140 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, Indiana Theater, c. 1972

Description:	Indiana Theater, 140 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, c. 1972, Architects: Rubush & Hunter, [HISTORY: The Indiana Theatre was the apex of theater design, ornamentation, construction, and fantasy in Indianapolis. Over time the lavish theater auditorium has been lost, but the lobby and charming Indiana Roof survive and hint at its former opulence. When renovated in 1980-1982 by Woollen Associates, the auditorium was reconfigured to provide two theater spaces for the Indiana Repertory Theater. CSO Architects and HDG Architects were responsible for the restoration scheme of the Indiana Roof Ballroom, which reopened in 1986. The building was listed in the National Register in 1979 and recorded in the HABS program. Both the theater rehabilitation and the roof ballroom restoration earned local awards: the 1982 ISA Honor Award and 1986 Indianapolis Chapter AIA Citation Award. BUILDING DESCRIPTION: The six-story, concrete framed, 3,200-seat Indiana is lavishly decorated with white glazed terra-cotta expressing the Spanish Baroque style. It has the appearance of a church façade and features stamped and cast-iron spandrel panels. Although the theater auditorium is gone, the Indiana still dominates the streetscape with its commanding façade and marquee. SIGNIFICANT FEATURES: This façade’s monumental terra cotta face is one of the city’s best examples of the Spanish Baroque. The first floor is divided into three bays, with colonettes dividing the storefront windows and doors and decorated with foliar-molded ceilings and piers. Two ticket booths adorned with decorative tile are located at the outer bays. Projecting over the first floor is the marquee, which is defined by rectangular panels framed with Ionic capitals and scrolled pediments. The three-bay configuration extends vertically to the stories above the marquee. The two simpler outer bays are identical with decorative moldings and niches. Their only break from symmetry is in the raised panels above the fifth floor; the left is in the form of a shield while the right is a sundial. In contrast, the central bay is a Churrigueresque explosion of volutes, swags, portraiture, escutcheons, columns, curves, and niches. Urn-based flame carvings terminate the parapet, with a centrally located entablature crowned with flourishing and a shield. -Monument Circle District Historic Preservation Plan, Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission p. 111] Yes
Created By:	McLaughlin, H. Roll
Source:	http://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p17312coll4/id/301
Collection:	Indiana Landmarks H. Roll McLaughlin Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright:	Copyright Indiana Landmarks. Copyright permissions granted for educational use by Indiana Landmarks
Geography:	Monument Circle District Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States, http://sws.geonames.org/4259418/, 39.7671338 -86.1610841 Indianapolis Marion Indiana 39.7671338 -86.1610841
Subjects:	Built Environment Historic buildings -- Indiana Architecture -- Indiana theater Baroque Revival

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