Valparaiso, Indiana

A home of the Queen Anne style of architecture. This was an eclectic style of architecture of the 1870s and 1880s named after Queen Anne but actually based on country-house and cottage Elizabethan architecture. It is characterized by a blending of Tudor gothic, English Renaissance and, in the U.S., Colonial elements.

montyjoelnospam@yahoo.com writes:

Please forgive me for taking issue with your identification of the home at 106 Washington in Valparaiso, as being of the bungalow style. I feel it more strongly represents the Arts & Crafts, or Craftsman style. The low sloping roof and broad front porch along with the simple roof brackets are strong elements of this style. This style being so popular in the Midwest, I was very enthused to see it represented in your website, as it is often overlooked. Thank you for making all of these wonderful images available to all.

 Pioneer Apartments

Click the above photo for a picture from a postcard of 1912.

This building's former owner assures me that the building has been well-kept (although the cornice was removed some years ago) and the interior looks much the same today as it did when built.

The Pioneer Apartments were built at the corner of Franklin and Chicago Streets in Valparaiso in 1908 by Perry Sisson. This is one of the largest historical properties in the community. Since that time it has only changed owners 3 times.

At one time, the Inter-Urban Railroad passed right in front of the building bringing people from Gary to Valparaiso. Over the years, more than 1000 people have called the Pioneer home. It's classic architecture features spacious rooms, beautiful oak doors and trim, and 9 foot tall ceilings.

It was built in a unique process using "green" bricks. The bricks were poured into molds right on the property and then set into place "green," which means before the concrete was completely dried. This allowed the bricks to harden in place, forming a stronger bond than other conventional methods of construction.

A picture postcard, submitted by Mr. & Mrs. Floyd Tight of Valparaiso, which shows what the building looked like 90 years ago. The card was dated 1912.

The former owners of the building write:

"The apartments are still very nice inside as well. These are "Chicago-style" apartments, most with large rooms, 9-foot ceilings, wide oak base and some built-in china cabinets. A few even have claw foot tubs.

My brother and I bought the building on July 1, 2001. If you know anyone looking for an apartment, we have a few vacancies. Please send them to us @ (219) 405-3695."

The former owners of this building have also owned the Eldorado (shown above) and the Saran, 3 North Napoleon, and seem to be committed to preservation and historically-accurate maintenance of the buildings. They inform me that they are currently restoring a building that was orginally built in 1900. Kudos to them!

They have recently sold the Pioneer apartments and write that the new owners "share our interest in preserving the property and have invested several hundred thousand dollars in rennovations. You really should stop by and take a look at it. They deserve full credit for their efforts and have won an award locally for best rennovation in Valparaiso. "