6AM City In-house

The tale of the clock and the cherub 📖

The tale of the clock and the cherub
The L.S. Ayres clock with the cherub sitting atop it
Have you spotted the cherub this season? | Photo by INDYtoday team
Grab a cup of tea and cozy up on the couch, Hoosiers — it’s storytime.

đŸ›ïž The department store

We’re taking you back to the year 1936. It was the Great Depression and a newspaper cost a single penny. The beloved department store, L.S. Ayres, had been at the intersection of Washington and Meridian Streets for 31 years, and even during tough times, it was a place where Hoosiers flocked to look at its elaborate holiday-themed window displays.

🕕 The clock

Enter: a little friendly competition. Things were heating up between Ayres and the nearby William H. Block department store. William H. Block had just expanded and installed beautiful art deco detailing on its facade along Illinois Street. Because of this makeover, it was getting a lot of attention and free publicity, so naturally, Ayres was looking to outshine the competing retailer.

The best way to do that, Fred Ayres’ team determined, was to install an eight-ft tall, 10,000-pound clock, which would later be one of the only reminders of L.S. Ayres’ history downtown.

đŸ‘Œ The cherub

Continuing on this journey through time, let’s stop at 1947. This was the year of the cherub. Because of shortages resulting from WWII, there wasn’t a whole lot of merchandise to advertise in L.S. Ayres’ Christmas catalog. To take up space, little angels and cherubs were scattered throughout the pages. This inspired management to commission Herron School of Art instructor David Rubens to create a real-life sculpture of a cherub and mount it on the then-famous clock.

You won’t see this angelic baby year-round, though. Legend has it, the cherub only appears the day before Thanksgiving and is gone after Christmas.

We can’t let you go without mentioning the time we lost the baby. When the May Company bought out L.S. Ayres in 1992, it locked up the cherub in storage all the way in St. Louis. Well, that didn’t last long. After protestations from the public, the baby was returned home just a year later.

This is only a small fraction of the history surrounding Ayres, and if you’d like to take more strolls down memory lane, check out “The Magic of Ayres: Christmases Past and Present,” a presentation by Indiana Landmarks.
What are your favorite memories of the bygone downtown department store, L.S. Ayres?
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Friday, Dec. 16
  • Window to the World Pop-up Market | Friday, Dec. 16-Sunday, Jan. 29 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Window to the World (formerly Lafayette Square Mall), 3919 Lafayette Rd., Indianapolis | Cost of purchase | Browse more than 20 Lafayette Square Mall tenants that have set up shop in the former Sears building.
  • Holiday on the Ave Concert Series with Saxophonist B. Thompson | Friday, Dec. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Walker Theatre, 617 Indiana Ave., Indianapolis | $17 | Catch these jazz musicians play in the historic theater on Indiana Avenue.
Saturday, Dec. 17
  • Rowdie’s Home Plate Holiday | Saturday, Dec. 17 | 8 a.m.-12 p.m. | Victory Field, 501 West Maryland St., Indianapolis | $5-$20 | Eat a pancake breakfast, take a photo with Rowdie dressed as Santa Claus, and do holiday-themed crafts with a view of the field.
Sunday, Dec. 18
  • Plant Stop, Won’t Stop Presents: Yule Love It! | Sunday, Dec. 18 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | The AMP at 16 Tech, 1220 Waterway Blvd., Indianapolis | Cost of purchase | Shop this pop-up plant market, participate in the Secret Planta Plant Swap, and drop off toys for Toys for Tots.
Wednesday, Dec. 21
  • Adult Walking Club: The Garfield Gait-ers | Wednesday, Dec. 21 | 10:30-11:15 a.m. | Indianapolis Public Library Garfield Park, 2502 Shelby St., Indianapolis | Adults ages 55+ are invited to a planned walk from Garfield Park Library that uses trails throughout the park and nearby neighborhoods.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS
6AM City In-house

Weather
  • 35Âș | Cloudy | 13% chance of rain
Coming Soon
  • Mid-century modern lovers, the Fountain Fletcher district vintage furniture shop, FLUX, is moving. Soon, you’ll find its new location on the near west side. Stop by 862 Virginia Ave. one last time tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 17) before it closes for a while. đŸȘ‘
  • Here’s another Fountain Fletcher update for you — the Paradox Lounge is coming to 1059 Virginia Ave. in February of next year. “Nightlife redefined” is its motto and it will offer hookah, custom cocktails, and an internationally-inspired food menu. FYI, it has a few open positions available. 🍾
Sports
  • The Boilermakers will have Drew Brees as their assistant coach ahead of the Citrus Bowl (Monday, Jan. 2) this year. The former Purdue quarterback will work on the field with student athletes and take part in recruiting activities. He’ll be joining new head coach Ryan Walters. 🏈 (WRTV)
Feel Good
  • MOTW is no stranger to good deeds, but this one takes the baklava — err, cake. The growing local coffee shop launched a fundraising campaign for one of its unhomed neighbors, James, and has raised almost $15,000 to keep him warm this winter. He now has a new suit, electric bike, and a temporary home. ❀
Holiday
  • Hanukkah sameach. This Sunday evening (Dec. 18) marks the beginning of Hanukkah — the Festival of Lights that lasts for eight days. Celebrate by attending the Menorah Aflame Hanukkah Service at the Carmel Christkindlmarkt or lighting the first candle at Beth-El Zedeck. 🕎
Shop
  • It’s ok if you waited until the last minute to shop this season. There’s still time to shop items from our online shop Six & Main. We’re talking cocktail glasses, shirts, candles, mugs, and more. Our gift guides make shopping easy. đŸ›ïž
Drink
  • Looking to make your holidays merrier? St. Elmo Steak House Cocktails are now available to purchase online and ship straight to your door. That means you can enjoy ready-to-pour Cherry Vanilla Bourbon, Espresso Martini, Old Fashioned + Cosmopolitan at any time. Please sip responsibly.*
Travel
Finance
Outdoors
  • Still shopping for the hunter or angler in your life? Sportsman’s Box, the leading gear discovery service for outdoorsmen, is adding a free $100 credit for all new members through Saturday, Dec. 31. Choose from nine leading brands with your first Sportsman’s Box and claim your free gift. 🎣 *
Correction
  • Attention home chefs, we made a mistake in yesterday’s recipe from Chef Jonathan Brooks. We put down 1 cup of cooked rice, but you can actually skip a step and throw in the rice raw. We hope you can use those extra 20 minutes to catch up on some INDYtoday stories. 🧑‍🍳
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6AM City In-house
THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Anna.

Editor’s pick: One more time jump before we say goodbye: in 2016, a concerned Hoosier noticed that the L.S. Ayres clock had stopped working. Indiana Landmarks launched a campaign to renovate its inner workings, spurring 350+ people and organizations to contribute $60,000 in less than a month. It’s been fully restored and working ever since. We just love a happy ending.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Cook like Chef Jonathan Brooks.
Connect with us.

Editorial: Anna Bowman, Nicole Hernandez, Sarah Leonhardt, Josh Kranzberg, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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