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Lilly House at Christmas

Richard — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:34:40 +0000

As a magical twighlight began to envelope the landscape, the holiday lights outside the Lilly House at IMA became more visible, adding to the storybook setting. Inside, the rooms are decorated for the season and making it feel that at any moment, it’s resident family members will appear, to join in the celebration and begin opening their presents. This home is one of our community treasures.

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City Market Relic

Richard — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:26 +0000

This last remanant of Tomlinson Hall sits conspicuously by itself just to the west of the City Market on Market Street at Delaware. Built in 1886 about the same time as the market building, Tomlinson Hall contained meeting rooms, retail space, vegetable stands, an auditorium and gymnasium which were used sometimes for large public gatherings. The building was severely damaged by fire in 1958 and demolished shortly after, except for this wonderful masonry detail which serves as a reminder of a bygone era.

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Victory at Home

Richard — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:04:19 +0000

It’s been a little while since I last checked, and was hoping for an unobstructed view this morning of Victory atop the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Circle downtown. After being removed and completely restored recently she was hoisted to her lofty home again a few weeks ago. But I found her still peeking out through the construction cocoon. I was trying to find a good angle to capture her image inside between the horizontal layers of scaffolding which improves the farther away you are away on either Meridian or Market Streets (with zoom lens) or of course the higher you are from street level. But there just really isn’t a great vantage point right now unless you happen to be inside or work at one of the tall buildings around the circle. The surrounding buildings, trees and construction crane blocks out the view from most points at street level.

So I’ll just have to wait for the package to be unwrapped a little later on this year. It’s been a while since the Circle was free of signs of construction, barricades and equipment. It will be nice to have it back again.

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Indiana Landmarks Center

Richard — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:02:00 +0000

This window is one of many other stained glass windows in the Landmarks Center at 12th and Central. I liked this photo not only because the window is beautiful, but also the reflection seen of the trees and grass was interesting. The building is a stunning restoration of the once Central Avenue Methodist Church, now home to Indiana Landmarks. The free tours there on Fridays and Saturdays through October are highly recommended.

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Morris-Butler House

Richard — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:36:53 +0000

The Morris-Butler House should probably be on the must-see list for anyone who likes classic architecture in general or local history…which fits me pretty well actually as I’m intrigued by both. Really impressive structure visually and part of the rich history of Indianapolis. The Old Northside neighborhood where it sits is called that because it was once considered a northern suburb of Indianapolis in its day. It’s hard to imagine that now when you think about the distance that present-day suburban expansion has reached since then. The Morris-Butler House, located at 1204 N. Park, just east of Central, is maintained and operated by Indiana Landmarks and open for the public to see. The Old Northside is in itself worth the time to visit and explore. The homes there are amazing to see and some especially are truly awe-inspiring examples of mid-late 1800′s architecture.

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Glaring Details

Richard — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 19:35:21 +0000

I liked this shot. A close-up of part of the dome on the State Capitol Building. It was a bright sunny day. Nearly noon…and really brought out some of the detail.

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Old School Thinking

Richard — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:22:16 +0000

One of the best features about the Indiana State Museum is the immensity of space there. Large-as-life displays for instance like this replica of the 3-story facade of Indianapolis’ School No. 5. After entering from the underground parking garage, it’s one of the first things you see inside the Grand Lobby. The site of the original School No. 5 was not too far from where the museum is now located and was named after the 19th century social activist and pastor Oscar C. McCullough.

If I didn’t know where this shot was taken, I’d swear it was the real thing. There are some things on display at ISM that will make you stop and think. Something about seeing where you’ve been as a people, a collective recapitulation of sorts, that helps you appreciate the journey and understand your part in it a little better.

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State House

Richard — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:18:27 +0000

If you’ve never been there or if it’s been a while, you might consider taking a couple minutes sometime to go inside the Old State House building downtown at the corner of Capital and Washington Streets. The architecture and features inside are truly remarkable. This view is from the interior of the south wing, the part of the building that has the enormous skylight…which seems ahead of it’s time for 1888 when it was built. The marble columns, incredibly detailed woodwork and period light fixtures are amazing. You feel like you’ve gone back in time the moment you step inside. Funny how a building can actually do that.

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528 Lockerbie Street

Richard — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:24:52 +0000

The James Whitcomb Riley Home and museum sits quietly, wintering just another January day like it’s done for the last 135+ years at 528 Lockerbie Street. The street itself now is kind of an updated version of the original cobblestone one. It has a unique and unmistakable sound and feel when driving on it. Gazing down the street, one can easily imagine horse-drawn carriages there instead of automobiles.

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The Capital…now and then

Richard — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:01:56 +0000

An evening shot of the State Capital building looking west on Market Street taken very recently from high on the steps of the Monument a couple blocks away. I thought the Dome looked especially interesting, all lit-up for the season…and the lights on Market Street give things a nice glow.

Here’s another view below taken in May earlier this year. Obviously a little closer and from a different angle taken from street level. A great looking building huh?

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