Historic house in Indiana, United States
United States historic place
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 "propylaion," 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.
The Indianapolis Propylaeum association, formed in 1888 as a joint stock company of women, continues to manage the site as a gathering place and rental facility for cultural activities and private events. The three-story,
Neo-Jacobean
-style building is constructed of red brick with
limestone
trim. It sits on a full basement and has
hipped roof
of
slate
with several
gables
. The main features of its exterior include a wraparound
verandah
, square
tower
, and
porte-cochere
. The property was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
as "The Propylaeum (John W. Schmidt House)" in 1973. The
Indiana Historical Bureau
erected a state historical marker at the site in 1999.
History
[
edit
]
Propylaeum association
[
edit
]
In 1888
May Wright Sewall
, an
Indianapolis
educator,
clubwoman
, community leader and women's rights advocate, urged members of the Indianapolis Woman's Club (established in 1875) to form a stock company to finance construction of a headquarters building for the club. The women also planned to make earn money for their group by renting the building to the city's other cultural and social organizations.
[2]
[3]
[4]
Sewall later acknowledged that the idea was inspired by building projects that women in other cities had funded, such as the Athenaeum in
Milwaukee
,
Wisconsin
; the Ladies' Library Association building in
Kalamazoo, Michigan
; and the Woman's Club of
Grand Rapids, Michigan
.
[4]
The Indianapolis Propylaeum association, named after the
Greek
word "propylaion," meaning "gateway to higher culture," incorporated in June 1888, with Sewall elected as its president. Later that month the association issued its
initial public offering
of $15,000, sold at $25 per share. Stock ownership was restricted to women.
[5]
[6]
In May 1889 the Propylaeum's stockholders agreed to increase its capital stock to $20,000. All of the stock was sold by March 10, 1890.
[7]
The group laid the cornerstone for the original Propylaeum building at 17 East North Street, between Meridian and Pennsylvania Streets, on May 8, 1890; it was dedicated on January 27, 1891.
[8]
The Indianapolis Propylaeum was among the first of its kind in the United States to be "financed entirely by women stockholders."
[9]
From its inception the association intended to offer "educational opportunities"
[9]
to men and women and establish its clubhouse as a cultural center for the city.
[4]
The building served as the headquarters for the Indianapolis Woman's Club, as well as host to several other social and cultural organizations, including music, dramatic, and literary clubs, the Portfolio Club (a group for artists and writers), the
Art Association of Indianapolis
, and the Contemporary Club, among others.
[10]
[11]
In 1892 the Propylaeum association established the Indianapolis Local Council of Women, which changed its name to the Indianapolis Council of Women in 1923. The council advocated woman's suffrage and Progressive-era reforms, such as better streets and sanitary conditions, new laws protecting working conditions for women and girls, and improvements in education and public health. The council's first meeting was held at the Propylaeum building on North Street on May 3, 1892.
[9]
In 1923 the Indianapolis city government purchased the Propylaeum's North Street property as part of the site for the
Indiana World War Memorial Plaza
and had the original Propylaeum building demolished. Instead of constructing a new clubhouse, the association purchased property at Fourteenth and Delaware Streets that included an existing residence, carriage house, and stable. The Propylaeum organization has managed the North Delaware Street site since 1923. It continues to support local cultural activities and sponsors public events. The association also rents its clubhouse for private events.
[9]
[11]
Propylaeum building
[
edit
]
The Propylaeum building, also known as the Schmidt-Schaf House, is located at 1410 North Delaware Street in
Indianapolis
,
Marion County, Indiana
. It was built in 1890?91
[9]
as a private residence for its original owner, John William Schmidt, his wife, Lily, and their four children. John Schmidt was president of the Indianapolis Brewing Company and later the Polar Ice Company. The Schmidt family lived in the home for twelve years.
Muncie, Indiana
, industrialist
George F. McCulloch
, owner of the
Indianapolis Star
, sold it to Joseph C. Schaf in 1905.
[12]
[13]
Schaf, who was president of the American Brewing Company of Indianapolis, remodeled the home and lived in it with his wife, Josephine, and their two children. Their daughter, Alice, was married in the home.
[11]
[14]
: 2?3
[15]
The College of Music and Fine Arts acquired the property from Schaf in 1921, but was unable to make payments on it. The college sold the Schmidt-Schaf home to the Propylaeum association, the property's current owner, in 1923. The Propylaeum's tea room opened in September 1924 and remains in operation.
[13]
[16]
[17]
The property was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
in 1973.
[1]
In 1988 the Propylaeum was used as a set for a few scenes in the moving picture,
Eight Men Out
(1988), although the home's interiors were significantly altered during filming.
[13]
The
Indiana Historical Bureau
erected a state historical marker at the site in 1999.
[9]
Building description
[
edit
]
Former director of the
Indianapolis Museum of Art
and art historian Wilbur Peat described the building's architecture as a
Neo-Jacobean style
, which is characterized by an irregular-shaped floor plan, projecting wall sections and
bays
, a
hipped roof
, expansive
veranda
, multiple
gables
, and prominent
chimneys
. The architecture of
medieval England
, especially
Tudor
- and
Jacobean
-style homes in
England
and elsewhere in
Europe
have influenced this style.
[18]
The Propylaeum also has elements of
Romanesque Revival
,
Georgian
, and
Queen Anne
architecture styles.
[13]
The three-story, red-
brick
building with
limestone
trim sits on a full basement and has a
hipped roof
of
slate
and decorative
terracotta
panels on its gables. Main features of its exterior include a wraparound
verandah
with
limestone
columns, a square
tower
on its north
facade
, and a
porte-cochere
on its south side. The interior has large reception rooms on the first floor, a grand staircase, and
Rookwood Pottery
tiles on its fireplaces. The second floor contains bedrooms and bathrooms; the third floor includes former servants' quarters and a
ballroom
. The property also has a separate
carriage house
.
[19]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"National Register Information System"
.
National Register of Historic Places
.
National Park Service
. July 9, 2010.
- ^
David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, ed. (1994).
The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. p. 1137.
ISBN
0-253-31222-1
.
- ^
Linda C. Gugin and James E. St. Clair, ed. (2015).
Indiana's 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State
. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. pp. 302?04.
ISBN
978-0-87195-387-2
.
- ^
a
b
c
Ray E. Boomhower (2007).
Fighting for Equality: A Life of May Wright Sewall
. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. p. 60.
ISBN
978-0-87195-253-0
.
- ^
Boomhower, pp. 59?61.
- ^
Anne P. Robinson (2008).
Every Way Possible: 125 Years of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
. Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Museum of Art. p. 39.
ISBN
978-0-936260-85-3
.
- ^
Boomhower, p. 61.
- ^
Boomhower, pp. 61?63.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Indianapolis Propylaeum"
. Indiana Historical Bureau. 2009
. Retrieved
April 9,
2018
.
- ^
Boomhower, pp. 60 and 63.
- ^
a
b
c
"Historical Sketch" in
"Indianapolis Propylaeum Records, 1888?1997, Collection Guide"
(PDF)
.
Indiana Historical Society
. January 25, 2012
. Retrieved
April 5,
2018
.
- ^
Bodenhamer and Barrows, eds., p. 98.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Kathleen Van Nuys (February 29, 1988). "100 Years for the Propylaeum".
Indianapolis News
. Indianapolis, Indiana. pp. A-10.
- ^
"Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)"
(Searchable database)
. Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology
. Retrieved
2016-08-01
.
Note:
This includes
Dorothy G. Helmer (May 1973).
"National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: The Propylaeum (John W. Schmidt House)"
(PDF)
. Retrieved
2016-08-01
.
and
Accompanying photographs
- ^
Wilbur D. Peat (1962).
Indiana Houses of the Nineteenth Century
. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. p. plate 175.
- ^
Caroline Dunn (1938).
Indianapolis Propylaeum
. p. 40.
OCLC
7756647
.
- ^
"History of the Propylaeum]"
. Retrieved
April 30,
2018
.
- ^
Peat, pp. 149?50.
- ^
Helmer, “National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: The Propylaeum (John W. Schmidt House),” pp. 2?3.
References
[
edit
]
- Bodenhamer, David J., and Robert G. Barrows, eds. (1994).
The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
ISBN
0-253-31222-1
.
CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- Boomhower, Ray E. (2007).
Fighting for Equality: A Life of May Wright Sewall
. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press.
ISBN
978-0-87195-253-0
.
- Dunn, Caroline (1938).
Indianapolis Propylaeum
.
OCLC
7756647
.
- Gugin, Linda C., and James E. St. Clair, eds. (2015).
Indiana's 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State
. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press. pp. 302?04.
ISBN
978-0-87195-387-2
.
CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- Helmer, Dorothy G. (May 1973).
"National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: The Propylaeum (John W. Schmidt House)"
(PDF)
. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
. Retrieved
April 9,
2018
.
- "Historical Sketch" in
"Indianapolis Propylaeum Records, 1888?1997, Collection Guide"
(PDF)
.
Indiana Historical Society
. January 25, 2012
. Retrieved
April 5,
2018
.
- "Indianapolis Propylaeum"
. Indiana Historical Bureau. 2009
. Retrieved
April 9,
2018
.
- Peat, Wilbur D. (1962).
Indiana Houses of the Nineteenth Century
. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society.
- Robinson, Anne P. (2008).
Every Way Possible: 125 Years of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indianapolis Museum of Art.
ISBN
978-0-936260-85-3
.
- Van Nuys, Kathleen (February 29, 1988). "100 Years for the Propylaeum".
Indianapolis News
. Indianapolis, Indiana. pp. A-10.
External links
[
edit
]
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