Indiana Landmarks is a private non-governmental heritage preservation organization focused on the U.S. state of Indiana. It is America's largest private statewide historic preservation organization. Founded in 1960 as Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana by a volunteer group of civic and business leaders led by Indianapolis pharmaceutical executive Eli Lilly, it has nearly 6,000 members.[2] At the end of 2023, an independent auditor reported a total endowment of 67.8 million for the organization.[3] The organization simplified its name to Indiana Landmarks in 2010.[citation needed]

Indiana Landmarks
Formation1960; 64 years ago (1960)
FounderEli Lilly
Founded atIndianapolis, Indiana
PurposeHistoric preservation
HeadquartersIndiana Landmarks Center
Location
President
J. Marshall Davis[1]
Vice President and CFO
Madonna Wagner
Vice President of Preservation Services
Mark Dollase
Vice President for Development
Sharon Gamble
34
Publication
Indiana Preservation
Revenue (2019)
$4,186,400
Expenses (2019)$4,137,900
Endowment (2019)$85.6 million
Staff40 (in 2020)
Websiteindianalandmarks.org
Formerly called
Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana

Indiana Landmarks owns and restores historic buildings, buys and sells vacant and endangered property, and helps people throughout Indiana save and restore historic places through a variety of programs including grants, loans, and advocacy.

Morris-Butler House in Indianapolis
Veraestau Historic Site, Aurora

Indiana Landmarks employs staff at its state headquarters in Indianapolis and in regional offices throughout the state of Indiana. Regional offices are located in South Bend, Gary, New Albany, Aurora, Evansville, Cambridge City, Wabash, and Terre Haute. The organization's state headquarters are located at the former Central Avenue United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, now known as Indiana Landmarks Center. In addition to Indiana Landmarks Center, Indiana Landmarks owns and operates two historic properties as event and rental venues: the Morris-Butler House in Indianapolis and Veraestau historic site in Aurora, Indiana. Landmarks' honorary board chair is Indiana's former Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard.[2] The organization's first project was restoration of the 1865 Morris-Butler House in Indianapolis. Eli Lilly personally underwrote the acquisition and restoration of the house as a museum of Victorian decorative arts. Though the Morris-Butler House no longer operates as a museum, it is part of the Indiana Landmarks Center campus and functions as an event and rental facility.[citation needed]

One of Indiana Landmarks' largest projects was the $30 million+ restoration of the West Baden Springs Hotel's exterior and public spaces. Indiana Landmarks helped lead the effort to bring riverboat gaming to Orange County, Indiana, as a way to revitalize the French Lick Resort Casino and the West Baden Springs Hotel.[citation needed]

New name and headquarters

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An Indiana Landmarks guide giving the "Decoding Downtown Indy" walking tour in 2024.

In April 2010, in conjunction with the organization's 50th anniversary, Indiana Landmarks announced its name change from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. At the same time, it announced that medical device entrepreneur Bill Cook and his wife, Gayle had pledged $17 million to renovate the former Central Avenue United Methodist Church at 12th Street and Central Avenue in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis as a performance space and new headquarters for the organization, to be known as Indiana Landmarks Center.[citation needed]

Endangered landmarks

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Each May (National Historic Preservation Month), Indiana Landmarks announces a list of the state's 10 Most Endangered landmarks. Circumstances that cause properties to be named to the list generally involve one or more of the following factors: demolition threat, abandonment, neglectful owner, dilapidation, obsolete use, lack of money for repairs, unreasonable above-market sale price, out-of-the-way location, or encroaching sprawl. Indiana Landmarks uses the 10 Most Endangered list to bring public attention to the imperiled sites and mobilize support for their preservation.[citation needed]

10 Most Endangered
Year Name Location Photo
2015 [4] Bedford Elks Building Bedford
Camp Chesterfield Chesterfield
 
Historic Camp Chesterfield
First Presbyterian Church & Lafayette Building South Bend
Indiana County Homes Statewide
Indiana Medical History Museum Indianapolis
 
Indiana Medical History Museum
IOOF United Brethren Block Huntington, IN
McCurdy Hotel Evansville
 
McCurdy Hotel
McDonald House Attica
 
McDonald House
Mills House Greenwood
Rivoli Theater Indianapolis
 
Rivoli Theater
2016 [5] Beech Church Carthage
 
Beech Church
Rivoli Theater Indianapolis
 
Rivoli Theater
Hazelwood Muncie
 
"Hazelwood" Alva Kitselman House
Speakman House Rising Sun
Washington County Courthouse Salem
 
Washington County Courthouse (Salem, Indiana)
Monon High Bridge Delphi
Pryor’s Country Place Fox Lake (near Angola)
Ford Motor Company Assembly Branch Indianapolis
South Side Turnverein Hall Indianapolis
 
South Side Turnverein Hall
Camp Chesterfield Chesterfield
 
Camp Chesterfield
2017 [6] Marion National Bank Building Marion
Newkirk Mansion Connersville
 
Newkirk Mansion
Former Fire Station 18 Indianapolis
Old Marquette School South Bend
 
Marquette School (South Bend, Indiana)
Old YMCA Terre Haute
Pryor's Country Place Fox Lake (near Angola)
Round and polygonal barns Statewide
Simpson Hall, Indiana School for the Deaf Indianapolis
Speakman House Rising Sun
Washington County Courthouse Salem
 
Washington County Courthouse (Salem, Indiana)
2018 [7] Cannelton Historic District Cannelton
Commandant’s Row at Indiana Veterans’ Home West Lafayette
The Courtyard Inn Rising Sun
Cravenhurst Barn Madison
Muncie Fieldhouse Muncie
National Bank Building Marion
North Christian Church Columbus
 
North Christian Church
Old Masonic Hall Knightstown
Rocky Edge Terre Haute
Saint Joseph’s College campus Rensselaer
 
Saint Joseph's College Chapel and lawn
2019 [8] Crump Theatre Columbus
 
Crump Theatre
Pulaski County Courthouse Winamac
 
Pulaski County Courthouse
Church of the Holy Cross Indianapolis
Mineral Spring Hotel Paoli
Downtown Attica Attica
 
Attica Downtown Historic District
Peru Circus Winter Quarters Peru
Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church Richmond
 
Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church
John Howe Mansion Howe
Commandant's Row West Lafayette
Cannelton Historic District Perry County
 
Old Perry County Courthouse in Cannelton's Historic District
2020 [9] Tipton County Jail and Sheriff's Residence Tipton
 
Tipton County Jail and Sheriff's Home
Romweber House Batesville
Union Literary Institute Union City
 
Union Literary Institute
Church of the Holy Cross Indianapolis
Downtown Attica Attica
 
Attica Downtown Historic District
Elwood Carnegie Library Madison County
Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church Richmond
 
Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church
Falley-O'Gara-Pyke House Lafayette
Theodore Roosevelt High School Gary
 
Theodore Roosevelt High School, Gary
Monon Station Bedford
2021 [10] James M. Shields Memorial Gymnasium Seymour
Davis Clinic Marion
B.G. Pollard Lodge#1242 Bloomington
Oxford Community Mausoleum Benton County
Kamm & Schellinger Brewery Mishawaka
 
Kamm and Schellinger Brewery
Monon Depot Bedford
Theodore Roosevelt High School Gary
 
Theodore Roosevelt High School, Gary
Courthouse Annex New Castle
Tipton County Jail & Sheriff’s Residence Tipton
 
Tipton County Jail & Sheriff's Residence
Falley-O'Gara-Pyke House Lafayette
2022 [11] Cades Mill Covered Bridge Fountain County
Hulman Building & Garage Evansville
 
Hulman Building
Stinesville Commercial Buildings Monroe County
 
Stinesville Commercial Historic District
First Friends Church Marion
Knox County Poor Asylum Vincennes
Birdsell Mansion South Bend
Geter Means House Gary
Kamm & Schellinger Brewery Mishawaka
 
Kamm and Schellinger Brewery
James M. Shields Memorial Gymnasium Seymour
Courthouse Annex New Castle
2023 [12] Starr Historic District Richmond
 
Church and house in the Starr Historical District
Birdsell Mansion South Bend
Knox County Poor Asylum Vincennes
Historic Fraternal Lodges Vernon and Bedford
Thomas & Louisa Little House Plainfield
Hulman Building & Garage Evansville
 
Hulman Building
State Theater Anderson
First Friends Church Marion
Stinesville Commercial Buildings Monroe County
 
Stinesville Commercial Building
International Harvester Engineering Building Fort Wayne

Annual awards

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Indiana Landmarks issues several annual awards, including:

  • Cook Cup for Outstanding Restoration
  • Sandi Servaas Memorial Award
  • Williamson Prize

Together with the Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Landmarks co-sponsors the John Arnold Rural Preservation Award.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Historic Landmarks Foundation Of Indiana Inc., Nonprofit Explorer, ProPublica, 2024.
  2. ^ a b The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis By David J. Bodenhamer, Robert Graham Barrows, David Gordon Vanderstel, pg 685
  3. ^ Independent Auditor’s Report and Consolidated Financial Statements. Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, Inc. d/b/a Indiana Landmarks, August 31, 2023 and 2022. p. 26.
  4. ^ "Indiana Landmarks - 10 Most Endangered landmarks in Indiana". www.indianalandmarks.org. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  5. ^ Brown, Alex. "Indiana Landmarks Lists '10 Most Endangered'". Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  6. ^ "Indiana Landmarks Lists '10 Most Endangered 2017'" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  7. ^ "Indiana Landmarks Lists '10 Most Endangered 2018'" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  8. ^ "Indiana Landmarks Lists '10 Most Endangered 2019'" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  9. ^ "Indiana Landmarks Lists '10 Most Endangered 2020'" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  10. ^ "Indiana Landmarks Lists '10 Most Endangered 2021'" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  11. ^ "Indiana Landmarks Lists '10 Most Endangered 2022'" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  12. ^ "Indiana Landmarks Lists '10 Most Endangered 2023'" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  13. ^ "Indiana Landmarks - Awards".
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