Odd Fellows Building, 1 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, Rubush & Hunter: Architects

Description:	Odd Fellows Building, 1 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, Rubush & Hunter: Architects c. 1907[HISTORY: The Odd Fellows Building was built by the Grand Lodge of Indiana of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F), one of many popular 19th century fraternal lodges. This building replaced an earlier Odd Fellows lodge hall that was built in 1854. The top two floors originally were used for Odd Fellow offices and the very top floor contained an ornate 1300-seat auditorium. First Federal Savings and Loan Association, a tenant since 1955, bought the building from the Grand Lodge Association in 1960 and remodeled it in 1963-64. BUILDING DESCRIPTION: Upon completion at fourteen stories, this building was the tallest in the state. The main (west) façade is five bays wide with the main entrance originally located at the northern-most bay, while the south façade is three bays wide. The first floor was and still is used for retail purposes, with stories above for commercial office space. Following the “column” skyscraper formula popular at the time, the first three floors serve as a base, with floors four through twelve serving as the shaft with piers providing strong vertical lines, and the top two floors create the capital topped by a massive stone entablature. Originally the south and west facades were clad with Indiana Bedford limestone from Bedford Stone & Construction Company. By 1961 the first floor had been remodeled by the Bank Building Corporation of America in St. Louis, MO for First Federal. The more involved remodel of 1963-64 resulted in stripping all limestone and ornamentation off the first three floors and cladding them with polished granite, and replacing all the doors and windows with brushed metal frames. The arches of the fourteenth floor windows were also lost. SIGNIFICANT FEATURES: Much of the building’s façade details between the fourth and fourteenth floors remain intact, although the window openings have been replaced or covered. The limestone elements were the work of local sculptor Alexander Sangernebo. Horizontal lines punctuated by geometric shapes decorate the spandrels between floors. Cartouches with foliar moldings topped by lion heads and face masks adorn the twelfth floor. Dentil molding separates the shaft from the capital sections. An entablature, cornice, and parapet embellished with more geometric and foliar moldings crown the capital. -Monument Circle District Historic Preservation Plan, Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission p. 180] Yes
Created By:	McLaughlin, H. Roll
Source:	http://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p17312coll4/id/345
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/, 39.7670249 -86.1562702 Indianapolis Marion Indiana 39.7670249 -86.1562702
Subjects:	Built Environment Historic buildings -- Indiana Architecture -- Indiana club/commercial

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