Through the collaborative work of E-REP and Indiana Landmarks, Evansville’s Hulman Building is already under contract
INDIANAPOLIS (August 22, 2022) – Indiana Landmarks today announced the 10 Most Endangered, an annual list of Hoosier landmarks in jeopardy. The list includes a church designed by a trailblazing Black architect; one of the state’s oldest covered bridges; an Art Deco skyscraper; a commercial block that embodies Indiana’s limestone legacy; a classic high school gymnasium; a long-vacant county home; a pre-Civil War brewery; a courthouse square anchor; an industrial bigwig’s neglected mansion; and the mid-century home of a pioneering African American real estate developer.
Places that land on the 10 Most Endangered list often face a combination of problems rather than a single threat—abandonment, neglect, dilapidation, obsolete use, unreasonable above-market asking price, or owners who simply lack money for repairs.
“Indiana Landmarks uses its 10 Most Endangered list in several ways. Sometimes it serves an educational role. It functions as an advocacy tool. And it can assist in raising funds needed to save a place,” says Marsh Davis, president of the nonprofit preservation organization. “Every listing comes with significant challenges. In all cases, when an endangered place lands on our list, we commit to seeking solutions that lead to rescue and revitalization,” he adds.
The 10 Most Endangered in 2022 includes three sites repeating from last year’s list and seven new entries.
Birdsell Mansion, South Bend
Cades Mill Covered Bridge, Fountain County
Geter Means House, Gary
** Hulman Building & Garage, Evansville (See details below)
Knox County Poor Asylum, Vincennes
First Friends Church, Marion
Stinesville Commercial Buildings, Stinesville
Courthouse Annex Building, New Castle (repeat entry from 2021 list)
James M. Shields Memorial Gymnasium, Seymour (repeat entry from 2021 list)
Kamm and Schellinger Brewery, Mishawaka (repeat entry from 2021 list)
Demolition has claimed only 20 of the 159 Most Endangered sites since the list was introduced in 1991, while 99 places are completely restored or no longer endangered.
To find out more about each of the 10 Most Endangered, visit www.indianalandmarks.org or contact Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534.
Hulman Building and Garage
20 Northwest 4th Street, 109-111 Northwest 3rd Street, Evansville
Since its construction in 1929, a 10-story commercial building on Fourth Street has dominated Evansville’s downtown skyline. Commonly known as the Hulman Building after the company that acquired the site in the 1930s, the building exemplifies Art Deco style as applied to a city skyscraper.
The downtown landmark has been largely vacant and neglected for years, with water leaking in through the roof and windows. In spring 2022, an out-of-state buyer purchased the Hulman Building and neighboring 1927 garage in an online auction, relisting the properties for sale as separate parcels. Splitting up the properties and access to sufficient parking for the Hulman Building makes it less desirable for re-development, further jeopardizing the building’s future.
Without a reuse plan for the property, its high-style period lobby is at risk of being stripped and sold. The Hulman Building is an anchor landmark in an area of downtown that has lost several buildings. The Art Deco standout needs a preservation-minded developer with a vision for making its rare architectural features shine once again.
Contacts for media use:
Danielle Bachant-Bell, Interim Director, Indiana Landmarks Southwest Field Office, cell 812-360-6544, dbachant-bell@indianalandmarks.org
Candace Chapman, Director, Downtown Evansville Development Corporation, 812-421-5888, cell 704-941-1072, cchapman@evvregion.com