journal News at 7-11 NW Fifth Street, north view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Albion Flats Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000093NR Reference Number Continuation Sheet

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______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

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ALBION FLATS Owner: DELI MUZ LLC 701 Court Street 220 NW Eighth Street 1910

DESCRIPTION:

The Albion Flats building is located at 701 Court Street and occupies a half block at the northwest corner of NW Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and Court Street. This two-story brick building, was constructed in 1910 and designed by Shopbell & Company. The building has a flat roof with a slight parapet, and aerial views show that the building is divided into eight sections with short dividers. A corbelled brick cornice is located below the simple concrete-clad parapet, which terminates at the corners of the east and west facades. The rear (south) façade does not have a cornice.

The building has a rectangular plan with an irregular shaped ell attached to the southwest corner. The northwest corner of the front (north) façade is slightly recessed. The front façade features five projecting porches with shed roofs clad in asphalt shingles. Two paired porches are positioned in the second and third bays. Brick columns support the shed roofs and privacy walls, are created out of lattice to separate the spaces. Two doors with three lights and an outer storm door are located between each of the porches, with the exception of the space between the outer west porches. A sliding basement level window is located between the outer west porches. A paneled door with nine lights is positioned in the outer west bay. The building’s s second story windows are one-over-one double-hung replacements windows with limestone sills and brick lintels. The front façade features a centrally located title block which simply reads, “The Albion Apartments”. Eight vents are located below the corbelled brick cornice, and . the outer west window has been infilled.

The west façade features one-over-one, double-hung replacement windows as well as a fixed window on the first floor of the outer north bay. All windows feature brick lintels and limestone sills. The southwest of the ell is slightly recessed with a one-story shed roof enclosed porch that connects the two masses. The shed roof is clad in asphalt shingles and is supported by a single brick column with a lattice privacy wall. Adjacent to the porch is a paneled door with a fanlight. Fenestration on the rear of the building includes one-over-one double-hung replacement windows with limestone lintels.

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SIGNIFICANCE:

Albion Flats was constructed in 1910 as part of a reform movement to ease crowded working- class housing in the area. One of the leaders of the movement was Albion Fellows Bacon (1865- 1933), an local Evansville woman who gained recognition as a national housing advocate during the early twentieth century. Albion Flats was originally owned by Major Albert C. Rosencranz, who sought Clifford Shopbell and Company,Architects, to design and Scarborough & Davis, general contractors, to construct the multi-family housing building. In addition to Albion Flats, Rosencranz’s other apartment buildings, Rose Terrace and Van Cleave Flats, were constructed in the same vicinity around the same time. Rosencranz named the apartments at 701 Court Street after Ms. Bacon and a nearby identical building named Rose Terrace after himself.

Located on the corner of Seventh and Court streets, Albion Flats was one of three affordable and accommodating apartment buildings of its kind constructed on the downtown street corner. Reformed housing in the City of Evansville, let alone the State of Indiana, was uncommon before the early 1900s. Such conscientious housing designs provided residents with spacious sleeping rooms, sanitary devices, and adequate lighting. The Albion Flats were constructed to the specifications of the new Indiana housing laws authored by Bacon. These apartments supplanted tenements offering working-class families safe and affordable housing.

Albion Flats is historically significant under Criterion A of the NRHP for its association with politics and government and social reform, specific to Indiana’s 1909 housing bill. The housing bill regulated multi-family dwellings in Evansville and Indianapolis, a direct result of Albion Fellows Bacon’s political housing reform movement. The new law specifically required tenements to have at least one window in each room, separate toilets for each family, hallway lighting, appropriate room sizes, water, drainage, and adequate sewage. Albion Flats is significant to the social reform history as one of the first apartment buildings constructed in Evansville that considered the social welfare of residents by designing an apartment building that provided working-class families with inexpensive rent as well as sensible and sanitary living spaces.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449966 E 4203262 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-047.001-029

References: 1911 Evansville Courier and Press. “Rosencranz Apartment Houses.” Jan 1, 1910. Pg. 9 1990 Evansville Courier and Press. “Housing that Works.” June 19, 1990. Pg. 9 1917 Charity Dye. “Some Torch Bearers in Indiana”. Hollenbeck Press, Indianapolis. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Albion Flats Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000093NR Reference Number Continuation Sheet

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PHOTOS:

Albion Flats at 701 Court Street Courtesy of the Willard Library. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Albion Flats Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000093NR Reference Number Continuation Sheet

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0022 Albion Flats at 701 Court Street, southeast view NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Albion Flats Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000093NR Reference Number Continuation Sheet

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0023 Albion Flats at 701 Court Street, north view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Amer ican Trust and SavingsPut Bank Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000094 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

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AMERICAN TRUST & SAVINGS BANK Owner: ROBIE PROPERTIES LLC 524-530 Main Street 528 Main Street Ste 400, Evansville, IN 47708 1904

DESCRIPTION:

The Neoclassical Revival-style American Trust & Savings Bank (Indiana Bank) building is located at 524-530 Main Street, on the northwest corner of Main and NW Sixth Streets. The west façade shares a party wall with the the adjacent three-story commercial building, while the north façade faces an alley that accesses Northwest Sixth Street. The four-story, two-part block commerical building features elements of the Beaux Arts style and is constructed of limestone with a brick foundation . The building has an L-shaped plan and a flat asphalt roofwith a decorative limestone balustrade parapet along the east and south facades. The building’s primary entrance is located on a corner facing the intersection of Main and NW Sixth Streets and features an ornamental crest with an eagle on the parapet. A flagpole is located directly behind the decorative crest. A copper cornice with dentils is positioned on the east and south façades. Inscribed in limestone below the cornice are the words, “American Trust & Savings Bank; Established 1904; American Trust & Savings Bank, The Home for Savings” which wrap around the east and south facades of the bank.

The main entrance of the building is located on the flat corner section of the building. and features a recessed, two-story recessed entrance flanked by a pair of Corinthian columns.. A limestone stair with a central steel balustrade accesses the historic wooden double-doors with single lights and large square fixed transom. An entablature with dentils and ornamental brackets frame the transom. A historic one-over-one, double-hung window with limestone trim is located on the second story of the recessed area. A secondary entrance is centrally located on the south façade of the bank. The entrance features a historic double-doorway with single lights and a copper door surround with transom. Above the door is a ribbon with six lights. Historic sconces with signage flank the doorway.

The building’s outer west bay on the south façade has been altered to accommodate a restaurant. Full-height commercial windows and a central recessed entrance are sheltered by a large canvas awning. The door is a replacement glass and aluminum commercial door with a transom. A belt course is located above the second story on the east and south facades, and segmented pilasters separating the fenestration terminate at the belt course. Full-height, fixed store windows are located on the first floor. The second through fourth floor fenestration includes one-over-one, double-hung windows, and the second story windows feature simple limestone sills, while the remaining fenestration features a decorative window surround.

The building has experienced several alterations on the outer north bays of the east façade, including the addition of a glass and aluminum commercial door located in the twelfth bay with NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Amer ican Trust and SavingsPut Bank Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000094 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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a rectangular infilled space above. North of the door is an asymmetrical recessed area with a modern storefront clad in structural glass. A fixed display window and a single glass and aluminum commercial door with transom are located within the storefront. The outer north bay features a modern glass door with sidelights and a single mullioned fixed transom.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The American Trust and Savings Bank building was constructed as a two-story bank building on the corner of Main and Sixth streets in 1905, a year after the bank was organized. Prior to the completion of the new building, the original home of the institution had been two small rooms in the old Y.M.C.A building on Fourth and Sycamore Streets. Noted as one of the finest banking institutions in Indiana, the design of the 1905 bank building accommodated stores on the main floor and office rooms on the second floor. Within a decade, the financial institution saw a dramatic increase in loans, stock, and deposits. Bank executives felt their current building was too small and didn’t allow for additional business growth. In 1914, a two-story addition, designed by Shopbell & Company architects, was constructed, transforming the bank into a modern, four-story building with many spaces on the first floor available for lease. Modern features such as hot and cold water pipes, electric lighting, heat, ventilation, an elevator, drinking fountains, and individual lavatories for men and women were incorporated into the remodel.

The American Trust and Savings Bank building possesses historical significance under Criteria A and C of the NRHP. Under Criterion A, the bank building is important for its association with the development and growth of commerce in Evansville and possesses additional significance as an important financial institution in Downtown Evansville during the twentieth century. The building’s historical significance under Criterion C relates to its architecture. The American Trust and Savings Bank building serves as an excellent example of an early twentieth century commercial bank building.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 450009 E 4202929 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-033.013-029

References: 1904 Evansville Courier and Press. “City to Have Another Bank”. November 15, 1904. Page 2. 1914 Evansville Journal “American Trust Opens Fine Home”. November 29, 1914. Page 19-20. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Amer ican Trust and SavingsPut Bank Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000094 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 72

PHOTOS:

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0024 American Trust and Savings Bank at 524-530 Main Street, north view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0025 American Trust and Savings Bank at 524-530 Main Street, northwest view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville - United States Department of the Interior Geiger, Fred, and Sons NationalPut HereBiscuit Co. National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000096 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

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GEIGER, FRED & SONS Owner: MICHAEL S MARTIN REALTY VI LLC NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY 106 Baker Ave, Evansville, IN 47710 401 NW Second Street 1894

DESCRIPTION:

The Geiger, Fred and Sons National Biscuit Company building at 401 NW Second Street, is located on the north corner of Ingle and Northwest Second Streets. The building has an irregular trapezoid shape, with the longest side facing Ingle Street. Constructed out of brick, the flatiron- plan building is two-and-one-half stories tall at its tallest point in the central mass with a flat roof and a water tower. A parapet located is on the west, south and east facades. The building was under renovation at the time of survey The south flatiron portion of the building has been infilled with brick. A central doorway features a glass door surround with wooden mullions. The current renovation has removed the brick walls, exposing the historic storefront. A painted black steel beam with two steel columns supports the structure. Two stone headers are positioned below the steel beam. The south façade features two, full-height arched openings on the outer north bays with wide splayed brick arches. A semi-circular cut-out with a limestone sill is located on the outer south bay. Each bay is slightly recessed with corbelled brick dentils at the header. The pattern is repeated on the second story on the south and east facades. A limestone belt course wraps the length of the building, breaking at the west façade three-story mass. The second story of the south façade features pairs of two-over-one, single-hung windows within recessed bays. Each window shares a limestone lintel but has separate limestone sills. A single two-over-one, single hung window with a limestone lintel and sill is located on the second story of the flatiron.

The first floor of the east façade features a combination of infilled paired windows, three mullioned windows, and six mullioned factory-style windows. All windows have an arched top, splayed brick lintels, and limestone sills. The second floor of the east façade features six mullioned factory-style windows, some of which are in the process of being installed. Awning balconies are also in the process of being installed on each of the second story windows. The third story of the main mass features five bays of infilled windows with an arched top, splayed brick lintels, and an elongated limestone sill that spans past the length of the windows.

The rear north façade features a one-story bump-out, offset north. The bump-out is four bays wide and has a low-pitched shed roof. Fenestration includes four mullioned windows with an arched top, splayed brick lintels, and limestone sills. Offset north is an arched doorway that is currently without a door. Fenestration on the two-story mass are six mullioned, factory-style windows. Second story windows feature an arched top, splayed brick lintels, and an awning balcony. A long, steel, flat awning is positioned on the first floor. Fenestration within the three- story mass are one-over-one, single-hung windows with an arched top and splayed brick lintel. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville - United States Department of the Interior Geiger, Fred, and Sons NationalPut HereBiscuit Co. National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000096 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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Ghost signage for the National Biscuit Company has been retained on the exterior brick of the south façade during the renovation.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The Geiger, Fred and Sons, and National Biscuit Company building was erected in May 1895 by H.C. Linsey. The building was constructed for the Marsh-Scantlin Bakery, a bread, cracker, and cake making company owned by C.E. Marsh and S.S. Scantlin. The company, which established in 1881, became part of the U.S. Baking Company in 1890. In 1920, Fred Geiger & Sons, Inc., a local moving and storage company purchased the building as a manufacturing warehouse. The moving company begun in 1865 as a furniture business and changed its name to Geiger Transfer and Storage Co. in 1921. During the mid-twentieth century, the company became an affiliate of United Van Lines.

The two-story brick industrial building measures 160-foot by 242-foot, and once accommodated office space and a manufacturing facility for the National Biscuit Company (NABISCO). Convenience and efficiency were top priority to the company during the building's construction. Individual rooms were incorporated into the original design specific to the use. Such rooms, separated by brick partition walls, were for baking, storage, packaging, and shipping. Two original bread ovens with a capacity of 5,000 loaves per day, a cake oven, and employee dressing rooms were installed in the building. A myriad of mechanical features and systems including ventilation, automatic sprinklers, and a fire alarm were integrated during the building’s construction. A two-story ancillary brick building containing a stable with seven stalls and engine room was built in the rear of the property in 1895.

The former Geiger, Fred, and Sons, and National Biscuit Company building is historically significant under Criterion A of the NRHP for its association with commerce in Evansville. These businesses have been important to the trade of goods and services in the city since the second half of the nineteenth century. The building’s long history as a bakery, as well as its use as moving and storage company as local commercial-industrial institutions, helped increase business productivity. As businesses that had connections with larger, nationally recognized companies, the building also possesses national significance for its association with NABISCO and United Van Lines. The building also possesses historically significant under Criterion C of the NRHP for its architecture. The building serves as an excellent example of a late-nineteenth century industrial building in Evansville. Its practical design and aesthetically pleasing exterior decorative features, such as brick arches and corbeling, contribute to the architectural significance of the industrial building.

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Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449446 E 4203093 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-029-005.006-029

References: 1895 Evansville Courier and Press. “Staff of Life”. Sunday June 16, 1895. Page 8 1923 Esarey, Logan. “A History of Indiana from its Exploration to 1922”. Volume 3. Dayton Historical Publishing Co., Dayton, Ohio.

PHOTOS:

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0026 Geiger, Fred and Sons National Biscuit Company building at 401 NW Second Street, northwest view

Section number F Page 78

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0027 Geiger, Fred and Sons National Biscuit Company building at 401 NW Second Street, north view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0027 Geiger, Fred and Sons National Biscuit Company building at 401 NW Second Street, south view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior German Bank Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000097 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 80

State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X___ additional documentation ___ move ___ removal ___ name change (additional documentation) ___ other meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.

______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

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GERMAN BANK Owner (s): JDO INVESTMENTS LLC 301-303 Main Street 4659 First Ave, Evansville, IN 47724 1883 CHILDS, DAVID L 301 Main St Units A & B, Evansville, IN 47708

TIERRA HOLDINGS LLC PO BOX 1321 DR, Evansville, IN 47706

MEHLING, ROBERT & CHERYL H/W 301 Main Street Unit D, Evansville, IN 47708

DESCRIPTION:

The German Bank building is located at 301-303 Main Street on the east corner of Main and Southeast 3rd Street. This three-story, brick building features a square tower capped with a cloister dome on the west corner . The dome is clad in standing seam metal with a circular pattern around the base above an ornamental wood cornice. Limestone modillions are positioned on each corner of the tower. The building has a flat roof with parapet on the north and west facades with a decorative projection located on the parapet on the north façade. An ornamental cornice with modillions, dentils, and panels is found on the west façade. The cornice on the north façade features two pyramidal projections above segmented corbelled brick and a wood paneled cornice. A limestone belt course spans the length of the north façade, wrapping around the tower.

The two-part block commercial building is rectangular in shape and the east façade shares a party wall with the adjacent commercial building. The front (north) façade features a two-tier iron balcony with ornamental balustrades. The three outer supporting columns are capped with round lights. Decorative semi-circular brackets are positioned beneath both porch levels. Fenestration on the front façade is one-over-one, double-hung windows. Second story windows feature an ornamental limestone lintel, recessed within a belt course. Similarly, the third story windows have limestone lintels that also serve as a belt course with an ornamental modillion beneath separating each window. Decorative rectangular panels are located between the second and third story windows. The first story of the front façade features full-height commercial windows with a recessed area on the west corner, sheltering the entrance, and supported by a post. The outer east bay features a recessed entryway.

The west façade of the building features one-over-one, double-hung windows with limestone sills and lintels. The outer north bay is dominated by a fixed three-mullioned commercial window. A two-tier balcony mimics the design of the front façade balcony and is offset south.

Section number F Page 82

Section number F Page 83

SIGNIFICANCE:

The German National Bank was chartered in 1873 and reorganized in 1890 as German Bank after the original charter expired. Operations began at 216 Upper First Street and, by the 1880s, city directories revealed the business had relocated to the building on the corner of Main and Third Streets. The location on Main Street was formerly occupied by the Crescent City Bank who began operating out of the site ca. 1858. Sometime during the 1880s, the building was remodeled. In 1902, the German Bank merged with the Evansville Trust and Savings company, which, in 1912, was consumed by the Mercantile Trust and Savings Company. After the merger, the bank continued operating at the Waverley building at Second and Sycamore Streets. Draughton’s Business College moved into the German Bank building for a few years after the bank merger, but soon relocated to the YWCA building. The building has remained occupied on and off through the years and during the 2000s, underwent renovations, accommodating a fast food restaurant on the first floor and apartments on the second.

The German Bank building is historically significant under Criteria A and C of the NRHP. Under Criterion A, the bank building is important for its association with the growth of commerce in Evansville and possesses additional significance for its association with German ethnicity. The building’s historical significance under Criterion C relates to its architecture. Although the building has undergone alterations over time, the building remains an excellent example of a mid-nineteenth century commercial bank building.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449772 E 420725 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-099.001-029

References: 1897 Elliott, Joseph P. “A History of Evansville and Vanderburgh County, Indiana”. Keller Print. Company, Evansville, Indiana. 2012 Engler, Joseph “Evansville”. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina. 1874 Evansville City Directories. Bennett & Co., Evansville Indiana. 1883 Evansville City Directories. Bennett & Co., Evansville Indiana. 1911 Evansville Journal “To the Depositors of the Evansville Trust and Savings Company”. October 29, 1911. Page 24. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior German Bank Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000097 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 84

PHOTOS:

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0028 German Bank at 301-303 Main Street, southeast view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Harding & Miller Music CompanyPut Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000098 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

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HARDING & MILLER MUSIC COMPANY Owner: GENESIS BUSINESS SYSTEMS LLC 518-520 Main Street 2639 Wood Haven, Owensboro, KY, 42303 1891

DESCRIPTION:

The Harding & Miller Music Company building, at 518-520 Main Street, is a two-and-one-half story, two-part block commercial building constructed of brick. The east and west facades share a party wall with the adjacent commercial buildings. The building has a flat roof with a parapet that projects slightly higher in the center. Ornamental scrolls are located on either side of the central parapet, flanking corbelled brick and two panels of circular patterned terra cotta. A cornice of corbelled brick is found below the roofline.

Three brick pilasters divide the main (south) façade into two storefronts. The upper half-story features eight bays of two-over-one, single hung windows. A continuous rough-faced granite lintel and a simple granite sill span the length of the windows, terminating at the central pilaster. The outer west four bays on the second story feature three-mullion fixed windows. The outer east four bays are comprised of two-mullioned fixed windows. A rough-faced granite belt course spans the length of the building, and functions as a continuous lintel for the second story windows. A granite belt course divides the first and second floors. The first floor features a central recessed area with two entrances and transoms that access separate storefronts. Fixed display windows are found in the outer east and west bays of the building. A round canvas awning extends the width of the main façade.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The Harding & Miller Company building was constructed ca. 1919. Research did not reveal definitive information on the construction of this building, however, newspaper records suggest the Harding & Miller Company operated their music business out of this building between 1920s-1950s. During the mid-to-late twentieth century, the building accommodated various businesses until it became the Walk-Way Mall, a merchandise center that featured nine dealers selling antiques, jewelry, collectables, and consignment clothing.

The Harding & Miller Music Company building is significant under Criterion C of the NRHP for its architecture. Although the building has undergone alterations , it continues to serve as a good example of an early twentieth century commercial block building. Such characteristic features include the first-floor storefront and symmetric fenestration on the upper levels.

Section number F Page 87

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449996 E 4202886 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-033.011-029

References: 1990 Evansville Press “Mall on Main Street”. October 2, 1990, pg. 9.

PHOTOS:

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0029 Harding & Miller Music Company at 518-520 Main Street, northeast view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0030 Harding & Miller Music Company at 518-520 Main Street, northeast view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Indiana Bell Building Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000103 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

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INDIANA BELL BUILDING Owner: A T & TCOMMUNICATIONS OF IND.- PROPERTY TAX UNIT ATTN PROPERTY TAX DEPT 129-133 NW Fifth Street 1010 PINE 9E-L-01, Saint Louis, MO, 63101 1929

DESCRIPTION:

The Art Deco style Indiana Bell Building, located at 129-133 NW Fifth Street, occupies a half block at the northwest corner of Vine and NW Fifth Streets. The seven-story, brick and limestone one-part vertical block commercial building has a flat roof with an offset elevator overrun on the south façade..

The building is a rectangular mass in shape with irregular bump-outs on the rear south façades. The front (west) façade features a central, primary entrance, that is framed by a two-story, Art Deco limestone door surround. The door surround meets at a pointed arch between the third story windows and features floral decorative elements. A single glass, commercial door with transom and north sidelight is recessed. A decorative Art Deco limestone panel separates the entryway and a historic steel, six-over-six, single-hung window. Fixed six mullioned commercial windows flank the primary entrance. A recessed secondary door is positioned offset south, and a single mullioned fixed window is offset north. Fenestration on the first floor of the north façade is comprised of single mullioned, fixed windows with inset panels above and below. Windows throughout the upper stories are in grouped in pairs, with the exception of the outer east and west bays, which are separated by vertical limestone panels. Fenestration on the second through fourth stories on the north and west façades are historic, three-over-three, single-hung windows, featuring a starburst design with a copper vent positioned beneath. The second story windows feature a limestone panel with an Art Deco sunburst pattern below the vent. Fenestration on the fifth through seventh stories are historic, six-over-six, single-hung windows, while the seventh floor windows are inset.

The rear, south façade and east façade are clad in buff brick. Minimal fenestration is present on the south façade. The north wall of the outer east bump-out features historic, six-over-six, single- hung windows. A one-story bump-out is centrally located on the south façade. The east facades face a narrow alley. Fenestration includes historic, three-over-three and six-over-six single-hung windows with simple window trim and a cylinder lintel. First floor windows have been infilled with brick.

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SIGNIFICANCE:

Founded in 1920, the Indiana Bell Company grew quite successful and in 1930, constructed a four-story Art Deco style building to serve as an exchange for their growing business in Downtown Evansville. General contractors on the project were Yeager and Son, from Danville, Illinois, who constructed the building to the specifications of architects Vonnegut-Bohn-Mueller. The need to construct this exchange building for the Indiana Bell Telephone Company derived from studies conducted projecting dramatic growth of telephone services by the mid-twentieth century. Even the building was constructed to accommodate future growth. Construction begun in 1929, and when completed it was1930, the building was four-stories in height. During the late-1950s the company built a three-story addition to expand dialing services. Though rebranded as AT&T during the 1990s, the telephone company has continued operation out of their location on NW Fifth Street since the building was erected in 1930.

Architecturally, the design of the 1930 building was extremely modern for its time. The use of vertical lines, simplistic details, and smooth stone surfaces epitomized the Art Deco style, while the reinforced concrete foundation and superstructure provided strength, durability, and fireproofing. On the first floor were offices for the manager and his staff of clerks and cashiers as well as a record department at the rear of the building. The second floor accommodated a long- distance operating room equipped with rest rooms and a service area. The third and fourth floors were occupied by centralized local dial equipment and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.

The Indiana Bell Company building is historically significant under Criteria A and C of the NRHP. Under Criterion A, the building possesses significance for its association with commerce in Evansville as it contributed to the growth of a city with its communication network. The building is historically significant under Criterion C for its architecture, as an excellent example of an Art Deco style building.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449864 E 4203047 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-036.001-029

References: 1929 Evansville Courier and Press “Proposed Telephone Building”. May 26, 1929. Pg. 8. 1929 Evansville Journal “Telephone Company Building Nears Completion”. April 27, 1930. Pg. 87. 1956 Evansville Press “Indiana Bell to Complete Building Additions for Direct Dial Assistance”. December 31, 1956. Pg. 33 NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Indiana Bell Building Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000103 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 92

PHOTOS:

Photograph of Indiana Bell Building, Vine and Fifth Streets, ca. 1930. Photograph courtesy of Historic Evansville, https://historicevansville.com/image.php?id=commercial%2FIndiana+Bell+%281930+Feb+18% 29.jpg. NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Indiana Bell Building Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000103 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

Section number F Page 93

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0031 Indiana Bell Building, at 129-133 NW Fifth Street, east view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0032 Indiana Bell Building, at 129-133 NW Fifth Street, north view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville – United States Department of the Interior Lei ch, Charles and CompanyPut Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000106 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

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LEICH, CHARLES & COMPANY Owner: UNIVERSAL WAREHOUSE INC 420 NW Fifth Street 1419 W LLOYD EXPRESSWAY STE 400 Evansville, IN 47710 1900

DESCRIPTION:

The Leich, Charles & Company building at 420 NW Fifth Street occupies a quarter block at the south corner of Bond and NW Fifth Streets. Constructed in an irregular L-shape, with a one- story addition along NW Fourth Street, the brick building has a low-pitched, nearly flat roof clad in standing seam metal, which lacks an eave, but has wide steel fascia.

The building is four stories tall and was originally built for the Evansville Woolen Mill, which was later purchased by the Leich, Charles, and Company. The former mill building has undergone a modern rehabilitation (when?) that retained the buildings historic character. Fenestration includes steel, eight-over-twelve, factory-style windows with limestone sills and splayed brick arches. The east façade is fifteen bays wide and the north façade is four bays wide. Three recessed arched entrances are located on the east façade. Entryways include single paned double-doors with a paneled header, sidelights, and fixed arched transom.

The rear, one-story addition features two bump-outs on the north façade with four bays of roll up garage bays. The addition is clad in standing seam metal

Historic brick openings with arched splayed brick lintels have been infilled on the interior of the building. Modern materials such as acoustic drop ceilings with fluorescent lighting, metal slab doors, drywall, glass walls, and carpeting have been added to the interior spaces. Primary spaces feature hardwood floors and wood posts.

SIGNIFICANCE:

Charles Leich, born in Germany in 1833, began his wholesale drug and sundry distribution business in Evansville around 1848. By 1854, the Charles Leich and Company was incorporated and Leich bought out the Miller Drug Company on Water Street. He moved his businesses into their building but in 1914, after various other locations in Evansville including First and Sycamore Streets, Leich decided to relocate his company to a larger facility, the old Evansville Woolen Mill building at Fifth and Bond Streets.

Section number F Page 97

Research revealed that the Evansville Woolen Mill was incorporated in 1888 and constructed the building as an addition to their Bond Street complex in 1900. Bankruptcy forced the mill to shut down and sell their buildings in 1911. In 1914, Leich hired Harry E. Boyle to convert the recently purchased building into a large wholesale store. Plans to remodel the former four-story brick building included enlarging the basement and covering it in concrete, replacing all wood window frames, stairs, and floors with steel and iron materials. Additional work included the installation of a steel fire escape and the replacement of glass windows with wire glass throughout. The Charles Leich and Company continued operating their wholesale drug business in the location on Fifth Street throughout most of the twentieth century. In the 1980s, the building underwent another remodel. Currently, the building is used as office space and is undergoing renovations to the first floor. .

The Charles Leich and Company, and old Evansville Woolen Mill building is historically significant under Criteria A and C of the NRHP. Under Criterion A, the building possesses historical significance for its association with commerce and industry as it represents a time when occupied by the woolen mill and drug warehouse, during the twentieth century. Although extensive remodels occurred in the building’s interior, the exterior remained relatively unaltered throughout time. Thus, the building is historically significant under Criterion C of the NRHP for its architecture, as an excellent example of an early twentieth century manufacturing building.

Geographical Data: Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449618 E 4203338 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-029-031.001-029

References:

Evansville Courier and Press “Leich notes 125 Years.” February 25, 1979. Page 43. Evansville Courier and Press “Woolen Mill Builds $10,000 Addition”. July 19, 1900. Page 2. Evansville Journal “Remodel Factory for Leich Drug House”. June 21, 1914. Page 18.

Section number F Page 98

PHOTOS:

Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0033 The Leich, Charles, and Company building at 420 NW Fifth Street, south view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0034 Interior of the third floor of the Leich, Charles, and Company building at 420 NW Fifth Street, south view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0035 Interior of the third floor of the Leich, Charles, and Company building at 420 Northwest 5th Street, south view

NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville - United States Department of the Interior Masonic Temple Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000108 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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______Signature of Certifying Official/Title: Date of Action

______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

Section number F Page 102

MASONIC TEMPLE Owner: MASONIC TEMPLE 301 Chestnut Street 301 Chestnut Street, Evansville, IN 47713 1912

DESCRIPTION:

The Masonic Temple building, located at 301 Chestnut Street on the east corner of Chestnut and SE Third Streets, is a five-story, Neoclassical brick and limestone rectangular building with a flat roof. A brick parapet with a cooper entablature cornice is on the north and west façades. The building’s first story is clad in limestone with horizontal segments and a belt course with a band of raised circles. The second through fourth stories of the Temple feature brick pilasters with limestone, and Doric capitols, separating fenestration and terminating at a three-tier limestone belt course below the fifth story windows. The corners of the north and west facades slightly project from the building and feature limestone ornamental, circular fixed windows with a scroll design on the fifth story and a limestone panel adorned with the Masonic symbol between the third and fourth story windows. The building’s second and third story windows feature limestone trim.

Fenestration on the building includes replacement sliding glass windows with a fixed transom, a combination of replacement sliding glass and infilled windows on the fifth story and four, glass block windows on the seventh bay of the west façade. The building’s primary entrance is centrally located on the north façade and a granite staircase with a simple copper railing in the center accesses the historic double-doors. Each door has three square panels with a central circle. A glass door surround with a paneled base surrounds the entrance. Engrained in limestone above the entrance are the words “MASONIC TEMPLE,” and a limestone canopy supported by scrolled brackets shelters the title block.

The west façade of the Temple features a secondary centrally located entrance, accessible by an ADA accessible concrete ramp with a simple steel balustrade. The entrance is slightly recessed and features a wood paneled door with transom. Raised letters in limestone read, “MASONIC TEMPLE” above the entrance. An ornamental frame with tassels is positioned around the title block and a limestone canopy supported by scrolled brackets is located above. A glass block window is positioned to the south of the entrance.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The first Masonic Lodge in Evansville began in 1819 after members of the Masons petitioned the Grand Lodge. Originally formed as the Olive Branch Lodge #10 with nineteen members on the rolls and under the leadership of Jay Morehouse, William Olmstead, and Amos Clark. Additional Lodges were created in Evansville, including Lessing Lodge No. 464 in 1872 with NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018 Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville - United States Department of the Interior Masonic Temple Put Here National Park Service Name of Property Vanderburgh, Indianan County and State National Register of Historic Places 82000108 Continuation Sheet NR Reference Number

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Reverend C.L. Charles Runck, S.J. Lowesnstein, and G.L. Altvater as leaders. The Lessing Lodge was a focal point for German and German American Masons in Evansville and currently, this Lodge operates out of the Masonic Lodge on Chestnut Street.

The Masonic Temple was constructed for the York Rite Temple of the Masons in 1913, and has served as a home for various fraternal organizations and societies, including the Evansville Lodge No. 64, Reed Lodge No. 316, Lessing Lodge No. 464, Constellation Lodge No. 748, Daylight Lodge No. 752, Scottish Rite Valley of Evansville and the Evansville York Rite bodies of Evansville Chapter No. 12 RAM, Simpson Council No. 23 and LaValette Commandery No. 15 Knights Templar . The 27-foot by 104-foot Neoclassical building was designed by Clifford Shopbell, and Co. and Frank J. Schlotter architects and originally featured a kitchen and dining room in the basement, and a library, reception room, ladies’ social room, smoking room, billiard room, and offices, on the first floor. Dedicated lodge rooms were located on the second floor, while council rooms and a large stage with balconies were found on the third floor; finally, the fourth floor of the building was reserved for an armory.. Although the interior of the building has undergone several modifications over time, the exterior remains relatively unaltered. The Masonic Temple continued to serve as a lodge for fraternal organizations until it closed in 2011 as a result of declining memberships and raising maintenance costs.

The Masonic Temple possesses historical significance under Criteria C of the NRHP for its architecture. The building is an excellent example of an early twentieth century Neoclassical Masonic building with its symmetrical façade, Classical details, and the use of limestone cladding on the first story and brick on the upper levels. The building is also a unique example of a well-designed multi-use building in Downtown Evansville.

Geographical Data:

Acreage: less than an acre UTM Reference: 16 449952 E 4202452 N Boundary: Parcel ID – 82-06-30-020-055.014-029

Section number F Page 104

References:

2011 Evansville Courier and Press “Both Masons and Their Lodge Face a Perilous Future”. May 22, 2011. 1913 Evansville Courier and Press “Half Million for New Club Homes”. January 5, 1913, pg. 39 1913 Evansville Journal “Week’s Dedication Exercises to Begin on Monday Morning”. November 30, 1913, pg. 13

PHOTOS:

Masonic Temple Postcard, 1912 Courtesy of Historic Evansville, http://www.historicevansville.com/image.php?id=social%2FMasonic+Temple+-+postcard+3.jpg

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0036 Masonic Temple building at 301 Chestnut Street, east view

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Date Photographed: December 2019 IN_VanderburghCounty_EvansvilleDowntownMPDF_0037 Masonic Temple building at 301 Chestnut Street, south view

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Section number G Page 1

G. Geographical Data

For the purposes of this historical property documentation, the Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville are generally bounded by the Lloyd Expressway (State Road 62) on the north; South Heidelbach Avenue on the east, transitions to East Walnut Street, transitions to Southeast Tenth Street, transitions to Chestnut Street, cuts through Parcel ID 82-06-29-021-037.001-029 (300 Southeast Eighth Street), transitions to Southeast Eighth Street; Oak Street on the south; Southeast Third Street on the west, transitions to Chestnut Street, transitions to Walnut Street, transitions to Southeast and Northwest Riverside Drive, transitions to South Fulton Avenue, transitions to Ohio Street, and crosses through Parcel ID 82-05-25-029-044.002-029 (900 Northwest Riverside Drive) and St. Johns Street to meet the northern boundary along the Lloyd Expressway. The area contains approximately 365 acres on the Evansville, ID-KY United States Topographic Map, 7.5 Minute Series. The boundary is intended to indicate a general downtown thematic area and is bounded roughly by major roads and the Riverside Historic District. Properties not included within the boundary, but located adjacent to or near the boundary, may be evaluated according to historical contexts that are identified within this historic property documentation. Likewise, properties within the boundary may be evaluated according to the historical contexts for which they demonstrate a thematic connection, which may or may not be identified in this historical property documentation.

(See Downtown Evansville Reference Map on the next five pages.)

UTM References: 1. Zone: 16 Easting: 448868 Northing: 4203486

2. Zone: 16 Easting: 450707 Northing: 4203398

3. Zone: 16 Easting: 450609 Northing: 4202645

4. Zone: 16 Easting :450042 Northing: 4202279

5. Zone: 16 Easting :449575 Northing: 4202380

6. Zone: 16 Easting :448944 Northing: 4203083 NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Section number G Page 2

Historic Properties of Downtown Evansville Reference Map

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Section number G Page 3

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Section number G Page 5

NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

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NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Control No. 1024-0018

Section number H Page 1

H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods

The Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville included in Section F have all been previously surveyed and were included in the Downtown Evansville Multiple Resource Area (MRA). The table in Section F lists all of the original resources, including the ones that were demolished between the original MRA documentation in 1981 and the resurvey conducted in December 2019. The resources were originally surveyed in 1977 as part of a city- wide Evansville Cultural Resources Inventory, which was managed by the city and performed with assistance from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DHPA). These resources have been updated as new information became available through research and survey.

All of the resources have been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP); however, the degree of recordation varies within the identified resources. Only those resources which have a 1-2-page form as their NRHP documentation were included in the 2019 survey. The properties with proper National Register forms were not included in the survey, with the exception for the Evansville Downtown Historic District (NR- 1520) which was not included in the original MRA documentation; however, they are still included on the inventory table in Section F. In addition, the Willard Carpenter House (NR-0177) was previously recorded with a Historic American Building Survey (HABS) and no further documentation was included in the current MPDF; however, the resource is included in the Historic Resources of Downtown Evansville inventory table in Section F. Buildings that have been demolished since the original 1977 survey and 1981 documentation are included in the inventory table; however, they have been noted as demolished. They are also shown on the maps as demolished in Section G: Geographical Information.

The field survey involved gathering property information for all identified properties in the original 1981 MRA documentation area and for the Evansville Downtown Historic District (NR-1520). The field survey information was recorded using ArcGIS online services and an Apple iPad. Photo numbers were recorded on photo logs. Additional information included:

• Year built, • Property type classification; • Architectural style or type; • Interior photographs when permitted; • Current owner interview when possible

Resource evaluation involved the completion of all components of the National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF) (NPS Form 10-900-b), Continuation pages updating each of the historic properties that do not have a proper National Register form (NPS Modified Form 10-900a), and continuation pages (NPS Form 10-900a).