INDIANAPOLIS — History looms all around us. But it also crumbles.
Standing on street corners, sitting in your neighborhood, rising from a far hill: Historic buildings dot Hoosier communities across the map. Year in and year out, Indiana Landmarks sounds the alarm on the most endangered sites in Indiana in an effort to save and preserve these generation-spanning structures that hold rich history outside of a textbook.
From churches, to fraternal orders, to manufacturing plants that once shouldered entire communities — these are the places teetering on the brink of extinction and deemed too important to let slip from our fingers.
“Each endangered place tells a distinct story, and each faces its own set of challenges. In all cases, when an endangered place lands on our list, we commit to seeking solutions that lead to rescue and revitalization,” said Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks, a nonprofit preservation organization.
Below are 2024’s 10 Most Endangered Landmarks in Indiana:
Bethlehem Healing Temple, Gary
In need of healing hands.
Occupied since 1996 by the congregation of Bethlehem Healing Temple, the building now suffers a plight shared by many historic churches: a decreasing and aging membership struggling to maintain the large historic structure. With no gutters, water has undermined exterior masonry, resulting in the partial collapse of one wall. Following years of deferred maintenance, the church’s roof failed a couple of years ago, necessitating emergency repairs.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on Bethlehem Healing Temple
College Hall, Merom Camp & Retreat Center, Merom
The high hall and the slow fall.
College Hall continues to be the centerpiece of the Merom Camp and Retreat Center today, providing a gathering place for camps, retreats, weddings, reunions, and a variety of other events. The landmark remains in use, but repair needs exceed what the nonprofit organization can afford. The building’s deferred maintenance is causing more serious issues, including crumbling and collapsed masonry, leaky windows and plumbing, and failing mechanical systems
Indiana Landmarks, entry on College Hall
Rudicel-Montgomery Polygonal Barn, Waldron
A rare survivor.
As the number of historic barns in Indiana shrinks, the Rudicel-Montgomery Polygonal Barn’s unusual design and heritage make it a rural landmark worth saving.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on Rudicel-Montgomery Polygonal Barn
Sollman School, Snake Run (near Fort Branch)
Education on verge of deterioration.
Picturesque even in its decay—a modest white frame building with simple classical details and belltower—the landmark continues to be a favorite in the community. Gibson County leaders are interested in moving the school and restoring it as a field trip destination, but they don’t have funds for such an ambitious endeavor. In a rural community with limited resources, raising the money will be a significant challenge. In the meantime, deterioration continues to take a growing toll on the county’s only remaining one-room school.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on Sollman School
Sposeep & Sons Building, Wabash
A site stained by the sweat of the Industrial Revolution.
City officials would prefer to see the building preserved and adapted for new use, but they are willing to consider demolition to clear the site for new construction if no viable reuse plans emerge. With a renaissance happening in Wabash’s nearby historic commercial district, it would be a shame to lose a historic building with potential to contribute to the ongoing revival.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on Sposeep & Sons Building
West Side Recreation Club, South Bend
Black heritage teetering on the edge.
The former West Side Recreation Club’s neglected condition offers little clue to the important role it once played as a political and social hub for South Bend’s Black community in the early twentieth century.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on West Side Recration Club
Historic Fraternal Lodges, Indianapolis and statewide
A dedicate order left in decline.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, fraternal orders proliferated across the U.S., and lodges built by Masons, Odd Fellows, Elks, and other orders became important community landmarks. Today, participation in fraternal organizations is on a steep decline. As numbers dwindle, more lodges have disbanded or vacated aging outsized facilities, leaving significant buildings at risk.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on Fraternal Lodges
International Harvester Engineering Building, Fort Wayne
A city’s heritage in limbo.
Since the building first appeared on last year’s 10 Most Endangered list, commissioners have terminated Harvester Homecoming’s rental agreement for the Engineering Building and approved funding to study remodeling the site as county offices. No design plans have been approved yet, and preservation advocates want to ensure that any new use respects the building’s architectural significance and important role in Fort Wayne’s manufacturing history.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on International Harvester Engineering Building
Starr Historic District, Richmond
A falling star.
At one time, architecture enthusiasts considered Richmond’s Starr Historic District one of the Midwest’s best-preserved Victorian-era neighborhoods. In recent years, however, the area—a repeat entry on the 10 Most Endangered list—is better known for its ongoing decline.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on the Starr Historic District
State Theatre, Anderson
The silver screen goes silent.
Opened in 1930 at the corner of 13th and Meridian Streets, the State Theatre retains many original architectural details, including its eclectic Spanish Baroque façade with white and emerald-green glazed terra cotta. Inside, however, the picture looks much different: a scene of decay with disintegrating plaster and peeling paint.
Indiana Landmarks, entry on State Theatre
For more information on Indiana Landmarks and their mission, visit their website.
Click here to see the previous year’s top 10 list for most endangered landmarks in Indiana.
