By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — A statewide collection of historic fraternal lodges, the former home of a wealthy South Bend industrialist, and once-bustling venues in Anderson, Evansville and Stinesville.

Those sites are among Indiana Landmarks’ 10 “Most Endangered,” an annual list published by the Indianapolis-based nonprofit that seeks to save historical and “meaningful” places across the Hoosier state.

The organization says the places on the list often face a multitude of problems, including abandonment, neglect, or owners who lack money for repairs.

These places “shape lives,” the nonprofit emphasized in a news release, “and when they’re gone, they leave a void that can’t be filled.”

This year’s list features five new landmarks and five repeats from the 2022 list.

“Each endangered place tells a distinct story, and each faces its own set of challenges,” Indiana Landmarks President Marsh Davis said in a statement. “In all cases, when an endangered place lands on our list, we commit to seeking solutions that lead to rescue and revitalization.”

Indiana Landmarks first published its “Most Endangered” list in 1991. Since then, 153 sites have been included on the list. The nonprofit notes that 101 places have been completely restored or are no longer endangered, while only 20 have been demolished.

“Indiana Landmarks uses its 10 Most Endangered list in several ways,” said Davis. “Sometimes it serves an educational role. It functions as an advocacy tool. And it can assist in raising funds needed to save a place. Each endangered place tells a distinct story, and each faces its own set of challenges. In all cases, when an endangered place lands on our list, we commit to seeking solutions that lead to rescue and revitalization.”

Get a glimpse at the full 2023 “10 Most Endangered” list below:

Historic Fraternal Lodges, statewide

Among the landmarks on the list is a statewide collection of historic fraternal lodges. Indiana Landmarks said in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, nearly every town in Indiana had at least one fraternal organization and lodges built by Masons, Odd Fellows, Elks, and other orders.

Lodges in need of revitalization include two in the Jennings County town of Vernon: the 1860 Masonic Building and the nearby International Order of Odd Fellows building.

Other lodges listed include a building constructed in 1899 and occupied by the Improved Order of Red Men, as well as the Knights of Pythias Lodge in Shelbyville.

International Harvester Engineering Building, Fort Wayne

For decades, every truck International Harvester put on the road was designed, developed, and tested at the building and nearby track. The 140-acre complex included labs where engineers could assess the engines and sound of the trucks, as well as a giant freezer to test how vehicles performed in subzero temperatures. From 1986 to 2012, Navistar International owned the building, continuing its use as an engineering facility. It was later acquired by a local developer.

But earlier this year, Allen County Commissioners acquired a parcel along Meyer Road — that includes the site’s Engineering Building — with intent to build a new jail on the undeveloped land and consider the building for county offices. Another developer has already demolished the nearby former test track.

Thomas and Louisa Little House, Plainfield

Built between 1885 and 1891 on the west side of Plainfield, along US 40, the large Queen Anne-style home sits on land first settled by pioneer and state legislator Alexander Little in 1830.

But the stately frame house is “an artifact in peril,” Indiana Landmarks cautioned.

Hendricks Regional Health purchase the Thomas and Louisa Little House and surrounding 15 acres in 2017, proposing to demolish the landmark and build a new medical facility on the site. Members of the community protested, however, circulating an online petition that drew nearly 9,000 signatures in favor of saving the landmark.

Plans for development were subsequently abandoned. The property is now for sale, but without any stipulations for the Little House’s protection.

Starr Historic District, Richmond

Beginning in the 1860s, Richmond’s affluent residents flocked to an elite neighborhood north of the city’s downtown, where they built large homes to reflect their elevated status.

Architecture enthusiasts previously considered the Starr Historic District one of the Midwest’s best-preserved Victorian-era neighborhoods, according to Indiana Landmarks. But today, the area is better known for its ongoing decline.

Most of the large homes built for wealthy families have since been divided into multi-unit rental housing, much of it controlled by “negligent or absentee owners,” the nonprofit said.

State Theatre, Anderson

Opened in 1930 at the corner of 13th and Meridian Streets, the State Theatre featured an eclectic Spanish Baroque facade, with white and emerald-green glazed terracotta. With seating for over 1,500 moviegoers, the interior incorporated state-of-the-art systems, including modern sound and projection technologies and an early form of geothermal heating and cooling.

The theater closed in 2008, and a series of subsequent attempts to redevelop and reopen the property stalled. A pending lawsuit discouraged progress, alleging the City of Anderson contributed to water damage at the landmark in the 1990s by failing to shut off water to the building. The city purchased the theater from an out-of-state buyer in 2019 to resolve the legal issues, hoping the site can become part of downtown redevelopment efforts.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections.

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