Around town: What's that building?

We've mentioned once or twice how fortunate we are to live in the Evansville area. We have many amenities in our community (with new developments all the time!), enjoy a low cost of living, and are surrounded by generous, caring neighbors who help look after our families and homes.

Another feature of the Evansville community that has us beaming with pride is our history--especially our architectural history. Have you ever driven around Evansville and Newburgh just sight-seeing? We have an abundance of absolutely beautiful homes and buildings in our area. Evansville Living often features articles about historic neighborhoods and homes around town, and we come across many buyers who specifically want an older home they can work on because they simply want the charm and personality of that home and location.

 The best concentration of these beautiful structures is downtown Evansville. Have you ever done any casual research on the significance and history of some of our stately buildings? It's pretty interesting to learn a bit about what these buildings have been used for throughout the years.

The inspiration to write this particular blog came from the recent press about the Owen Block at Second Street and Chestnut. There are numerous community groups, private citizens, and even the city banding together to try to save this structure as it was abandoned by its owners. It made us wonder what other hidden gems we're driving or walking by each day?

Here are just a few of our favorites...

The Greyhound Bus Terminal
Built: 1939
Architecture style: Modern
Vacated: 2007 when the METS system moved to its new location downtown.
Current state: Under renovation. The Historic Landmark Preservation office could be housed there and there is room for retail space, a restaurant, or farmers market office space.

The Hulman Building
Built: 1929
Architecture style: Art Deco
Fun fact: The building got its name when it was purchased by The Hulman Family of Indy 500 fame (owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway).
Current state: Houses Evansville Commerce Bank, Bamberger Foreman Oswald & Hahn law firm, and an upscale men's clothing store.

The Old Courthouse
Built: 1890
Architecture style: German Baroque
Fun facts: Occupies an entire city block, features 14 human figure statues by Franz Engelsmann, and showcases carvings of fruits, vegetables, and flowers indigenous to the area.
Current State: Used as an historic venue for events like meetings and receptions, and the Old Courthouse Catacombs is produced and visited in the building each Halloween season.

The Old Post Office & Customs House
Built: 1869
Architecture style: Richardsonian Romanesque
Vacated: 1969 when the federal government removed the post office annex from that location.
Current state: Renovated to become an event center called the Old Post Office Plaza with Just Rennie's and The Acropolis as catering options. There is also office/retail space available for lease.

Willard Library
Built: 1877
Architecture style: Gothic Revival
Fun fact: Willard Carpenter, who built and endowed the building, initially wanted it to be a college. However, he lost a great deal of money in a railroad investment and was encouraged by the community to develop a library instead because it would fare better. Today, the most well-known "fact" about the library is that it is supposedly haunted by The Grey Lady
Current state: Willard Library is still open and used by the public as a library. It supports a large genealogy database and hosts an active calendar of events each year.

What are some of your favorite historic buildings around the Tri-State? We would love to hear from you! In the meantime, remember that we live in a community filled with wonderful resources and untapped potential. It's up to us as citizens to support future growth and activity here. Get involved!

(Food for thought: The more thriving and desirable the community, the higher home values rise!)