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Meet Meridian Street’s most lavish mansions

Take a peek inside historic homes along Meridian Street with massive square footage, unique architectural features, and intriguing stories + past owners.

INDYtoday: INDY_William N. Thompson Meridian St. Governor's House_NOV24

The William N. Thompson house was purchased by the state for $72,000 in 1937.

Photo by Nyttend via Wikimedia Commons

Who among us hasn’t taken a drive down Meridian Street, gaped at all the massive estates, and wondered what they look like on the inside?

We did some digging in order to give you a peek at some of the city’s most expensive real estate.

4137 N. Meridian St.
This stunning five bed, five bath home sold for $1.46 million earlier this year. Every inch of the home is filled with top-notch craftsmanship dating back to 1917, from an imported Italian stone fireplace to a solarium built with Rookwood tile and painted by local artist Randolph LaSalle Coats.

8002 N. Meridian St.
What’s six beds, seven baths, and brand new all over? This massive 7,000-sqft home, which was just built in 2023. With hardwood flooring, panoramic windows, and just over an acre of idyllic private grounds, it sold for $2.37 million.

4343 N. Meridian St.
This 5,278-sqft Georgian Revival house was built in 1920 by the president of the Stutz Motor Car Company, William N. Thompson, before serving as the home of seven Indiana governors between 1945 and 1970. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

INDYtoday: INDY_Booth Tarkington Meridian house_NOV24

Tarkington is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once — with novels he wrote while living here.

Photo by Bass Photo Co. Collection, Indiana Historical Society

4270 N. Meridian St.
Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Booth Tarkington lived + wrote in this English Tudor-style home from 1923 until his death in 1946. Built in 1911, the 9,000-sqft home sits on a one-acre lot that includes a fish pond, gardens, and a five bedroom carriage house.

5. E. 71st St.
This mansion was built in 1937 and hit the market for the very first time in 2023. It was once home to Olympic gold medalist + banking executive Frank McKinney, Jr. and later Randall Tobias, Eli Lilly chairman and CEO. With 40 rooms, two kitchens, a pool, a tennis court, a massive built-in aquarium, and an eight car garage spread out over nearly three acres, the house was listed for $4.75 million. Take a video tour.

5354 N. Meridian St.
This 1930 Tudor last sold in 2021 for $1.41 million. The 7,000-sqft home is outstanding in many ways, but its tile work is especially jawdropping, from the checkerboard entryway to the intricately detailed bath murals.

4411 N. Meridian St.
If you’re a big fan of arches, you’ll love this 1925 Neoclassical home with more arched doorways + windows than you can count. It was once home to the widow of E. Howard Cadle, a prominent radio evangelical during the 1930s. It last sold for $465,000 in 2017, with the note that repairs and updates were needed — we can only hope the arches stayed.

Want to learn more about the 175 houses that make up the historic stretch of Meridian Street? Check out Kassie Ritman’s “Meridian Street,” a catalog of all the homes, and its follow-up “Meridian Whispers,” a collection of stories + lore surrounding the area’s original homeowners. Or you can peruse the original nomination form for the North Meridian Street Historic District for free.

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