The Columbia Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Columbia Club
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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A front view of the Columbia Club with Monument Circle in the foreground.
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 Location in Indianapolis
Location in Indianapolis
Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | 121 Monument Circle, Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Rubush & Hunter |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000063 |
| Added to NRHP | January 27, 1983 |
The Columbia Club is a special private club. It is located right in the center of Indianapolis, Indiana. You can find it on Monument Circle. The building you see today was finished in 1925. It was the third building for the club on that very spot.
Contents
The Columbia Club's Story
How the Club Started
The Columbia Club began on February 13, 1889. It was first called the Harrison Marching Society. A group of important local Republicans started it. They supported Benjamin Harrison when he ran for president.
After the election, the group got a building on Monument Circle. They changed their name to the Columbia Club. This allowed them to keep going as a private club. The club quickly became very popular. It grew into the most important private club in Indianapolis.
Famous Meetings and Members
Today, the club is not just for one political party. It has members from many different groups. The club says that the people who started the Indianapolis Motor Speedway met there. They talked about building the famous race track. The Speedway is home to the Indianapolis 500 race.
In 1984, some secret meetings happened at the club. These meetings were about moving the Baltimore Colts football team to Indianapolis. This is how the team became the Indianapolis Colts.
Many important people have visited the club. Every president from the Republican Party since Benjamin Harrison has been there. This includes presidents who were in office or running for president. Many Indiana state lawmakers also stay at the club. They live there during the legislative session. This is when they make laws for the state.
The club has also had many artists and musicians as members. These include famous people like Hoagy Carmichael and T.C. Steele. The club is part of the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District. This area has many historic buildings.
The Club's Building History
Building a New Home
The Columbia Club's current building was finished in 1925. It was built on Monument Circle. A local architecture company called Rubush & Hunter designed it. The club tore down their old five-story building from 1898. They needed a bigger place for their growing number of members.
The new building is ten stories tall. A smaller club building was on this spot from 1889 to 1898. The Columbia Club is one of the most important buildings in downtown Indianapolis. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. This means it is a special historic place.
Cool Features of the Building
Building Style and Art
The Columbia Club building shows many parts of the Gothic Revival style. This style looks like old castles and churches. It has a multi-story oriel window. This is a window that sticks out from the building. It also has Tudor influences. You can see these in the shape of the window arches.
The building also has special carved panels. These are made from Indiana Limestone. A sculptor named Alexander Sangernebo carved them. He also made carvings for other historic buildings on Monument Circle.
Inside the Columbia Club, you can find lots of Hoosier art. There are also many historic items. These include things from Benjamin Harrison's presidential campaign. There is even part of the Lincoln family's china collection.
In 2004, the club got many paintings from another club. This made their art collection even bigger. They now have a very large collection of paintings. Many of these are by artists from the Hoosier Group. This group includes painters like T.C. Steele. People say that Steele sometimes paid for his club membership with his paintings!
