The Indiana Governor's Residence is the official home of the family of the governor of Indiana and is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. In use since 1973, it is the sixth official residence of Indiana's governors. The current tenant is Governor Eric Holcomb.
The Indiana Governor's Residence is located in the historic district surrounding North Meridian Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. It sits on an estate of 6.5 acres (2.6ha)[1] at 4750 North Meridian Street. Built for Scott Wadley, with the firm of Rubush & Hunter serving as architects, the English Tudor home was built in 1928. It was acquired by the state of Indiana in 1973 from attorney C. Severin Buschman for US$242,000. The home was then renovated for approximately $800,000, including $125,000 in funds from a Lilly Endowment grant. Renovation included the installation of air conditioning and modern wiring.[2]
Approximately 10,500sqft (980m2), with twenty-three rooms and eleven bathrooms,[1] it is considered a typical size for an English Tudor home and resembles many of the other homes in the neighborhood that were built in the same time period. Although the appearance is similar to the other homes, it is structurally unique because its support and foundation are made of concrete, whereas typical Tudor homes are entirely wooden. The home's lower floor is open to the public and tours are offered regularly to visitors. The rooms available for viewing include the foyer, a library, the formal living room, formal and informal dining room, a sun porch, a kitchen, a butler's pantry, and event space. The second floor is reserved for the first family as a living area and is off limits to the public. The home receives approximately 10,000 visitors annually.[2]
Before Indiana became a state, the Indiana Territory had two governors. William Henry Harrison, the first governor, built a plantation-style home in Vincennes, and named it Grouseland for its many birds. Built in 1804, it was one of the first brick buildings in the territory. The home is still preserved and is a National Historic Landmark. Thomas Posey, the territory's second governor, had a home built in Corydon, but lived there only briefly before moving to Jeffersonville where he rented a room in a boarding house. The Posey House is preserved as part of a National Historic District.
There have been six official residences of Indiana's governors since Indiana became a state, but only five were actually inhabited by the first family. There were four other unofficial residences that governors also lived in while no other accommodations were available. The first residence of a state governor was in Corydon on a small hill overlooking the first statehouse; Governor Jonathan Jennings and his wife Anne lived in it from 1816 until 1822. The home was visited by United States PresidentsAndrew Jackson and James Monroe.[3] The building is no longer standing but a new home has been built upon its original foundation and uses its cellar as a basement. Governor William Hendricks also lived in Corydon at Governor Hendricks Headquarters, an unofficial residence purchased by Hendricks from Davis Floyd and located on the same block as Jennings' home. Floyd had built the home for himself, but lost it after the Panic of 1819. Hendricks lived there during his term as governor, from 1822–1825, and later sold it.[4]
The second official residence for the state's governor was built in the center of Indianapolis where the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument now stands. It was designed by Alexander Ralston, who also laid out most of the city. The mansion cost $6,500 and was completed in 1827 during the term of Governor James B. Ray. Ray's wife refused to live in the home because of its lack of privacy; it was never used by a governor.[4] It was inhabited by Indiana Chief JusticeIsaac Blackford from around 1830 until the 1850s. It was demolished in the 1870s.[5]
Without an acceptable home for the governor, the state purchased the house of Dr. John H. Sanders to serve as a residence for the Governor in 1837. The location, on the corner of Market and Illinois Streets in Indianapolis, proved to be damp and unhealthy because of the wetland conditions of the area during that time. Governor James Whitcomb blamed the conditions for his wife's death. The home was abandoned in 1861 during the term of Oliver Morton, who briefly lived in the house but refused to stay. The house was sold during his term and eventually destroyed.[4]
The governors remained without an official residence until 1919 when the state purchased a home located at 101 East 27th St., Indianapolis, for $65,000 and furnished it for an additional $20,000. It was built by Henry Kahn in 1908 and had the design of an English country house. The home had a Gothic interior with high, beamed ceilings and luxurious Wilton carpeting. After a brief renovation, the home was inhabited by the governor starting in 1919 and remained so until 1945. The building was sold by the state to the Marott Hotel, which intended to turn it into a clubhouse, but eventually demolished it in 1962 to clear land for a parking lot.[4]
4343 N. Meridian Street
The fifth home for the governor was purchased in 1945 and located at 4343 N. Meridian St. The home was built in 1924 by Harry Lane, an auditor for the Indianapolis Stockyards. Three stories high with slated roofs and 12 rooms, it was famed for its golden bathroom fixtures and its high gilt-tipped iron fence. It was purchased from his widow for $72,000. It served as residence for the governor from 1945 until the present mansion was purchased in 1973. The home was sold at an auction in 1973 to Robert L. Dawson, who in turn sold it to Dr. John C. Klein in 1978.[4] Known as the William N. Thompson House, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[6]
After the building was auctioned, there was a brief period while the current residence was in renovation. During that period, governors Edgar Whitcomb and Otis Bowen took up residence in Riley Towers located at 650 N. Alabama St. The state leased the penthouse for their residence at a cost of $1,150 per month.[4]
A sketch of the second official Governor's Mansion, located in Indianapolis
Governor's Residence Commission
The governor's residence is maintained by a trust managed by the Governor's Residence Commission and is part of the Indiana Public Building Foundation located at 4750 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. The commission was authorized in 1975, charged with overseeing the renovation and maintenance of the home as well as event planning. In 2008, the commission's members included Linda Goad, Sara Barclay, David Collins, Jim Baker, Mike Bosway, Judy Warren, and Shannon Rezek. The commission is partly funded by private donations. The members are appointed by the Governor and serve at term lengths of his choosing. The commission meets monthly and officially reports to the Office of First Lady. The commission serves without pay, but is reimbursed for expenses.[7][8]
Corydon is a town in Harrison Township, Harrison County, Indiana. Located north of the Ohio River in the extreme southern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, it is the seat of government for Harrison County. Corydon was founded in 1808 and served as the capital of the Indiana Territory from 1813 to 1816. It was the site of Indiana's first constitutional convention, which was held June 10–29, 1816. Forty-three convened to consider statehood for Indiana and drafted its first state constitution. Under Article XI, Section 11, of the Indiana 1816 constitution, Corydon was designated as the capital of the state until 1825, when the seat of state government was moved to Indianapolis. During the American Civil War, Corydon was the site of the Battle of Corydon, the only official pitched battle waged in Indiana during the war. More recently, the town's numerous historic sites have helped it become a tourist destination. A portion of its downtown area is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Corydon Historic District. As of the 2010 census, Corydon had a population of 3,122.
The Indiana Territory was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, to December 11, 1816, when the remaining southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana. The territory originally contained approximately 259,824 square miles (672,940 km2) of land, but its size was decreased when it was subdivided to create the Michigan Territory (1805) and the Illinois Territory (1809). The Indiana Territory was the first new territory created from lands of the Northwest Territory, which had been organized under the terms of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The territorial capital was the settlement around the old French fort of Vincennes on the Wabash River, until transferred to Corydon near the Ohio River in 1813.
Jonathan Jennings was the first governor of Indiana and a nine-term congressman from Indiana. Born in either Hunterdon County, New Jersey, or Rockbridge County, Virginia, he studied law before immigrating to the Indiana Territory in 1806. Jennings initially intended to practice law, but took jobs as an assistant at the federal land office at Vincennes and assistant to the clerk of the territorial legislature to support himself and pursued interests in land speculation and politics. Jennings became involved in a dispute with the territorial governor, William Henry Harrison, that soon led him to enter politics and set the tone for his early political career. In 1808 Jennings moved to the eastern part of the Indiana Territory and settled near Charlestown, in Clark County. He was elected as the Indiana Territory's delegate to the U.S. Congress by dividing the pro-Harrison supporters and running as an anti-Harrison candidate. By 1812 he was the leader of the anti-slavery and pro-statehood faction of the territorial government. Jennings and his political allies took control of the territorial assembly and dominated governmental affairs after the resignation of Governor Harrison in 1812. As a congressional delegate Jennings aided passage of the Enabling Act in 1816, which authorized the organization of Indiana's state government and state constitution. He was elected president of the Indiana constitutional convention, held in Corydon in June 1816, where he helped draft the state's first constitution. Jennings supported the effort to ban slavery in the state and favored a strong legislative branch of government.
William Hendricks was a Democratic-Republican member of the House of Representatives from 1816 to 1822, the third Governor of Indiana from 1822 to 1825, and an Anti-Jacksonian member of the U.S. Senate from 1825 to 1837. He led much of his family into politics and founded one of the largest political families in Indiana. He was the uncle of Thomas Andrews Hendricks, who was also Governor of Indiana and Vice President of the United States. Hendricks County was named in his honor. His term as governor was spent repairing the state's finances to later enable large scale internal improvements. The establishment of the basic framework of the state's public school system and the transfer of the capital from Corydon to Indianapolis also occurred during his term.
Thomas Posey was an officer in the American Revolution, a general during peacetime, the third Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and a Louisiana Senator.
The Indiana Statehouse is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other state officials. The Statehouse is located in the capital city of Indianapolis at 200 West Washington Street. Built in 1888, it is the fifth building to house the state government.
Isaac Newton Blackford was the second Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, the court's longest serving Justice, and among the longest serving jurists in the history of the United States. He wrote an eight-volume work entitled Blackford's Reports recording all the early decisions of the court. The books became a staple legal source among Indiana's lawyers and received national and international acclaim for its style, accuracy, quality, and concision in dealing with common law. As a jurist, Blackford was the most influential ever to serve on Indiana's courts, according to former Chief Justice of Indiana Randall Shepard. He was nicknamed the "Indiana Blackstone" because of a comment made by Washington Irving regarding the popularity of Blackford's books. During his lifetime he was nationally renowned as one of the most prominent jurists in the United States.
The Morris–Butler House is a Second Empire-style house built about 1864 in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis, Indiana. Restored as a museum home by Indiana Landmarks between 1964 and 1969, the American Civil War-era residence was the non-profit organization's first preservation project. Restoration work retained some of its original architectural features, and the home was furnished in Victorian and Post-Victorian styles. Its use was changed to a venue for Indiana Landmarks programs, special events, and private rentals following a refurbishment in 2013. Regular daily tours of the property have been discontinued.
The Corydon Historic District is a national historic district located in Corydon, Indiana, United States. The town of Corydon is also known as Indiana's First State Capital and as Historic Corydon. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, but the listing was amended in 1988 to expand the district's geographical boundaries and include additional sites. The district includes numerous historical structures, most notably the Old Capitol, the Old Treasury Building, Governor Hendricks' Headquarters, the Constitution Elm Memorial, the Posey House, the Kintner-McGrain House, and The Kintner House Inn, as well as other residential and commercial sites.
The Alabama Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of Alabama and the governor's family in Montgomery, the capital city of Alabama. The current Governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey lives at the governor's mansion. The original governor's mansion for Alabama was occupied from 1911 until 1950, when the current mansion was acquired. The current mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 3, 1972.
Slavery in Indiana occurred between the time of French rule during the late seventeenth century and 1826, with a few traces of slavery afterward. When the United States first forcibly removed the Native Americans from the region, slavery was accepted as a necessity to keep peace with the Indians and the French. When the Indiana Territory was established in 1800, William Henry Harrison, a former slaveholder, was appointed governor and slavery continued to be tolerated through a series of laws enacted by the appointed legislature.
The Bates–Hendricks neighborhood is situated just south and east of the downtown commercial district of Indianapolis, Indiana. The Fountain Square business district is just to the east.
Dennis Pennington was a farmer and a stonemason who became known for his many years in public office as an early legislator in the Indiana Territory and in Indiana's General Assembly as a representative of Harrison County, Indiana. Pennington, a member of the Whig Party, became the first speaker of the Indiana territorial legislature's lower house in 1810, served as the territory's census enumerator in 1815, and represented Harrison County as one of its five delegates to the constitutional convention of 1816. Pennington was the first speaker of the Indiana Senate, and served in the state legislature for eighteen years, which included five years in the Indiana House of Representatives and thirteen years in the Indiana Senate. His major political contributions relate to his strong opposition to slavery. Pennington ran unsuccessfully for Indiana's Lieutenant Governor in 1825. In addition to his service in the state legislature, Penning was a Harrison County sheriff and a justice of the peace, a trustee of Indiana University, and a member of the Grand Lodge of Indiana. He also supervised construction of the limestone courthouse that served as Indiana's first state capitol building in Corydon, Indiana. The historic Old Capitol, the seat of state government from 1816 to 1825, is one of his most enduring legacies. Fondly remembered as "Old Uncle Dennis" or "Father Pennington," he was known for his common sense and strong character and became one of Harrison County's most influential citizens.
Davis Floyd was an Indiana Jeffersonian Republican politician who was convicted of aiding American Vice President Aaron Burr in the Burr conspiracy. Floyd was not convicted of treason however and returned to public life after several years working to redeem his reputation. He lost his wealth in the Panic of 1819 and died in obscurity in Florida 1834.
The Washington Park Historic District is a national historic district located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 24, 2008. It comprises nearly 60 acres (240,000 m2) and is located 4 miles (6.4 km) north of downtown Indianapolis, in the south-central part of the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood. The district includes all properties south of 43rd Street and north of 40th Street, and west of Central Avenue and east of the alley running north and south between Pennsylvania and Meridian Streets; Washington Boulevard runs north-south through the center of the district. It includes 110 contributing buildings, ranging mostly from mansions to small bungalows, and three non-contributing buildings.
The Cottage Home Historic District is a historic district and neighborhood located on the near east side of Indianapolis, Indiana. A small portion of Cottage Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places while a larger area is listed on the state and local levels. Known for its preponderance of "cottage-style" homes built with strong Victorian influences, Cottage Home has historically been a working class neighborhood. Numerous industrial buildings are also scattered throughout the district, providing a base of economic activity. Today, however, many of these buildings are vacant, providing a special challenge to preservation and urban renewal efforts.
The Schnull–Rauch House, sometimes referred to as the Victorian Manor and now also branded as The Manor at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, is a National Register of Historic Places-designated Romanesque Revival historic home constructed in the early 20th century at 3050 North Meridian Street, north of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.
Roberts Park Methodist Episcopal Church, whose present-day name is Roberts Park United Methodist Church, was dedicated on August 27, 1876, making it the oldest church remaining in downtown Indianapolis. Diedrich A. Bohlen, a German-born architect who immigrated to Indianapolis in the 1850s, designed this early example of Romanesque Revival architecture. The church is considered one of Bohlen's major works. Constructed of Indiana limestone at Delaware and Vermont Streets, it has a rectangular plan and includes a bell tower on the southwest corner. The church is known for its interior woodwork, especially a pair of black-walnut staircases leading to galleries (balconies) surrounding the interior of three sides of its large sanctuary. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 19, 1982. It is home to one of several Homeless Jesus statues around the world, this one located behind the church on Alabama Street.
The Propylaeum, also known as the John W. Schmidt House or as the Schmidt-Schaf House, is a historic home and carriage house located at 1410 North Delaware Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The Propylaeum was named after the Greek word "propýlaion," meaning "gateway to higher culture." The property became the headquarters for the Indianapolis Woman's Club in 1923, as well as the host for several other social and cultural organizations. It was initially built in 1890-1891 as a private residence for John William Schmidt, president of the Indianapolis Brewing Company, and his family. Joseph C. Schaf, president of the American Brewing Company of Indianapolis, and his family were subsequent owners of the home.
Henry Kahn was an American businessman and tailor who lived in Indianapolis, Indiana and founded the Kahn Tailoring Company.
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