The Athenæum, originally named ''Das Deutsche Haus'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: "The German House"), is the most ornate and best-preserved building affiliated with the

German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

community of

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. Once used as a German American ''

Turnverein Turners (, ) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber (1798–1872), were the leading sponsors of gymnastics as ...

'' and

clubhouse Clubhouse may refer to: Locations * The meetinghouse of: ** A club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal ** In the United States, a country club ** In the United Kingdom, a gentlemen's club * A ...

, it currently houses many groups, organizations, and businesses. The Athenæum is located across Massachusetts Avenue from the Old National Centre. It was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on February 21, 1973. On October 31, 2016, it was named the 41st

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in Indiana.

History

Einladung zur Dorfkirchweih - DPLA - 1b9c6f53af53b4437a9560df2d9519c3

In the 19th century, many German immigrants made their home in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. A majority of these immigrants, called Forty-Eighters, relocated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

following the failed

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

in the German states. These immigrants quickly formed musical, political, and social clubs after the German idea of club life, including the '' Männerchor'', ''

'', and ''Liederkranz''. Many of these immigrants believed in the philosophy of

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (11August 177815October 1852) was a German gymnastics educator and nationalist whose writing is credited with the founding of the German gymnastics (Turner) movement, first realized at Volkspark Hasenheide in Berlin, the origin of modern sports ...

. In 1892, to preserve their German heritage, the German clubs formed the ''Sozialer Turnverein Aktiengesellschaft'' (

: Social Gymnastics Association Inc.), an association to finance the building of a clubhouse. The clubhouse was built as a house of culture for the mind and body. All the German clubs would be united under a single roof. For a cost of $32,000, two lots were purchased at the corner of Michigan and New Jersey streets. A German neighborhood called Lockerbie Square, also known as Germantown, surrounded the clubhouse. Construction of the East Wing began in May 1893, and was finished in 1894. The West Wing construction started in 1897 and was completed in 1898. German American architects Bernard Vonnegut Sr. (grandfather of Indianapolis novelist

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...

) and Arthur Bohn designed both wings. It was called Das Deutsche Haus and hosted many organizations, including the German-American Veterans Society, the German-American School Society, the Socialer Turnverein Women's Club, the German Ladies' Aid Society, and the Turner Building and Savings Association. There were 500 members by 1896. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs In 1897, the ''Musikverein'' (Music Society) was founded at Das Deutsche Haus; it included a 60-piece orchestra, a male choir, and a mixed choir. The Athenaeum Orchestra is now the oldest orchestra in Indianapolis. In 1907, Das Deutsche Haus agreed to house the Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union in its east wing. The normal school trained physical education teachers for schools across the country.

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

incorporated the school in 1941 as a department of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. It claims to be the oldest school of physical education in the United States. With the anti-German sentiments of World War I, the clubhouse renamed itself the Athenæum. Today, the Athenaeum is operated by the nonprofit Athenaeum Foundation.

Architecture

The front part of the building is the East Wing. It is built in the German

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

. The wing has a gable roof. There is a three storied brick tower with a

conical In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the ''apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...

slate roof. The entrance is flanked by two Roman Doric columns, and is arched with a semicircle of limestone. The upper windows are arched and the gymnasium has bullseye-shaped windows. The West Wing is done in the German

style and incorporates German architecture with Renaissance elements. It has a steep pitched

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downward to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, with variants including Tented roof, tented roofs and others. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other ve ...

. This wing also has a three storied brick tower but it has a curved

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

and spire. The wing has various window styles and some windows have stained glass. Roman Doric columns are placed beside the arched entrance. At each end of the main roof there are copper covered

cupolas In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

. The wing has a

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

above its

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

. The faces of the stone

voussoir A voussoir ( UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Acces ...

s of the arches are projected outward. The facade is decorated with terra cotta

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German, as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

s. One figure in particular is

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

, the building's namesake, who is placed in the top arch.

Facilities

The Athenæum Foundation nonprofit organization is dedicated to preserving the historical Athenæum and serving the Indianapolis community. The foundation sponsors events and programs throughout the year. Free tours of the Athenæum are offered twice a month between March and December. Group tours can also be scheduled. In the Athenaeum is the Rathskeller Restaurant, which is the oldest restaurant in the city.

Events

In October 2009, the Athenaeum held its first annual GermanFest. The event, held outside on New Jersey Street, featured the Männerchor, the Saenger Chor, Meisterwinds,

dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: 'badger dog'), also known as the wiener dog or sausage dog, badger dog, doxen and doxie, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, with varie ...

races, dancing, children's activities, and a visit from Mayor Greg Ballard.

References

External links