Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, “Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.” Perhaps he was speaking from his own experience; Kurt’s father and grandfather were both famous architects who helped design some of Indy’s most iconic buildings.
Let’s take a look at a few of the buildings the Vonnegut family designed that are still standing today.
1897: The Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St.
Upon its construction, this German Renaissance Revival building was one of the largest social clubhouses in the US. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and is now home to the Rathskeller, Coat Check Coffee, and the Turner Gymnasium, which officially opens on Thursday, May 1.
1902: Herron School of Art, 1701 N. Pennsylvania St.
The buildings that made up this campus were designed in the neoclassical style popularized by the Chicago World’s Fair, which took place in 1893. The campus is now the home of Herron High School.
1904: Schnull-Rauch residence, 3050 N. Meridian St.
Bernard Vonnegut was commissioned by his sister-in-law to design this French Romanesque mansion, which features a castle-inspired tower and red tile roof. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and after changing hands in 2009, became a rentable event space known as The Manor at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
During its $40 million restoration and expansion, two wings were added to the back of the original 1913 building seen here.
Photo by Shane Lear via Wikimedia Commons
1913: Hotel Severin, 40 W. Jackson Pl.
Many local legends including Carl G. Fisher and James A. Allison, who were responsible for developing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, came together to create this historic Beaux-Arts-style hotel. Designed by Vonnegut & Bohn, the glamorous Renaissance Revival interior quickly made it the premier hotel in Indianapolis. It was lovingly restored by Omni Hotels and Resorts in 1988 and is now the oldest and longest-running hotel in the city.
When the arsenal became a school, Treadwell Hall was the second building to be added, and the only one still standing.
Photo by Jherbertz via Wikimedia Commons
1920: Treadwell Hall, 1500 E. Michigan St.
The 75-acre campus that now operates as Arsenal Technical High School first opened as a US Army property in 1865. When it became a high school in 1912, massive growth ensued, and firm Vonnegut, Bohn and Mueller were hired to design a massive student hall that is still used for most classes today. The campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
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