Engraving of the University Building on Butler Universitys College Avenue campus

Description:	Created by Stephen H. Gimber, this engraving of the University Building on Butler Universitys College Avenue campus was based on the architects plans. At the time of the buildings construction, the University went by its original name, North Western Christian University, which it used from 1855 until 1877. Located near the northeast corner of what is now the intersection of 13th Street and College Avenue in Indianapolis, the building was designed by architect William Tinsley. Referred to as the University Building in North Western Christian University catalogs, the building was designed in the Collegiate Gothic architectural style. Construction began in 1854 and the building was completed in 1855, with the first day of college classes beginning on November 1, 1855. Located in a forest setting, the University Building was an L-shaped, three story brick building with stone quoins and additional stone details around the windows and between each story. An article in the August 13, 1892, issue of the Indianapolis News titled Home of the Orphans, described the building as a picturesque structure of three stories, with towers, gables, projecting windows and corners and trimmings of stone (p. 1). The building could accommodate approximately 300 students. Inside, the central staircases were made of black walnut and there was room for a chapel, offices, four recitation rooms, and rooms for literary societies. Tinsleys original design was for a large central tower with wings on each side, but less than half of the original design was constructed. The University planned to expand the building as the school grew, but this never happened as the University moved to Irvington in 1875. Both the Indianapolis Orphans Asylum and the Physio-Medical College of Indiana occupied the building after the University moved, but after the Physio-Medical College closed in 1909, the building was demolished in 1910.
Created By:	Gimber, Stephen Henry, 1810-1862
Publisher:	J. Challen & Sons Publishers
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/1492
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Copyright:	No Copyright - United States
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.784381, -86.144685 39.784381 -86.144685
Subjects:	Engraving Butler University--History North Western Christian University (Indianapolis, Ind.)--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History College buildings College facilities Indianapolis Orphans Asylum Trees University Building College Avenue campus Physio-Medical College of Indiana Collegiate Gothic

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