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Historic Structures of
Lafayette, Indiana
Commercial Structures
Lafayette (pop.
43,764) is the seat of Tippecanoe Co. in West central Indiana
on the Wabash river.
Incorporated in 1853, Lafayette is a commercial
and manufacturing center located in the middle of a farm region.
Manufactured materials include sheet metal, processed food, automobiles,
truck trailers, paints, aluminum products, and engines. Purdue
University is nearby, in West Lafayette.
According to Indiana Business magazine,
"Preserving and renewing vintage Lafayette tops the agenda
on the east side." The first new downtown hotel in decades,
the $12 million Holiday Inn Select Center City, is being built
with an historic look. Things may be looking good for historic
architecture too. According to the magazine: "In the works
is a renovation of a 1939 movie theater by Deco Entertainment
Inc., to be reopened as a movie/dinner theater."
New development in a city can be a good thing
if it reverses urban decay and a bad thing if it's simply seen
as a way to "get rid of old buildings."
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David E. Ross Building,
1918
308 Main St.
This commercial building is an example of the Gothic Revival
style of architecture. Characterized by pointed arches and ribbed
vaulting, Gothic Revival stemmed from a movement of the 18th
and 19th centuries aimed at reviving the spirit and forms of
Gothic architecture.
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McHugh-Trueblood Building, 1876
424 Columbia
Italianate. Fashionable in England and the U.S. in
the 1840's and 1850's, this style is characterized by low-pitched,
heavily-bracketed roofs, and round-arched windows.
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Perrin Building, 1877
330 Main St.
Another example of the Italianate sytle.
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Lafayette Life Building, 1918
3rd & Main
Three-Part Vertical Block. This was the dominant style
of tall buildings of the period. The facade is divided into three
main "zones" that, though separated, are nevertheless
closely related to one another.
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Mars Theatre, 1921
111 N. 6th St.
This is a two-part commercial block building, the
most common form of architecture for small and moderate-sized
commercial buildings in the United States. The style is characterized
by a horizontal separation into two distinct zones that, though
separated, are nevertheless closely related visually to one another.
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1st Merchant's Nat'l Bank, 1918
316 Main St.
The building is an example of the Vault style of architecture,
which communicates massiveness, stability and enclosure (a commonly-used
and fitting architectural style for banks). The effect is somewhat
reminiscent of the fortified complexes of ancient times. In some
examples of vault architecture, the character is inspired by
Renaissance Italy or 18th-century France.
Generally two to three stories high, the vault has a facade
penetrated by a large, tall and generally narrow central opening,
and occasionally smaller ones on either side.
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Carnahan-Ross-Kaplan Building, 1862
622 Main St.
Two-part commercial block
| These photos are courtesy of the photographer,
Mike Habeck (mhabeck@inetdirect.net).
Mike is with EcoIndiana
and, in addition to being concerned about historic architecture,
is also looking out for the state's natural environment. Our
thanks to Mike for sharing these photos with us. |
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