Indiana Preservationist 1992

              Landmark in
jeopardy finds
friends
Tina Connor, Director of Marketing
Historic Landmarks Foundation
Gail N. Hunt, Public Information Officer
Indianapolis Dept. of Metropolitan Development
An Indianapolis landmark is in
jeopardy despite its noteworthy status
in architectural style books, but a
foundation formed in August plans to
revive the building. The Athenaeum,
born in the 1890s as Das Deutsche
Haus, was created by the city's large
German immigrant population as a
physical education and cultural center.
It has been hailed as a grand example
of the German Renaissance Revival
style of architecture.
Declining membership support over
many years brought the Athenaeum to
its present predicament—a beautiful but
sadly deteriorated building that needs
substantial restoration and repair.
For nearly a century, the Athenaeum
has operated according to the founding
vision of the Socialer Turnverein, an
association of German-Americans who
subscribed to the Renaissance ideal,
mens sana in corpore sano [sound mind
in a sound body]. Since its beginning,
T Visitors are welcome to enjoy the
hearty German fare in the Athenaeum's
Rathskeller, an interior that remains
virtually unchanged from the 1890s.
(Photo-. Historic American Buildings
Survey)
INDIANA
the imposing structure has housed
cultural organizations along with
amateur athletic groups.
The building was designed by the
noted firm of Vonnegut & Bohn, who
"built from their cultural heritage which
was reinforced by their professional
training," notes William L. Selm, an
Athenaeum Foundation board member
on the staff of the Indianapolis Historic
Preservation Commission. Although
born in Indianapolis, Bernard Vonnegut
Watch it!
Gail N. Hunt, Public Information Officer
Indianapolis Dept. of Metropolitan Development
Next time you're in Indianapolis
Hipping through the cable channels on
your television, be sure to tune in to
Channel 16. There you can visit some
off he Hoosier state's outstanding
landmarks via a new videotape "The
National Register of Historic Places in
Indiana," The thirty-minute video,
produced by the Indianapolis Historic
Preservation Commission [IHPC] and
Government Cable Television Channel
16, explains the criteria and benefits of
listing in the National Register.
Although the video was developed
for statewide distribution, it is illustrated
by National Register sites in Indianapolis, including the Athenaeum, the
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, the
Indiana State Capitol, Crown Hill
Cemetery and many more. It was
written and produced by William L.
Selm of the IHPC. Copies of the video
are available for sale for a small fee; call
317-327-4406 for more information.
A Distance in time from the old country
weakened the strong ethnic ties that
built the Athenaeum, but a new foundation plans to restore the landmark.
(Photo: Historic American Buildings
Survey)
received architectural training in
Hanover, Germany, during the height of
the German Renaissance Revival.
The classical or Renaissance elements of the Athenaeum include the
rusticated limestone foundation,
limestone banding, decorated pilasters,
dentils, cartouches and modillions.
German features of the structure
include the massive hipped roof, the
dormers, the use of brick and the
polychrome banding on the ground
floor and the heavily decorated stepped
gable, known in architectural texts as a
Flemish or Dutch gable.
Anti-German sentiment at the
outbreak of World War I caused the
Socialer Turnverein Stock Association to
change the name of the building from
Das Deutsche Haus to the Athenaeum.
However, the passage of time has
diluted the strong ethnic identification
that was so integral to the financial and
membership support of an institution
like the Athenaeum.
The newly formed Athenaeum
Foundation believes the building's
uses—restaurant, performing arts
center, gymnasium and meeting rooms
in an ideal downtown location—have
wide appeal to all cultures and generations. The American Cabaret Theatre,
which performs in the renovated former
concert hall, is an example of a group
that agrees with the Foundation's
outlook.
The Athenaeum Foundation welcomes members and contributions to
the building's restoration, as well as
visitors. The landmark's address is 401
East Michigan Street in downtown
Indianapolis, approximately four blocks
north and four blocks east of Monument Circle. For more information, call
the Athenaeum Foundation at
317-630-4569.
*1       January/February 1992
HISTORIC
LANDMARKS
FOUNDATION OF
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