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Historic Structures of
Valparaiso, Indiana
Commercial Structures
At the heart of this 160-year-old city is the Courthouse Square,
the city center of business and shopping. Built mostly in the
1850's and 1860's, the structure of Courthouse Square forms an
historic arrangement of public and commercial buildings. Almost
150 years and several makeovers later, the square displays a
delightful variety of architectural history in its structures
from 19th century Greek and Roman forms of the Porter County
Courthouse, to the ornate Victorian Opera House, to the neoclassical
First National Bank.
To further strengthen "a living city
image," Valparaiso adopted a strategy of downtown beautification,
an example of cooperation between the city and its residents.
Unfortunately, late in 1996, an arson fire occurred in a major
historic department store building (not shown here) while it
was undergoing renovation .
To visit downtown Valparaiso, from the intersection
of routes 30 and 130, go north 2.3 miles to Center.
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The Porter County Courthouse is located at the center
of the Downtown Valparaiso city square.
Click the above picture for a view of the Courthouse
at night.
A downtown Valparaiso street.
A respectfully maintained clothier's shop in downtown
Valparaiso.
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, reflecting
differences in use of the upper and lower floors of the building.
The street-level zone serves as a public space (in this case,
a retail shop), while the upper floor may serve as living quarters,
meeting rooms or offices.
Elks Temple Building, downtown Valparaiso.
Valparaiso City Hall also houses a Post Office.
Memorial Opera House
1893
On the National Register and hosts regular community
enrichment events. Stone plaque on the front reads:
MEMORIAL HALL
A MONUMENT
TO THE
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
OF 1861-5
Interior pictures of
this building
Courtesy of Dan Orr
This Italianate-style building located at 153 Franklin
(next door to the opera house above) served as a jail and sheriff's
residence from 1871 to 1974. It is now the Historical Society
of Porter County museum. Fashionable in England and the U.S.
in the 1840's and 1850's, the Italianate style is characterized
by low-pitched, heavily-bracketed roofs, and round-arched windows.
The jailhouse portion of the building, built of rusticated
stone, is almost castle-like. The design suggests security and
great soundness. The great care that went into the design of
this building is reflective of the sensitivity of the era in
which it was built. Since this building had to house hardened
criminals in the heart of the downtown area, it was designed
to not only be as unobtrusive as possible, but to actually be
picturesque. And it succeeded grandly.
This grand Richardsonian Romanesque building, a former
school, now houses a boy's and girl's club of Indiana, an excellent
example of a new use for an historic building.
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