Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus)
|
Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus)
|
|
The Athenæum in 2011.
|
|
 
|
|
| Location | 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°46′24″N 86°9′1″W / 39.77333°N 86.15028°WCoordinates: 39°46′24″N 86°9′1″W / 39.77333°N 86.15028°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1893 |
| Architect | Vonnegut & Bohn; Multiple |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival, Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference # | 73000032 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 21, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | October 31, 2016 |
The Athenæum, originally named Das Deutsche Haus (German: "The German House"), is the most ornate and best-preserved building affiliated with the German American community of Indianapolis. Once used as a German American Turnverein and , it currently houses many groups, organizations, and businesses. The Athenæum is located across Massachusetts Avenue from the Old National Centre. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 21, 1973. On October 31, 2016, it was named the 41st National Historic Landmark in Indiana.
In the 19th century, many German immigrants made their home in Indiana. A majority of these immigrants, called Forty-Eighters, relocated to the United States following the failed Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. These immigrants quickly formed musical, political, and social clubs after the German idea of club life, including the Männerchor, Turnverein, and Liederkranz. Many of these immigrants believed in the philosophy of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn. In 1892, to preserve their German heritage, the German clubs formed the Sozialer Turnverein Aktiengesellschaft (German: Social Gymnastics Association), an association to finance the building of a clubhouse. The clubhouse was built as a house of culture for the mind and body. All the German clubs would be united under a single roof.
For a cost of $32,000, two lots were purchased at the corner of Michigan and New Jersey streets. A German neighborhood called Lockerbie Square, also known as Germantown, surrounded the clubhouse. Construction of the East Wing began in May 1893, and was finished in 1894. The West Wing construction started in 1897 and was completed in 1898. German American architects Bernard Vonnegut, Sr. (grandfather of Indianapolis novelist Kurt Vonnegut) and Arthur Bohn designed both wings. It was called Das Deutsche Haus and hosted many organizations, including the German-American Veterans Society, the German-American School Society, the Socialer Turnverein Women's Club, the German Ladies' Aid Society, and the Turner Building and Savings Association. There were 500 members by 1896.
...
Wikipedia