It’s All AboutSHELBY COUNTY

501 North Harrison Street, Suite 3Shelbyville, Indiana 46176

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A Walking Tour

Guide to Shelbyville Architectural Styles

Styles of architecture have changed throughout time depending upon the popular trends and fashions among architects and clients. In Shelbyville the buildings that are included in the

walking tour fall roughly into eleven categories of style.

Below are sketches of each style represented using a building from the tour, the time frame that the style was popular

in Shelbyville, and a brief description of some of the main characteristics of each style.

A Few Definitions:

Approximate Length of Tour: 1 mile

Arts and Crafts(1905-1930)

The Arts and Crafts movement was a movement away from the ornate architecture of the Victorian era and a desire for simple “manually” produced craftsmanship. This style is most often seen in residential form and features a low-pitched gable or hipped roof, wide eaves and brackets.

Some architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries drew on features of medieval castles in designing commerical, institutional, and residential buildings. Common elements included turrets or towers, battlements with crenellations, and supporting corbels.

Medieval Castle (1890-1940)

Gothic Revival: Religious(1830-1950)

The Gothic Revival style was also a popular style for churches. Religious examples tend to be more academically correct then their residential counterparts. The main emphasis is on vertical lines. The most characteristic feature is the pointed arch. Other

elements include buttresses, steep roofs, towers and spires.

Victorian Eclectic(1870-1900)

Victorian Eclectic is a highly ornate combination of elements from several contemporary styles into a single design. Styles used include Italianate, Queen Anne and Gothic Revival.

Italianate was a dominant style in the Midwest during the 19th century, with both residential and commercial examples common in many communities. Buildings can

be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. Common characteristics are low hipped roofs, projecting cornices supported by brackets, and narrow windows.

Italianate(1840-1885)

Neo-Classical(1900-1930)

Popularized by the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, the Neo-Classical style was a common style for public buildings in the early 20th century. The style is a revival of the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. Examples feature monumental proportions, columns or pilasters and stone construction.

Art Deco (1920-1950)

Made popular by the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, the Art Deco movement was a modernization of past styles. Art Deco is characterized by bold geometric forms, vertical emphasis, and stylized decoration. Ornament is usually low-relief placed around doors, windows and roof edges.

Art Moderne(1930-1950)

Popular especially prior to the Second World War, Art Moderne is a streamlined style that highlights smooth surfaces and minimal ornamentation. Corners are often rounded to enhance the streamlined effect. Ornamentation is usually limited to panels with low relief decoration set around doors and windows.

Queen Anne(1880-1910)

The Queen Anne style is an ornate style, popular at the end of the 19th century. Buildings in this style are characterized by a lack of symmetry, complex rooflines, and a variety of textures and colors. Common elements include intersecting gables, towers or turrets,

verandahs, projecting bays and machine-produced woodwork.

Gothic Revival:Residential(1830-1860)The Romantic movement of the mid-19th century resulted in the popularity of the Gothic Revival

style. Gothic architecture originated in Medieval France. It was adapted to residental use in the United States during the 1840s and 1850s with steep roof gables, casement windows, vertical siding, pointed arches and decorative barge-boards.

The Prairie Style was developed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The style emphasizes flat horizontal lines. Symmetrical hipped roof variants are most common. Identifying features include a low hipped roof with wide overhanging eave, a large single story front porch and horizontal decorative features.

Prairie(1900-1920)

EASY TO FOLLOW MAP

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SHELBYCOUNTYTOURISM&VISITORSBUREAU

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HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE of SHELBYVILLE

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1 I.O.O.F. BuildingStreet: 26 Public SquareBuilt: 1852-1883Style: Eclectic

In 1852 the Lafayette Lodge 28 of the Free Order of Masons and the Shelby Lodge 39 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows combined forces to build a hall where both organizations could meet. William Hacker, commissioner for both lodges, built the original structure. The building was used by both organizations until 1868, when the I.O.O.F. left. The Masons moved the following year. The building has hosted a number of businesses, such as drug stores.

The building was substantially remodeled in 1883 giving it the appearance it has today. It is a mixture of Italianate and Romanesque. The narrow arched windows are Italianate. The colorful cornice has hints of Romanesque with its brick corbels.

2 Sheldon BuildingStreet: 13 Public SquareBuilt: 1882Style: Italianate

3 Methodist BuildingStreet: 20 Public SquareBuilt: 1928Style: Art Deco

In 1917 the First Methodist Church took an option on the northwest corner of Washington and Harrison Streets and eleven years later constructed an office building. Designed by Indianapolis architects McGuire and Shook, the five-story Methodist Building is the only “skyscraper” office building in Shelbyville.

The Methodist Building is a fine example of a 1920s commercial building form with applied Art Deco stylistic features. The ground floor “base” is clearly identified from the upper floor “shaft”. The upper floors are simple and identical. Note the vertical piers that reflect the steel structure. The stone cornice features geometric forms and a sundial.

6 First Baptist Church 25 West Broadway StreetBuilt: 1903Style: Gothic Revival

The First Baptist Church is the third structure built for the congregation. The Baptists were organized in March of 1849 with thirteen members. Their first church was built in 1853 and replaced by a more substantial structure in 1879. This second building burned in 1902, shortly after the debts for its construction had been paid off. The Baptists quickly rebuilt.

The existing building opened in September 1903 and has been used by the Baptists since.

The building is an excellent example of the Gothic Revival style. The façade is nearly symmetrical; however the east tower is taller then the west and capped by a belfry. Note the projecting stone bay with stained glass panels between the towers. Other stylistic features include buttresses and pointed arches.

7 Grover Museum52 West Broadway Street Built: 1950Style: Art Moderne

Built in 1950, the Grover Museum is the newest structure on the tour. It was built for the local Elks Lodge. The building is a late example of the Art-Moderne style, a cousin to Art-Deco that features smooth, streamlined surfaces. The low relief panels under the narrow windows are the only applied

ornamentation. The interior featured a number of lodge rooms of various sizes.

The Elks and other fraternal organizations used this space until the late 1970s. In 1981 the Grover Musuem opened in the building. Many of the original interior features remain in place.

16 Ensminger House228 West Washington StreetBuilt: c. 1850Style: Gothic Residential

This house was the residence of St. Clair Ensminger from 1877 until his death in 1916. Ensminger was born in Liberty Township in 1827 and became a successful farmer. He established a livery business in Shelbyville and became active in county politics. He served as county coroner, and as a county commissioner. His wife Melissa continued to occupy the home until her death in 1936.

This small home, dating to the 1850s, is a simple Gothic Revival cottage. The centered gable provides a vertical emphasis while the pointed arched window set in this gable adds style. The entry is a late alteration in the Colonial Revival style.

19 First Christian Church211 West Washington StreetBuilt: 1901Style: Gothic Revival

The First Christian Church was organized in 1834 at the home of Ovid Butler, who later founded today’s Butler University in Indianapolis. Early meetings were held in the homes of members. The congregation built their own quarters in 1867 and expanded them twenty years later. However, by the turn of the century a new church was needed. The present church was dedicated on March 2nd, 1902 and enlarged in 1967.

The Gothic Revival church was designed by Evansville architects Harris & Shopbell. The exterior is covered with rock-faced limestone decorated with pointed arches, and buttresses. A spire adorns the peak of the sanctuary roof. The most interesting feature of its design is its layout. The sanctuary is an octagonal auditorium design topped by a dome rather then the more popular cruciform plan featuring a long nave.

20 City Hall

46 West Washington StreetBuilt: 1929Style: Neoclassical

On December 31, 1927 a spectacular blaze leveled Shelbyville’s City Hall. The task of replacing it was undertaken quickly and the city hired D.A. Bohlen and Sons of Indianapolis as architects for the new building. The $110,000 cost for the new structure was raised through the issuing of bonds. The new City Hall was dedicated on June 30, 1929.

City Hall is one of Shelbyville’s finest examples of the Neo-Classical style. Its smooth stone exterior and four Doric columns give the building a monumental appearance that is worthy of its function. Note the stone crest with an engraved “S” located above the entrance.

17 Frank Kennedy House210 West Washington StreetBuilt: c. 1870Style: Eclectic

After observing how much grain seeped through grain rail cars at his father’s Star Mills, Fred Kennedy formed the Kennedy Car Liner and Bag Company in 1896. He found success in Shelbyville. The company soon expanded, and in 1926 Kennedy diversified his interest with the Kennedy Hotel. In the late 1920s Kennedy donated land on the east side of Shelbyville for the present Kennedy Park. He

purchased this house in 1919 and resided here for over thirty years. The Kennedy House is eclectic, showing traits of both the Italianate and Four Square styles. The Italianate features date to the home’s construction in the 1870’s. They include the wide overhanging eaves, low hipped roof, and the narrow framed windows with ornate hoods. In the early Twentieth Century the home was updated with a Four Square appearance. These elements include the dormer and the porch.

160 West Broadway StreetBuilt: c. 1880 Style: Italianate

The first occupant of this handsome Italianate home was grocer John B. Randall, who lived here from the early 1880s until the mid 1890s. Afterwards it has been a home to members of the Deprez family. The first Deprez was August, vice president of the J.G. Deprez Company. The J.G. Deprez Company was a prominent downtown hardware store located in the former Blessing Opera House adjacent to the I.O.O.F. Building.

The Randall-Deprez home is a fine example of an asymmetrical Italianate house. The building has an ell shape with a projecting bay at one end. Principal elements of the style can be found in the narrow windows, hipped roof, and projecting cornice with supporting brackets.

8 High School54 West Broadway Street Built: 1896Style: Victorian Eclectic

Shelbyville’s school trustees purchased this land on the northeast corner of Broadway and Tompkins from the city for one dollar in 1895. The following year a handsome new high school opened on the site. The building served this purpose until 1911. Afterwards was used as a junior high, school administration building and is presently known as the Town Hall, housing several non-profit organizations.

The former high school is one of only a few secondary school buildings surviving in Indiana from the 1890s. The ornate building has elements from a number of styles, and is categorized as Victorian Eclectic. Features of note are the entrance tower, garlands under the dormers, textured brick and stone surfaces, and the elaborate windows.

9 Carnegie Library57 West Broadway StreetBuilt: 1903 Style: Neoclassical

In 1901 the Shelbyville school trustees wrote to Andrew Carnegie, requesting funds for a public library. The request for $15,000 was granted, provided that the town provided the site and an annual upkeep fund of $1500. Work began in 1902 with Harris and Shopbell of Evansville as architects and Feaster and Davis as contractors. The library was

dedicated on June 2, 1903.

The building is typical of Carnegie libraries built across the country. Neo-Classical in style, the rock-faced limestone exterior is distinguished with an Ionic temple front and a

18 John Hamilton House132 West Washington StreetBuilt: 1853Style: Italianate

John Hamilton was an Irish immigrant who settled in Rushville in 1830. Five years later he moved to Shelbyville and established the J. & S. Hamilton Company with his brother Samuel. Records indicate his home was built in 1853, although the design suggests later. It remained his residence until his death in 1875.

The Hamilton house is an excellent example of the Italianate style. The symmetrical facade is distinguished by double polygonal bays that are joined by a curving front porch. Italianate elements include the narrow hooded windows and the heavy brackets supporting a wide overhang. Note the half-story windows under the eaves.

12 Christian Science Building

Shelbyville’s first Christian Science meeting was held at the Post Office in 1905. In July 1907 the church organized with 25 members. The new congregation made use of space on the second floor of the Post Office block. By 1917, the church was

housed in this building. It would remain their home until 1991 when it was taken over by the Shelby Community Theatre.

The simple building features a stucco exterior broken by narrow multi-light windows. The church has an Arts and Crafts feel with low hipped roof and brackets hidden under the eaves. The Neo-Classical porch is an unusual stylistic addition. Note the two massive Corinthian columns.

16 South Tompkins StreetBuilt: c. 1917Style: Eclectic

4 Knights of PythiasStreet: 31 Public SquareBuilt: 1901Style: Medieval Castle

The narrow façade disguises the fact that the Knights of Pythias building is one of the largest on the square. Most of the structure is hidden behind others. The building was built for the Knights of Pythias lodge number 129 in 1901. The upper floors provided space for the organization, including a large meeting hall. The first floor was leased to commercial entities.

The building’s narrow façade is decorated to resemble a medieval castle, with a rounded turret topped by battlements, crenellations along the cornice, and brick corbels below.

5 Alhambra TheaterStreet: 119 South Harrison StreetBuilt: 1913Style: Arts and Crafts

In 1911 Frank Rembusch, manufacturer of motion picture screens, began construction on one of Shelbyville’s first movie theaters. The Alhambra opened in January 1913 and converted to “talkies” in 1929. Rembusch would own several theaters in Shelbyville and throughout Indiana and Illinois. He later became president of the National Motion Picture Exhibitors of America. The Alhambra closed in 1951 and the building was converted to retail use.

Although the original storefronts have been altered, the second story retains its original Arts and Crafts details. The most striking stylistic feature is the corner tower. The tower’s roof has wide overhanging eaves supported by delicate brackets.

13 C.H. Campbell House203 West Washington Street Built: 1910Style: Queen Anne

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries a number of furniture factories flourished in Shelbyville, earning the town the nickname of “little Grand Rapids.” One of these companies was the C.H. Campbell Furniture Company, which claimed to be the largest manufacturer of hall furniture in the world. The company’s prosperity is reflected in the house that C.H.

Campbell built for himself in 1910.

Campbell’s home is a large and substantial example of late Queen Anne architecture. The home has a complex form with a number of Queen Anne hallmarks, including a wrap around porch, projecting bays, Tudor-style chimney and complex roof form. However, a number of Colonial Revival decorative features also appear. Note the Doric porch columns on the porch and the modified Palladian window that fills the arched insert on the main gable.

14 Arthur Spiegel House239 West Washington StreetBuilt: c. 1910Style: Prairie

Arthur Spiegel was a traveling salesman for local furniture manufacturers. He was the son of Spiegel Furniture Company founder Christian Spiegel. Founded in 1889, Spiegel Furniture manufactured low-priced bedroom and dining room furniture until 1957. This substantial home, built around

1910, is another testament to the success of Shelbyville’s furniture industry.

The Spiegel house is a typical adaptation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style to the popular American Four-Square form. The building’s emphasis is on horizontal lines. This can been seen by the low roofline and the wide overhangs of both the roof and porch. Regularly spaced thin horizontal strips in the limestone exterior add to the effect.

10 First Presbyterian Church 15 McConnell-Deprez House120 West Broadway Street Built: 1885Style: Gothic Revival

The First Presbyterian Church was established on July 7, 1824 in the log cabin of Zebulon Wallace in Hendricks Township. The congregation relocated to Shelbyville in 1829, meeting in a local school. The present church, the congregation’s third, was completed in 1885 at a cost of $22,000. An educational wing was added behind the sanctuary in 1909.

First Presbyterian Church is a well-executed brick Gothic Revival structure. The dominant element is the tall tower with a spire at its top and the main entrance at its base. Note the fine brickwork around the pointed arch windows, stepped buttresses, and the stone pinnacles along the roofline.

312 West Washington Street Built: c. 1890Style: Queen Anne

George McConnell was a lumber businessman who came to Shelbyville in 1880. The move proved profitable. By 1890 he established the McConnell & Parrish Furniture Company and had built this fine Queen Anne home as a residence. McConnell lived here until the mid-1890s. The house was later purchased by William Deprez, president of the Morrison-Deprez Drug Company.

The home is a classic Queen Anne. The building has a complex roof form, textured surfaces, and a projecting bay. The wrap-around veranda is common with the style. Note the second floor porch above the entrance.

Frank Sheldon, a native of Adrian, Michigan, moved to Shelbyville in 1875. He began a local jewelry business. This building was completed in 1882 to house his business. Sheldon Jewelers occupied the ground floor until 1919.

The façade of this building is cast-iron, which allows a high degree of ornamentation. The building is dominated by an Italian Baroque cupola that houses a clock and is adorned with s-curved volutes, pilasters, and a broken segmental pediment. The second floor has four windows divided by fluted pilasters and dominated by a large arch bearing the name Sheldon.

11 Randell-DePrez House