A History and Interpretation of the Indianapolis City Market, 1821-2014

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A History and Interpretation of the Indianapolis City Market, 1821-2014 TO MARKET, TO MARKET: A HISTORY AND INTERPRETATION OF THE INDIANAPOLIS CITY MARKET, 1821-2014 Callie Anne McCune Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment for the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in the Department of History, Indiana University March 2017 Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Art Master’s Thesis Committee ______________________________ Rebecca K. Shrum, Ph.D., Chair ______________________________ Philip V. Scarpino, Ph.D. ______________________________ Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Finding the finish line for this thesis was no easy task. I owe thanks to many people for their guidance and support through the writing of this project. Most influential to this project has been my advisor, Dr. Rebecca Shrum, who patiently guided me through this process and pushed me to think beyond the walls of the market. Her consistent ability to challenge me with new questions has made me a better historian. Thank you also to Dr. Elee Wood and Dr. Philip Scarpino for your insights and feedback as my committee members. My gratitude goes to the local institutions who graciously opened their doors and assisted with my research: the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, and Indianapolis Mayoral Archives at the University of Indianapolis. Particular thanks to Suzanne Stanis, Director of Heritage Education and Information at Indiana Landmarks for their hospitality in letting me rifle through their library and collections, and hop on the back of tours. Thanks to Gene Lausch, volunteer extroidinare, for sharing your research and making sure that the Tomlinson Hall’s story is being told with the utmost care. I am grateful to the friends and family members whose support made a complete thesis possible. Particular thanks to Chelsea Sutton, who endured many history lessons over market lunches and whose editing prowess could not have come at a better time. Your services are worth much more than a measly pound of coffee. I am forever grateful for my parents for their unyielding faith in my ability to finish this project. And finally thanks to my partners in crime, Christine Crosby and Abby Curtin. Your late night conversations and stress baking sessions made this process much more bearable. iii CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: The Development and Decline of the Indianapolis City Market, 1832-1957.................................................................................................................11 Early Markets and the Old Shed....................................................................................11 A New Building Befitting its Benefactor........................................................................19 A New Hall for a Growing City......................................................................................26 A New Market...................................................................................................................32 War on the Middle Man..................................................................................................44 Dirty Market in a Beautiful City....................................................................................50 The Wholesale Solution....................................................................................................53 Dirty Market for a Clean City.........................................................................................58 The Market Declines........................................................................................................63 Chapter 2: Preserving the Market, 1958-1978 ..........................................................................69 The Aftermath of the Fire...............................................................................................71 The Municipal Approach.................................................................................................73 The Market Supporter Strategy.......................................................................................77 The Long Legal Battle.......................................................................................................81 Health and Safety Issues...................................................................................................83 Calls for Renovation.........................................................................................................87 Changes in Mayoral Leadership......................................................................................90 Downtown Rebounds.......................................................................................................92 Lugar Changes the Market Game..................................................................................94 Eli Lilly and the Market Renovations.............................................................................97 Chapter 3: City Market in the Modern Era, 1978-2014 ........................................................109 A Market Restored.........................................................................................................109 What Should the Market Be?.......................................................................................113 The Debate Over the Market Tower............................................................................115 The Indianapolis City Market Corporation and the Privatization Experiment.......................................................................................................................120 An Identity Crisis............................................................................................................124 Renovation and Revitalization......................................................................................128 iv Chapter 4: Proposed Site Interpretation Plan for the Indianapolis City Market................133 Introduction.....................................................................................................................133 Purpose of Interpretation Plan.......................................................................133 Current Interpretation Plan............................................................................135 Audience.........................................................................................................................136 Need for Interpretation..................................................................................................136 Thematic Approach........................................................................................................138 Goals....................................................................................................................138 Central Theme Statement.................................................................................139 Subthemes...........................................................................................................139 Interpretive Elements.....................................................................................................139 Interpretive Panels.............................................................................................139 Tabletop Vignettes and Posters.......................................................................140 Indiana Landmarks Catacombs Walking Tour.............................................141 Digital Outreach................................................................................................142 Appendix A: Complete List of Indianapolis Market Managers.............................................143 Appendix B: Cost Breakdown for Construction of Tomlinson Hall and the Market House, 1886 ............................................................................................................146 Appendix C: Financial Profits and Losses for the City Market and Tomlinson Hall, 1893-1958.........................................................................................................147 Appendix D: Suggested Interpretive Panel Text......................................................................149 Bibliography..................................................................................................................................153 Curriculum Vitae v INTRODUCTION H. Roll McLaughlin knew he had to act quickly. Just weeks into the restoration of Indianapolis’ City Market in 1978, construction crews had uncovered an archway from Tomlinson Hall, the only remnant of the nineteenth century building that used to stand next to the current Market House. The archway had stood at the southwest corner of the performance hall and marketplace. Later covered by internal construction, the archway had been hidden from view for twenty years. McLaughlin, the supervising architect on the project, envisioned the archway as a striking entranceway to the planned plaza. He knew that if he did not move swiftly, “the wrecker’s ball would knock down another historically significant piece of Indianapolis history.”1 By the time McLaughlin stopped the demolition, the contractor already had the pediment in his clamshell’s grasp.2 The Tomlinson Hall arch now stands inconspicuously in the west plaza of the City Market, easily
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