Blair–Dunning House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Blair–Dunning House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Front of the Blair–Dunning House
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 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | 608 W. 3rd St., Bloomington, Indiana |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1822 |
| Architect | Enos Blair |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Federal |
| Part of | Prospect Hill Historic District (ID91000272) |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000009 |
| Added to NRHP | February 10, 1983 |
The Blair–Dunning House is a very old and important house in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It was built almost 200 years ago, starting in the 1820s. Back then, it was a farmhouse surrounded by open land. Today, it sits right in the middle of a busy city neighborhood.
This house is special because it was once home to a Governor! It has been officially recognized as a historic site, which means it's an important place from the past that needs to be protected.
Contents
The House's Beginnings
The land where the Blair–Dunning House stands was first settled in 1817 by Robertson Graham. He farmed there for a short time before selling the land to the town of Bloomington in 1819.
Building the Blair–Dunning House took many years, from 1822 to 1845. It cost about $1,200, which was a lot of money back then! The first person to build and live in the house was Enos Blair. He was a very important person in Monroe County. He was one of the first settlers in the area. Enos Blair also served as the first jailer for Bloomington. Later, he became the sheriff and a Justice of the peace.
Enos Blair passed away in 1845. After that, the house had many different owners over the next twenty years. Some of these owners were important people too, like state representatives Elias Abel and Ransom Akin.
What the House Looks Like
The oldest part of the Blair–Dunning House is made of brick and has a strong stone foundation. It has two stories and a gabled roof. The house is much longer from east to west than from north to south. Because it's on a hill, you can see the foundation at the front.
Outside, you'll notice large rectangular windows with stone sills and tops. There's also a decorative band called a frieze with a cornice under the roof. The chimneys on the east and west ends are also special. The way the house is designed mixes two old styles: Greek Revival and Federal.
When the house was first built, its front door faced north. But in the late 1860s, new sections, called "wings," were added to both the north and south sides. This almost doubled the size of the house! The main entrance was then moved to the eastern end of the original house. Both new wings have one room and look very similar to the original house, with brick walls, gabled roofs, and stone window details.
Inside, the Blair–Dunning House is mostly made of wood, especially a type of wood called yellow poplar. Some cool features inside include very tall baseboards (about 18 inches high!). Every room has a fireplace with a big mantel. The ceilings are also very high, about 11 feet tall, and there's a basement.
Life After Enos Blair
Paris C. Dunning bought the house in 1864. By this time, Dunning was a famous politician in Indiana. He had served in the state legislature and was elected Lieutenant Governor. He even served as Governor from 1838 to 1850.
Paris Dunning only lived in the house for five years. He sold it to a grocer named Jacob Young in 1869. Two years later, businessman Matthew Dillon bought it. The Dillon family owned the farm for the rest of the 1800s and into the 1930s.
Even though the Blair–Dunning House was built in the countryside, the city of Bloomington has grown all around it. Now, the house sits on a double lot within the city. The only original things left around the house are an old pump and two cisterns (which collected rainwater). This growth happened a lot in the 1930s. The Dillon family sold their farm in 1931 to Henry Steele. He divided the land into smaller pieces to create a new neighborhood. This neighborhood was later named the Steele Dunning Historic District in 2000. Today, the house is on a hill at the end of Third Street, a major road in the city. This means you can see it from far away!
Saving the House: Restoration
In the mid-1980s, a group called Bloomington Restorations helped fix up the Blair–Dunning House. The house had many problems, like water damage that almost made the roof fall in. Some of the bricks were crumbling, making the walls weak. Because of this, one of the wings had to be taken down. But don't worry, the bricks were saved and used to rebuild it!
The outside walls had changed a lot over time. They were originally painted red, but by the 1980s, they were grey. For a while in the 20th century, the bricks were even covered with stucco to protect them. Fixing just the outside was expected to cost almost $50,000.
The owner, Lingle Craig, helped a lot by giving the house to Bloomington Restorations in 1984. People had talked about fixing or even tearing down the house for years, but nothing happened until then. The foundation needed a $90,000 loan to complete the work. Besides fixing and repainting the brick walls and rebuilding the wing, they also rebuilt a large back porch and made the walls stronger with steel rods.
In late 1985, the house was sold to some investors from Miami, Florida. They planned to rent it out as offices or for arts and crafts businesses. Today, a law firm called Bauer and Densford uses the house.
In 2010, the house was badly damaged by a quick but strong fire. Flames broke out in many parts of the house just after midnight on July 10. Sprinklers helped reduce the fire's damage, and the city fire department quickly put it out. Many people in Bloomington offered to help the owners fix the building because they knew how important the house was to the community. The law firm promised to repair all the damage.
Why This House is Important
Local historians say the Blair–Dunning House is the most important house in Bloomington. Maybe only buildings on the Indiana University campus are more important.
Because it's so special, the city of Bloomington officially made it a historic site on July 5, 1979. The owners asked for this, and it meant that no big changes could be made to the house without permission from the city. At that time, the city was thinking about extending Third Street right through the house's property. This historic designation stopped that from happening. Some officials didn't like this decision, seeing it as a challenge to the idea of historic preservation.
Four years later, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This happened mainly because it was the home of Paris Dunning. He was the only Indiana politician to have held every elected executive and legislative job in the state government! Today, the Blair–Dunning House is seen as the most important part of the Prospect Hill Historic District. This district, which includes one of Bloomington's oldest neighborhoods, was added to the National Register in 1991.
