Downtown Terre Haute: History and Restoration
On a cold night in February, people file into the Indiana Theatre on the corner of Ohio and Seventh Street in downtown Terre Haute. The sign outside reads “Sycamore Viewing Party: ISU vs. Wichita State.” Current students, alumni, as well as local fans come to see if their team can pull off the upset.
The venue isn’t perfect. Some of the attendees seem to be uncomfortable in their seats that are way too close together. Although the building has been restored in recent years, the nearly 100 year old building still shows its age with its unique outside façade and paint chipping off of its 1600 seats. Tonight the event is treated like a Sycamore basketball home game with cheerleaders, Sycamore Sam, and even a halftime show. The audience has come to enjoy the game with their colleagues, classmates, and close friends.
The historical significance of this particular building may be known to the older audience in attendance, but most of the students sitting near the front don’t know that the likes of Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball performed on this very stage. Through years of restoration, the theatre has regained some of its prominence of being a popular venue for local events.
The Indiana Theatre is one of the few landmarks left from Terre Haute’s glory years. During the late 19th and early 20th century, downtown Terre Haute was the hub for local business and night life. The streets of Seventh and Wabash, known as “The Crossroads of America” was a place where locals could have a meal, go shopping, or enjoy a show.
“It was thriving economically, culturally, and industrially in the late 1920s,” says Todd Nation, the Councilman for the downtown area (District 4).
Nation is very familiar with the history of the downtown Terre Haute area and owned a bookstore for a long time before moving to politics. The downtown area was a “place of prosperity” according to Nation thanks to the success of the railroad industry and the prominent hotels such as The Terre Haute House, which was a hub for local nightlife. The hotel was located at Seventh and Wabash and contained restaurants, a café, bar, ballroom, and shops. Terre Haute was also known for illegal gambling and prostitution operations in its thriving “red light district” in the early 20th century, and some of this activity took place in the Terre Haute House.
According to a Youtube video called “Memories of Downtown Terre Haute” developed by Mary Ann Wichna, other prominent businesses downtown included the Gillis Drug Store, the Grand Theatre, and the Goody Shop. Whether the business was good or bad, the downtown area was thriving for a long time.
“It was the hub of commercial life,” Nation continues. “It was where most of the doctors and dentists had their offices. It was the hub.”
Economically things began to change in the period after World War II. Advances in transportation changed the way people got around. Trolleys were replaced by buses, and buses were replaced by automobiles.
“From World War II on, families could purchase their own automobiles,” says Nation. “This meant that parking lots had to be built downtown and stuff had to be torn down because downtown was too crowded.”
Due to overcrowding, businesses started to move south to the Honey Creek area. When Interstate 70 was built in the late 1960s, it established a new “crossroads.” Due to the prominent businesses moving south where there was more open space, the downtown economy began to struggle.
Slowly the southern part of Terre Haute was becoming the prominent place for businesses in the 1970s. Restaurants, industrial parks and a shopping mall were built within eye distance of I-70 and US 41, where most people traveled. The Terre Haute House shut down in 1970 and many efforts were made to preserve it because of its rich history, although none were successful. The building was eventually demolished in 2005 and replaced by the Hilton Garden Inn. Businesses such as First Financial Bank have been able to sustain the downtown area, and many bars run along Wabash Avenue to keep the area profitable.
Perhaps the institution most responsible for keeping the downtown area afloat is Indiana State University and its ever expanding student population. Students are not flocking downtown as one would expect, however. There is a mystery behind why businesses so close to campus are not thriving but it seems to be that the downtown area still remains to be its own separate identity. However, efforts are being made to bring more students downtown.
“We have events in the fall, a block party in late August that brings students out and provides fun activities,” says Nation. “Two new housing projects are being built that will bring around 350 students to the downtown area, which will double current residents.”
One of the housing projects Nation is referring to is the Deming Center Hotel Apartments which will be located on Cherry Street. Housing is one of the first key steps in order to revitalize the downtown area. If students aren’t coming from campus to visit the area, then the intention is to have them already living there. This method is being used to help grow local businesses such as J Gumbos, Saratoga, and the shops in the area.
It is apparent that efforts are being made by Nation, Mayor Duke Bennett, and others to make downtown Terre Haute a fun place to be again. Although the area may never reach the prominence of its glory years, some signs can still be seen around town that reminds us of what the area once was. The Indiana Theatre still sits on Ohio Street, and students are reminded nearly every day by the sounds on the northern side of campus that the railroad system hasn’t completely gone away. Changing times have brought downtown Terre Haute down in the past but students and politicians are working to bring it to life again.
Indiana State University President Dan Bradley wants the University to continue to have a working relationship with downtown.
“Indiana State is proud to a part of downtown Terre Haute and contribute to its revitalization,” says Bradley. “It is exciting to see the growth in retail establishments that are responding to our overall upsurge in enrollment as well as the addition of university-operated housing in the heart of downtown. We appreciate the supportive environment that has developed as we work together to improve our community.”
