The former Deutsches Haus, renamed the Athenæum during World War I due to anti-German sentiment remains a landmark in the Lockerbie or Germantown neighborhood of Indianapolis.
There was some major restoration going on around the front of the building when I visited, so these historic photos show what it looks like overall. It’s perhaps a great example of the Rundbogenstil, or “Round Arch Style,” which is a combination of Romanesque Revival and German Renaissance Revival, but in this instance some German Mannerist Revival thrown in.
It is a very cool building, and unlike our own German House in St. Louis that has since closed, is still going strong after 125 plus years. The choice of the name Athenæum alludes to a long history of mainly East Coast institutions, harking back to Athena, the goddess of learning and wisdom. The Wadsworth Athenæum of Hartford, Connecticut, is perhaps the most famous.
While the Wadsworth is now perhaps most famous as a premiere art museum, all Athenæa were meant to be cultural centers with libraries, theaters and Turnvereins, or gymnasiums. Many of those functions have died out, particularly in St. Louis, though there is one left.
There is some interesting terracotta emblazoned on the corner tower of the building.
Construction began on the first wing in 1893 according to the designs of architects Bernard Vonnegut, Sr. and Arthur Bohn. Yes, Vonnegut was the grandfather of the famous Twentieth Century novelist Kurt Vonnegut.
The interior courtyard features a beer garden which is still in operation. The second wing was completed in 1898.
The back of the building was less ornate but just as beautiful.
But is now obscured by some trees.
Through some of those round windows was the gymnasium. German theory believed that physical fitness was critical to learning, and Turnvereins also were social and political reformers.
The use of extensive red brick, in a city of wood frame, is notable.
Of course there is a Ratskeller in a German building such as this.
Across the street is another unique building, in the Moorish Revival, which is one style that I don’t get to discuss very often.
Designed by Oscar D. Bohlen and constructed in 1909, it became the home for the Murat Shriners in Indianapolis.
There are multiple theaters inside the building, which has several prominent minarets accenting its exterior.
The Murat Shriners are still active and have their own website. The abbreviation below is for Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
