Three structures which once brought life, culture and innovation to Indianapolis are now considered endangered.
Each year, Indiana Landmarks identifies ten structures, usually buildings, in Indiana that are considered to be the most endangered. Three locations on the 2016 list reside in Indianapolis and they are the Ford Motor Company Assembly Branch, Rivoli Theater and the Southside Turnverein Hall.
Mark Dollase, Vice President of Preservation Services, says a landmark is considered endangered if it is truly significant, recognized on the national register of historic places, has significant architectural history, if there is a direct threat of demolition due to neglect, or if there is developmental pressure. He says, “Preservation is something that is so tied to economic and community development.”
Even though they are just buildings, once they were hubs for culture and innovation. The Rivoli Theater opened its doors in 1927 and was the first theater in Indiana owned by Universal Studios. If you were to step inside the theater in its prime you would have looked up to see the large dome ceiling with small lights which simulated stars, you would be surrounded by the palatial plaster walls and 1,500 red velvet chairs, and you would have stood on a vibrant red carpet. A screen would have hidden behind a large red velvet curtain which hung across the stage and you would hear a 1,247-pipe Louisville Uniphone organ playing in the background.
Today, the theater is owned by the Rivoli Center for Performing Arts and is in desperate need for repairs and renovations. If you were to walk in today, you would no longer see the velvet curtains or chairs. Instead you would see remnants of the old white ornate plaster on the red brick walls, no vibrant carpet, a dilapidated roof over the storefront and apartments, mortar surrounding the bricks where moisture damaged the walls, a new ceiling over the auditorium and stage, boarded up windows, and a non-salvageable marquee.
Jim Kelly, President of the Rivoli Center for Performing Arts, explains their new vision for the theater and plans to restore it, while attempting to stay true to its former glory. He says they are confident the red brick exterior can be restored. As far as the interior goes, he says they plan to install an elevator which will lead to the 150-person balcony, reconfigure the stage, install office and storage space for performers to use, build practice rooms, reconstruct the marquee, add 750 seats to the floor and much more. He says they hope to restore the decorations as they were as much as they can. All of these repairs are estimated to be a half a million dollars.
Not only do they have an architectural vision for the theater, but also a vision as to how the theater will serve the community. Overall, their plan is to use the theater as a teaching and learning experience for the community and Midwest where individuals can learn public speaking, debate, rap and to host neighborhood plays. Kelly explains that they don’t want the theater to be “a really great shiny diamond” where the surrounding area is disenfranchised and feel it is not their place to go.
Kelly also explains that they hope the restoration of the theater will drive interest for artists to stay in Indianapolis. He says right now it is difficult for new artists to make a living in Indianapolis. He says typically if an individual graduates with an arts degree, the chances of him staying in Indianapolis “are about zero.” Their hope is that the theater will cause artists to want to stay in the city because they will have a place to share their passions.
Currently, the Rivoli Center for Performing Arts is gearing up to focus repairs on the front section of the roof over the storefront which has been slowly collapsing over the years. Dollase estimates the cost of roof repairs to be $350,000.
In order to help with the repairs, the city has offered $300,000 in community grant funds, according to Dollase and Kelly. Another donation of $200,000 came from the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) through the Efroymson Family Fund, according to Kelly. Kelly says the “stars have aligned” in regards to being able to fund saving the theater.
The Ford Motor Company built its four-story Indianapolis Assembly branch in 1914. This production plant had the “highest output of any Indiana auto manufacturing site in its era” according to Dennis Horvath, author and automotive guru. Ford discontinued use of the Indianapolis plant in 1932 due to The Great Depression. Shortly after, in 1934, the plant operated as a Ford parts services and automotive sales branch until the 1940s, Horvath reports.
In 1942, Ford sold the branch to the P.R. Mallory Company, who later deeded it to Indianapolis Public School (IPS) in 1979. Since then, IPS has used the property as a warehouse for school operations but it still remains mostly vacant.
Finally, this year, IPS has decided to put some of their surplus properties up for public bid, including the old Ford Motor Assembly, which is currently referred to as the Mallory Building. Abbe Hohman, a real estate consultant who has worked closely with IPS for the past two years, says there is not an official asking price for the property but IPS has established a floor of $425,000.
Hohman says the individuals who have shown interest in purchasing this property wish to repurpose it for office, residential or personal retail space. Bids for the property were due on December 8th, 2016 and will be reviewed by Hohman and the IPS administration who will then later make a recommendation to the school board about who the property should go to. Information as to who the space will go to has yet to be determined.
The Southside Turnverein Hall was built in 1900 by German-Americans living in the south side of town, as reported by researcher and writer, Sharon Butsch. She says these organizations were first established by German immigrants in the mid-1800s and served as “social, athletic, musical and political centers” for these communities. She explains, “The associations and clubs helped ease their homesickness and preserve their German culture.”
It has been owned by Anthony Elrod since 1978 who is president of the Madison Avenue Athletic Club which operates out of the Southside Turnverein Hall. The space is currently used as a location for amateur basketball leagues to rent for games. So far, it has hosted over 180,000 men’s basketball games, according to Elrod. Not only is the space used for this purpose, but there is also a bar within the Southside Turnverein Hall which had been voted Nuvo Magazine’s best small music venue of 2015 and is up for the title again in 2016.
The building’s infrastructure isn’t the reason it made it onto Indiana Landmark’s 10 Most Endangered list. It is on the list due to a certain sculpture that resides at the west gable of the building. The sculpture was created by Rudolf Schwartz, the same artist who did the bronze work on the Soldiers and Sailor’s Monument on the circle of downtown Indianapolis. Dollase explains that the sculpture is in bad condition and is estimated to cost $100,000 in repairs.
When asked about the sculpture, Erod explained that it is more than just a logo, it’s symbolism is directly tied to the German-American culture and still holds a strong significance to their culture today. Currently, there is no work in progress toward repairing the sculpture. Elrod explained that one of the reasons he agreed to having the Southside Turnverein Hall on Indiana Landmarks Top 10 Most Endangered list was to find someone to repair the sculpture.
Dollase believes it is important to preserve these structures because of “not only what they have meant to their community in the past, but also more importantly what these places can mean to us today and in the future.” He explains that “they are symbols of their community of what they meant at their peak and what they can mean again.”
If you are interested in helping support these endangered locations, visit www.indianalandmarks.org to see how you can contribute to saving these structures.
