C Named Places in Allen County, Indiana

Cadmium Dusting

In the early 1950s the U.S. government released zinc cadmium sulfide dust over Fort Wayne and other cites. Local newspapers discussed this many years ago, probably in the 1990s when it was widely publicized. Discussed February 4, 2017 and December 28, 2017 and August 3, 2018 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. A U.S. Army Chemical Corps operation dispersed microscopic zinc cadmium sulfide (ZnCdS) particles over much of the United States. The purpose was to determine the dispersion and geographic range of biological or chemical agents. It was called Operation LAC (Large Area Coverage) according to Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Cold War Chemical Tests Over American Cities Were Far Below Dangerous Levels published May 14, 1997 by NEWS from the National Academies. Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion Tests: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions from 1997 published at the National Center for Biotechnology InformationU.S. National Library of Medicine

Calhoun Street

A2Z Mercantile Building in 2017, 1835 S. Calhoun St. Ceiling collapses on Fort Wayne firefighter during blaze at 100-year-old near-downtown building by Lisa Esquivel Long published October 30, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.

Cambray Building

Street View photo from Google maps

Formerly the E. M. Baltes Building at 312 South Harrison St.. It was moved January 29, 2018 to around 503 South Harrison for the Riverfront development project to be restored as a restaurant by Don Hall Restaurant's. The Riverfront at Promenade building was built across Superior Street and the new Promenade Park.

  1. It was discussed in Old building is on the move to becoming a ‘cool’ new downtown Hall’s restaurant by Kevin Leininger published January 6, 2018 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
  2. A 43 second time-lapse video shown below of moving the building was posted January 29, 2018 on Facebook and in the article Building begins move to become new downtown Hall’s restaurant by Kevin Leininger in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
  3. A 1919 versus 2019 photo posted February 5, 2019 by Don Hall's Restaurants on Facebook.
  4. February 5, 2019 video timelapse of the process it took to move the Cambray Building across Superior Street was posted CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15 on Facebook and discussed February 9, 2023 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
  5. A 1913 photo was posted January 29, 2022 then a share January 29, 2022 of a January 28 2018 video by Halls on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

February 5, 2019 post by Boyden & Youngblutt on Facebook.

If you weren't able to join us for the four-hour long live feed of the building move, we were able to compress everything you need to see in just under four minutes (the building is moving at 8x the actual speed in this video. Check out our live stream replay from earlier to see how slow it was actually moving.) Be sure to watch until the end to see how much of a tight squeeze it was.

We are elated for our new neighbors, and we are so excited to see the Fort Wayne skyline change—from our perspective.

This is its second move in a year. Its original resting place was 312 S. Harrison Street for around 124 years before it moved across the street next to our agency (at 120 West Superior Street) in January last year. Now, it has finally moved to its final resting point at the southeast corner of Superior and Harrison—where it will become a two-story restaurant with a patio overlooking Promenade Park. We look forward to seeing what Bud Hall and his team do with this historic building.

Former Cambray Building in downtown Fort Wayne is moved by The News-Sentinel published January 29, 2018 on YouTube.

High Res Cambray Building by FortWayneParks published February 21, 2018 on YouTube.

Historic Brick Building Relocation in Fort Wayne, IN by Wolfe House & Building Movers, LLC. Published February 27, 2018 on YouTube.
This 36'x100', two story, triple brick building was moved across the road and rotated 90 degrees to preserve it from demolition. The building's new owner is restoring the building and turning it into a restaurant. The 515 ton building was moved on 14 Buckingham Dollies and powered with a BU-173 Power Unit. The preparation took several weeks but the move itself was done within a couple of hours.
See their web site: Historic Cambray Building Relocated in Fort Wayne, IN — January 30 2018

Camp Allen Park

A sign on Main Street points to Camp Allen Park where a monument was erected May 4, 2017 but not shown in the 2015 Street View photo from Google map. The monument was placed at the old Kekionga Ball Grounds, which is now Camp Allen Park along the St. Marys River on the northwest side of downtown Fort Wayne. It marks the location of the first professional baseball league game played between the Fort Wayne Kekiongas and the Cleveland Forest Citys on May 4, 1871. Fort Wayne defeated Cleveland 2-0 in the game. City Councilman Geoff Paddock, baseball historian Bill Griggs and the local Society of American Baseball Research worked with the Fort Wayne Parks Department to place the monument.

750,000 Americans lost their lives in the Civil War. In Allen County alone, 4,000 citizens went to war, many of them receiving the bulk of their preparation and training on West Main Street’s Camp Allen, located just west of the Saint Marys River. Nearly 500 of those soldiers lost their lives during the war. Copied from the newspaper article Area's ties to Civil War still reverberate Timothy S. Goeglein published July 13, 2022 in The Journal Gazette newspaper

In the 1870s Camp Allen was the location of the Kekiongas Ball Grounds for the Fort Wayne Kekionga Baseball Team named for Kekionga the Miami Indian name for their village at the three rivers.

See our sections on Baseball, Fort Wayne Daisies, League Park, Kekionga Ball Grounds, Fort Wayne Kekionga Baseball Team, Parkview Field, Fort Wayne TinCaps, and Fort Wayne Wizards.

  1. Camp Allen Park at Fort Wayne Parks.org
  2. Camp Allen Park: Play Ball! by Tom Castaldi published April 4, 2013 on the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
  3. Camp Allen Park on the Saint Mary’s by Emily Royer published September 15, 2015 on History Center Notes & Queries blog.
  4. Monument to mark site of 1871 pro baseball game Ceremony will be held Thursday evening at Camp Allen Park posted May 3, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
  5. Sebring: Indiana baseball group wants monument on historical game site From Blake Sebring at the Fort Wayne News Sentinel on November 28, 2016, with mention of SABR member Bill Griggs. on SABR Society for American Baseball Research.
  6. Camp Allen Park spot marks first professional league game by Blake Sebring was published May 20, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
  7. Honoring a friend’s last goal Camp Allen Park spot marks first professional league game by Blake Sebring posted May 23, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
  8. Photo of Camp Allen and Kekionga Ball Grounds sign posted June 18, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
  9. Photos posted by Joshua Schipper concerning a new book he is writing on Fort Wayne Park's was discussed October 12, 2022 on Fort Wayne Community Memories on Facebook.
  10. Photos posted by Joshua Schipper concerning a new book he is writing on Fort Wayne Park's was discussed October 12, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook

Camp Thomas A. Scott

3615 Oxford Street "originally a training center for the Army's Railroad Operating Battalions. But at the end of the war, it was the detention center for more than 600 German prisoners of war, mostly from Field Marshall Erwin Rommel's famed Afrika Korps." from World War II camp had impact on city by Michael Hawfield published December 15, 1990 in Cityscapes from the archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper. November 22, 2011photo posted on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook, and Wikipedia location. Camp Scott Wetlands on City Utilities page. Camp Scott Constructed Wetlands brochure by City of Fort Wayne. Many comments on October 18, 2018 and May 16, 2019 discussions on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. Camp Thomas A. Scott - Fort Wayne, Indiana on Waymarking.com. See our German Heritage page for more information. November 5, 2022 a November 12, 1944 newspaper article was posted on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.

Canal House

Street View photo from Google maps

114 East Superior Street, was built in 1852 by John Brown, a stonemason, who came from Glascow, Scotland in 1847 with his wife Mary.

John Brown Stone Warehouse

1940s-1950s era newspaper clipping

  1. John Brown Stone Warehouse 30-page National Register of Historic Places Registeration Form at IN.gov.
  2. John Brown Stone Warehouse 33-page National Register of Historic Places Registeration Form filed November 14, 1997 at the National Park Service
  3. Google Search results.
  4. Canal House story by Tom Castaldi published April 11, 2014 in the History Center Notes & Queries blog.
  5. Canal House is Stop #16 on the ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage) Central Downtown Trail.
  6. Canal House sign, 114 East Superior Street (Fort Wayne, Ind.) marker photo at Indiana Historic Architecture Slide Collection at iupuidigital.org.
  7. Historic Gem The Canal House by Karla Hesterman, with photo by Jeffrey Crane published May 16, 2012 in Business People magazine.
  8. John Brown Stone Warehouse at Clio.com
  9. April 21, 2016 post by on Facebook:

    Hidden gem: Built in 1852, the Canal House lives on as Fort Wayne's oldest surviving commercial building.

    The historic structure, which is located on Superior Street in downtown Fort Wayne, served as an office, home and warehouse used in trade along the Wabash and Erie Canal. #TBT

    Learn more from ARCH, Inc.: Canal House

  10. Canal House by Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and author

    April 7, 2018 in Fort Wayne Reader.

    John Brown, stonecutter, mason and merchant of related building supplies, constructed his warehouse at 114 E. Superior Street (which at the time was called Water Street) in 1852. This building, still standing, is the oldest commercial building in Fort Wayne, and the last local structure that is directly linked to the Wabash & Erie Canal.

    While most of the businesses and residential activity would have been on the south side of the canal, the real estate on the canal’s north side would have been priced to fit Brown’s needs, as his back door (which then very likely would have been considered the front door) was about 50 feet from the towpath and adjacent canal. Just outside his door would have been mules and horses pulling packet (passenger) and line (freight) boats going east to Toledo or west to Huntington and beyond with the southern terminus being in downtown Evansville, just two blocks from the Ohio River.

    Brown’s business occupied this rubble-style building for about 10 years before he sold it 1862. Over the next few decades, the building had a number of owners and uses before ownership was transferred to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company in 1885 who then owned it for the next 86 years. Also known as the Nickel Plate Railroad (later Norfolk and Western and now Norfolk Southern), it was that company that purchased the canal right-of-way through Fort Wayne in 1881 and began filling it in. The first regularly scheduled Nickel Plate passenger train arrived over the old canal bed in the fall of 1882.

    In 1971 the railroad deeded the canal house to the City of Fort Wayne. As preparation for the nation’s bicentennial two years hence, in 1974 the building was identified as a potential restoration project. This led to the formation of ARCH, our local architecture and heritage preservation organization, who with many helping hands completed the Canal House project in 1976. The building then housed the Fine Arts Foundation (now Arts United) offices from 1977 to 2010, when they moved to Arts United Center and then on to the Auer Center in 2011.

    The 166-year-old Canal House has now sat empty for the past eight years and is deteriorating from neglect. It, along with the old bus depot lot to the east (who moved to Baker Street in 2012) and the empty site to the west that was the Trolley Bar and adjacent Norfolk & Western passenger depot, all belong to the City of Fort Wayne. With the Landing Project revitalization, Superior Lofts, Promenade Park and other touted nearby development, one hopes a new use for this historic block that includes preservation of the forlorn Canal House will also soon be announced.

    A tip of the hat for research and information by John Loveland, Tom Castaldi, Walter Sassmannshausen, Betsy Kachmar and Susan Mendenhall.

    Randy Harter is a Fort Wayne historian/author and the architecture/history guide for FortWayneFoodTours.com

  11. Was discussed in the article Preserving history: The stories behind Fort Wayne’s endangered landmarks by: Josh Ayen posted: Nov 16, 2021 by CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.

Capehart-Farnsworth

See Homer E. Capehart, Philo T. Farnsworth, or Farnsworth Radio and TV Corporation

Page 296 Cantor - Encyclopedia of Radio

Capehart Corporation

The history of the Capehart Corporation in Fort Wayne, Indiana, dates back to the late 1920s, when entrepreneur Homer Earl Capehart (1897-1970) established the foundations for the enterprise. Capehart was known for producing quality high-end phonographs, radios,radio-console combinations, and jukeboxes.

Homer E. Capehart was born 6 June 1897 in Algiers, Indiana, and he grew up on a farm. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Army from 1917 to 1919 and advanced to the rank of sergeant. He joined the J.I. Case Corporation as a salesman and soon earned a reputation as a man who could sell anything. He moved from sales to entrepreneurship, at first manufacturing and selling popcorn poppers. In 1928 he established the Automatic Phonograph Corporation; by 1929 the company was manufacturing "talking machines" and was known as the Capehart Automatic Phonograph Corporation. Capehart served as founder and president from 1927to 1932. During the 1930s Depression era, when other companies such as Philco and the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) were developing low-priced consumerradio sets to encourage sales, Capehart stood stubbornly behind the company's high-quality, expensive receivers. This decision led the company to the brink of bankruptcy. In the early 193os, at the height of the Depression, Capehart joined Wurlitzer, a producer of jukeboxes, and as a result the Capehart Corporation was saved. Capehart himself served as vice president of the Wurlitzer Company from 1933 to 1938. The joining of the two companies was a complementary success: Wurlitzer sold jukeboxes, which in turn sold records, which in turn created a demand for the Capehart phonograph. The investment helped make Capehart a wealthy man. Despite success with Wurlitzer, Homer Capehart was forever the adventurer and entrepreneur, and by the end ofthe 1930s he was ready to move into real estate.

In 1938 the Capehart Company and all its "real estate, plants, factories ...all patents, patent licenses and patent application rights, and trade marks" were sold to the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation. Farnsworth kept the name Capehart because of its reputation for quality radio and phonograph manufacturing.The Capehart manufacturing entities were retooled to manufacture both Farnsworth and Capehart brand-name radio and television receivers intended for consumer sale. The Farnsworth Corporation was banking on the Capehart organization's reputation for quality to launch its entrance into the manufacturing business. However, World War II intervened, and the plants were converted a second time, this time for the manufacturing ofarmed forces communication equipment. Following the war, the name Capehart surfaced again. By 1949 the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation

Page 297 - Capital Radio

(ITT) had purchased the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation, and the Capehart-Farnsworth division of the company was returned to consumer manufacturing. However, even with the financial backing of ITT, the Capehart-Farnsworth sets were never able to capture a significant share of the radio and television manufacturing market. They were competing against the giants of radio manufacturing at the time-RCA, General Electric, Philco, and Westinghouse. By 1954 the Capehart-Farnsworth division of ITT was split. The Farnsworth Electronic division continued as a wholly owned subsidiary of ITT, but the Capehart manufacturing was sold in 1956 to the Ben Gross Corporation, a holding company. The manufacturing properties in Fort Wayne were retained by ITT, CAPITAL RADIO 2.97 the remaining assetswere sold,and the Capehartname disappeared from the history of radio and television.

DONALD G. GODFREY

See also High Fidelity; Receivers

Further Reading

Godfrey, DonaldG., Philo T Farnsworth:The Father of Television, Salt Lake City: Universityof Utah Press, 2.001 Pickett, WilliamB., HomerE. Capehart:A Senator's Life, 1897-1979, Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1990 Sampson, Anthony, The Sovereign State ofITT, New York: Stein and Day, 1973

 

Homer E. Capehart was a businessman and politician who grew wealthy manufacturing phonographs, radios, and jukeboxes, and served as a Republican Senator from Indiana from 1944-1962. Starting out as a salesman, Homer Capehart founded the Automatic Phonograph Corporation in 1927, which became the Capehart Corporation in 1928, with headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Copied from Capehart-Farnsworth 661-P Television (1948) on antiqueradio.org. See Homer E. Capehart and Philo T. Farnsworth.

  1. Capehart Phonograph Company Fort Wayne, Indiana Google search.
  2. Corp.; Fort Wayne, IN - see also Farnsworth at Radiomuseum.org.

Capitol Theater

172 West Berry Street - is known to have been in operation as the Majestic Theater a history of Fort Wayne published in 1917 says that it opened on October 24, 1904 shown in this 1906 ACPL interior photo and 1910s Billy Holcomb flickr photo and as late as the 1920’s in this photo at the Allen County Public Library Digital Collections at the Allen County Public Library. By 1941, it had been renamed Capitol Theater, and it continued until at least 1950. Photos, comments and information from cinema Treasures. The Indiana DNR - Indiana Department of Natural Resourceshas this list of theaters.

Casad Depot

New Haven Depot (DNSC-OLNH) is on 268 acres of land owned by the federal government. Is part of the DLA's Defense National Stockpile Center. Entranceis located on the north side of Dawkins Road (formerly State Route 14), approximately 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) east of New Haven. Surrounded by an 8-foot high fence topped with three-stranded barbed wire. As of 2011 only security staff are on site. From GlobalSecurity.org.Discussed June 17, 2013 onthe original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook. Alliance proposes east Allen projects; Casad Depot could become industrial park by Rosa Salter Rodriquez published December 15, 2016 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. The book Fort Wayne is Seventh on Hitlers List by Michael Martone discusses the depot and more was a discussion February 5, 2017 and February 9, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Casa Restaurant Group

Originated in 1977 when friends Jimmy D’Angelo and Tom Casaburo opened their first restaurant on Coldwater Road. Casa’s…Fort Wayne’s “own” Italy! on Visit Fort Wayne blog. See photos and history on their About Us web page.

The Casino

Photo of perhaps the first movie theater in Fort Wayne was at 1212 South Calhoun Street (West Side) at Lewis Street in 1906. From March 31, 2018 and July 30, 2019 discussions on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Castle Gallery

1202 West Wayne, Street View photo from Google maps, http://www.castlegallery.com/

Cebolla

Cebolla’s – one of Fort Wayne’s Favorite Mexican Restaurants! Visit Fort Wayne blog.

Cedar Creek

www.friendsofcedarcreek.org. See State Officials at Cedar Creek August 2, 1919 Fort Wayne News newspaper article posted August 23, 2017 onthe original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook. See Cedar Creek Guide posted November 9, 2017 on their Friends of Cedar Creek Facebook page.

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Centennial

The summer of 1916 50,000 spectators watched 1,100 citizen volunteers in The Glorious Gateway of the West celebration of the 100th birthday of Indiana at Reservoir Park. The Day Res Park was the Center of the World by Eric Olson, 21Country Featured Reporterpublished February 9, 2017. There are quite a few photos from The History Centersuch as Fort Wayne's Centennial Celebration Arches (1629) description says: Photograph of 1795-1895 Centennial arch during Fort Wayne's Centennial Celebration, October 16-23, 1895. on History Center Digital Collection on the mDON mastodon Digital Object Networksimilar information linked from Indiana Memory. Fort Wayne's Centennial Celebration Trade Card (1676) description says: Photograph of a trade card issued by Thieme Brothers, Tailors, during Fort Wayne's Centennial Celebration. on History Center Digital Collection on the mDON mastodon Digital Object Networkand similar information on Indiana Memory. Fort Wayne's Centennial Celebration Arches (1666) description: Photo postcard taken by photographer F. Schanz during the Fort Wayne's Centennial Celebration. View looks south on Calhoun Street near Wayne Street. Two white arches span the street and are marked "Anthony Wayne" and "Little Turtle". Banners cross the street and vehicles, trolley and people are visible. Banner saying Ft. Wayne Lodge No. 14 I.O.O.F. Welcom[e] Broth[ers] is strung across the street. Fort Wayne's Centennial Celebration Arches (1685) description: Photo postcard taken by photographer F. Schanz during the Fort Wayne Centennial Celebration. One white arch labeled Centennial spans Calhoun Street near Lewis Street. View is looking south on Calhoun Street with trolley and people visible. "Erected by Catholic Societies of Ft. Wayne" written on end of card. on History Center Digital Collection on the mDON mastodon Digital Object Networkand similar information on Indiana Memory. Some of these photos were discussed April 30, 2019 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Centlivre Brewery

Former location of Centlivre Brewery on Spy Run north of East State Boulevard in Street View photo from Google map

Centlivre Brewery posted March 22, 2021 by Friends of the Rivers on YouTube.

1883 Centlivre advertisement in City Directory
1883 City Directory image

In 1862, the French Brewery began operations along the St. Joseph River under the ownership of C.L. Centlivre. See their advertisement in the 1883 Fort Wayne City Directory. In 1961, Centlivre became employee owned and renamed Old Crown Brewery. It closed in 1970 and due to vandalism damage was demolished in 1989. Centlivre's home and carriage house still stand across the street. The statue that stood above the plant can be seen at Don Hall's Gas House on Superior Street. From September 22, 2015 discussion by Daniel Baker on Facebook.

Centlivre Brewery ca. 1940

By Randy Harter

Fort Wayne Reader 2017-06-19

Charles Lewis Centlivre founded the French Brewery on Spy Run Avenue between the St. Joe River and the Wabash & Erie Feeder Canal in 1862. Through the years, the company would have several name changes: C. L. Centlivre Brewing Co. 1893-1918; during Prohibition, Centlivre Ice & Storage Co. 1918 – 1933; Centlivre Brewing Corp 1933 – 1961; and finally, Old Crown Brewing Co. 1961 through the company being dissolved in 1973.

Along with his sons Louis A. and Charles F.; his daughter Amelia’s husband John Reuss; and Brewmaster Peter Nussbaum Charles Centlivre built a thriving business that also included a street car line from downtown to the brewery and his beer gardens, Centlivre Park, which was located along Spy Run Creek, the current site of the Centlivre Apartments. At the park, families could gather for picnics, musical performances and sporting events as well as naturally drink a little beer. The park would later serve as the city’s circus grounds for many years, as well as the site of a horse riding academy. His street-car line not only allowed revelers from the city to make the trip north of town down Spy Run Avenue, but also gave steady dependable transportation of the finished beer to the Nickel Plate Railroad station (for which “Little Nick” was made) and the dozens of saloons downtown. Through the years Centlivre made a variety of beers, including during prohibition a near-beer called “That’s It.” Other of the Centlivre/Old Crown brands included: Nickel Plate Special, Old Reliable, Old Crown Ale, Old Crown Bock, Muenchener, Bohemia, Centlivre Tonic, Alps Brau and others.

This image reflects the 1889 rebuilt brewery after a fire in July of that year had leveled much of the original. In 1890, the employees commissioned a nine foot tall statue of C. L. Centlivre which was placed atop the main building. C. L. died four years later at age 67. Don Hall would later purchase the statue, which now stands above the Hall’s Old Gas House restaurant with C.L. pointed wistfully down Spy Run towards his former business and home. The large cast metal C. L. Centlivre lettering that was on the main building is now mounted on the bar wall at Hall’s Triangle Park.

Old Crown (Centlivre) Brewing Co. closed on December 1, 1973 along with the last use of the company’s terms “Lazy-Aged” and “Smoother-ized”. Some of the buildings were quickly removed, with the last of them being razed in 1989. Remnants of the once renowned company include the brick Queen Anne style home of brewmaster Peter Nussbaum, designed by John Riedel at the corner of Spy Run and Nussbaum Avenues, and the frame Queen Anne home of C. L. Centlivre designed by Wing & Mahurin at 2417 Spy Run which faces North Side High School across the river. (Image courtesy Jan Sanner Collection)

Thanks go to Craig Leonard for architectural information. Randy Harter is a Fort Wayne historian, author and the tour guide for Fort Wayne Food Tours.

  1. Centlivre Brewery images on Google.
  2. A book Charles L. Centlivre and the Centlivre Brewery by Randolph Harter, 1984 at The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and an article Centlivre Brewery ca. 1940 published June 19, 2017 on Fort Wayne Reader.
  3. Page 20-21 in the book Fort Wayne, Indiana by Ralph Violette and photos on page 61 in Allen County in Vintage Postcards by John Martin Smith.
  4. Page 22 of the book Legendary Locals of Fort Wayne, by Randolph L. Harter, Craig S. Leonard .
  5. Google search find dozens of Centlivre images
  6. 1890 lithograph on Antique Maps Inc
  7. Post card September 27, 2013 discussion and 1919 Sanborn map September 28, 2013 discussion and August 14, 2017 1976 photo posted from North Side High School on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
  8. June 16, 1907 Centlivre Nickel Plate Beer advertisement
    June 16, 1907 Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette
  9. The advertisement was in the June 16, 1907 The Journal Gazette newspaper posted June 12, 2013 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
  10. The Fort Wayne Beer web site has a lengthy Centlivre Brewery history and a few others.
  11. Old Crown Brewing Corporation on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
  12. A look into Fort Wayne beer history by Jaclyn Goldsborough published December 26, 2013 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.
  13. A Brief History of Brewing in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Indiana Beer.com.
  14. 1940s photo and history posted June 19, 2017 and over 20 photos posted August 6, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
  15. Old Crown/Centlivre Brewery in Fort Wayne, IN with several photos published August 15, 2017 on Industrial History blog.
  16. Photo of checks and checkbook were offered for sale June 22, 2018 by the The Wood Shack Architectural Antiques on Facebook.
  17. Centlivre beer ad League of Their Own
    August 18, 2022 a photo of the Centlivre Beer Luzerne Anthracite ad on the wall of the baseball park from the A League of Their Own Season 1, Episode 6. Stealing Home was posted by Tom Centlivre on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. A similar photo was posted August 17, 2022 by Peaches75 on Twitter. See Fort Wayne Daisies and our Baseball section.
  18. Lots of posts about Centlivre often with photos on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
  19. A December 14, 2017 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook shared December 14, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook stated: For "Throwback Thursday" we share this article written for the PEOPLE SOUTHWEST through The Journal-Gazette by Tracy Warner on February 11, 1988. Tracy later became Journal-Gazette writer and Editorial Editor, and now works for Indiana and Michigan Power (AEP). We shared pictures before on the McCulloch House on Superior Street, when Tom and Kris Bireley had restored it and we surveyed for them. This article is on the flip side, and mentions one of our long-time clients Bud Hall. It also talks about the City Light property before it became Science Central. BTW....Hofer and Davis, Inc. provided the survey when Science Central took over! It shows an image of the PEOPLE SOUTHWEST a The Journal Gazette newspaper article by Tracy Warner on February 11, 1988 discussing six old buildings he wrote about four years earlier in 1983, four were vital to Fort Wayne heritage, that were wasting away. Two were still empty in 1988. They were the McCulloch House, the Centlivre Brewery site still standing in 1988 but later demolished, The Edsall House, the Baker Street Train Depot, the Hanna School built in 1905, closed in 1977, city bought in 1979, sold in 1984, bought again in 1986 then demolished in 1987 saving only the arched doorways, a gable, the cornerstone and balustrade; and City Light now Science Central. At the end he mentioned car phones a new technology in 1988!

Centlivre House

2417 Spy Run Street View photo from Google map

The Charles F. and Mollie Centlivre House at 2417 Spy Run Ave. and its brick carriage house will become a local historic district, meaning they cannot be altered externally or torn down without the city’s permission. Built in the late 1800s, the Queen Anne-style house was designed by the firm of Wing & Mahurin, which also produced Old City Hall, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and other prominent structures and is considered historically and architecturally ldquo;significant” by local preservation group ARCH. Their brewery was across the street in the 1860s. The carriage house held their sleigh in back and a long gray building used to hold their beer trucks. Copied from KEVIN LEININGER: Historic status for Centlivre house would help preserve Fort Wayne’s rich brewing tradition by Kevin Leininger published December 11, 2018 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.

Centlivre Park

Centlivre Apartments Street View photos from Google map

Was a horse track then motorcycle track, riding academy, early circus grounds, and now apartments in 2800 block of Westbrook Drive along Spy Run Creek near Grove and Clinton Street. 1894 newspaper story on Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Newspaper stories on page 35 May 3, 1914 and page 2 on May 7, 1914 of The Journal Gazette newspaper full page photo spread titled Historic Centlivre Park Where Next Fair WIll Be preview on Newspapers.com. Horse drawn trolleys from downtown used to folks to the top of hill on Clinton Street, the load into carriages for short trip across Spy Run Creek to the park. See 1927 photo on June 28, 2013 You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group. Apartments were built here in the 20th century then suffered neglect. $35 million rebirth well underway at once-grand Centlivre complex by Kevin Leininger published January 18, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper. January 19, 2017 post by Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society on Facebook says the park was the location for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus showing photos of elephants unloaded off the trains. January 28, 2017 discussion on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Page 54 of the 1939 The Caldron yearbook of Central High School show elephants walking down the street saying students were dismissed from school to watch them.

A December 26, 2016 post by Northeastern Indiana Racing Museum on Facebook stated: Fort Wayne, Indiana is famous for many race tracks and one that goes way back is the: Centlivre Park Speedway - Fort Wayne / (aka: Centlivre Speedway) 1/2 mile dirt oval (9/28/1907) (1909) (7/23/1911) (9/14/1911), (9/19/1914 - 7/18/1926) (6/03/1928 - 7/08/1928), Ray Harroun won the race on 9/14/1911 / may have been a mile at one time horse track owned by the C.L. Centlivre Brewing Company Pappy Hough started his racing career here in 1919 Was located where the Centlivre Apartments are or were. Don Lieberum Says " Ray Harroun did a demonstration run at the old one mile driving park on that day. Rain made braking the record impossible, so they stopped mid-run to change a tire for the crowd. The Centlivres owned race horses and trained them on their narrow half mile track. They were willing to rent out the Park for many types of events and even more willing to sell beer there." Also the dates the track was open I have from a different source are: 9/19/1914-10/17/1915, 9/9/1917-7/20/1918, 9/6/1920-7/18/1926, 6/3/1928-7/8/1928.

Centlivre Service Station

October 18, 2018 post by ARCH, Inc. on Facebook:

Recognize this place? It is the Centlivre Service Station, circa 1928, that sat on the southeast corner of East State Boulevard and Pleasant Avenue (just east of North Side High School). The main building is still there, occupied by Deluxe Glass. At one time, this was also the local warehouse for 7-Up bottling in Indianapolis.

(photo courtesy of Randy Harter 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Central Soya

Work in progress

Children's Home on State Blvd.

See Fort Wayne Children's Home

Chief Richardville House

"akima awiiki kiikinaani - The Chief's house...our house" - George Ironstrack by Myaamia Center posted Dec 11, 2012 on YouTube

George Ironstrack, Assistant Director of the Myaamia project, presents on the historical and contemporary contexts of the akima Pinšiwa awiiki (Chief Richardville House in Fort Wayne, Indiana), which received National Historic Landmark status in 2012. This talk was given during Family Day of the 2012 National Gathering of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma.

  1. See Jean-Baptiste de Richardville .
  2. Item 7. The Chief Richardville House (Akima Pinšiwa Awiiki ) is one of only two National Historic Landmarks in Allen County. The Pinšiwa (Richardville) House is a rare and nationally significant example of a treaty-negotiated residence, built in 1827. It represents the resolve of Civil Chief Pinšiwa and the Myaamia (Miami) people to remain on their traditional lands within the expanding United States. When built, this was the finest house in northern Indiana. It was the primary home of Pinšiwa from 1827 to his death in 1841, and today it is owned and operated by the History Center. Note—the official NHL name of the house is in the Myaamia language. from from 10 Things to Know About Historic Preservation in Fort Wayne at City of Fort Wayne.
  3. Website: www.fwhistorycenter.com/chiefRichardvilleHouse.html. At a press conference on April 17, Todd Maxwell Pelfrey, executive director of the History Center, offered a brief history of the life of Chief Richardville. “Born in Kekionga (in what would become Fort Wayne) in 1761, Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville (know as Pinsiwa, “The Wildcat,” in the Miami language) served as the Akima or Civil Chief of the Miami from 1814 until his death in 1841. His legacy and the legacy of his people were secured through his implementation of a seemingly benign yet revolutionary piece of treaty making, the establishment of fee-simple title to Miami homelands throughout Indiana and construction of permanent residences for tribal leaders on these lands. His home at 5705 Bluffton Road was constructed in 1827, funded in part by the 1826 Treaty of Mississinewa, along with eight other residences for his sub-chiefs throughout northern Indiana. Copied from Observations on the Chief Richardville House National Historic Landmark Designation posted April 27, 2012 on History Center Notes & Queries blog.
  4. Richardville House of Celebration by Tom Castaldi, local historianposted August 7, 2014 on History Center Notes & Queries blog
  5. The original site 5705 Bluffton Road is the oldest Native American dwelling in the Midwest, the first Greek Revival Style house in northeast Indiana, the oldest house in northeast Indiana and home to the wealthiest man in Indiana at the time of his death in 1841. His home was acquired in 1991 by the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society. The United States government officially declared it a National Historic Landmark in 2012. It is, in fact, the only Treaty House (of the once thousands in existence) that is still standing in the United States. Copied from THE AKIMA PINSIWA AWIIKI posted September 9, 2016 by Michael Morrissey on The Waynedale News.com.
  6. The Akima Pinšiwa Awikii (Chief Jean-Baptiste de Richardville House), Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a rare example of a treaty house remaining in the U.S. that was constructed as the direct result of treatymaking between American Indians and the U.S. government. Built in 1827 as part of the terms of the 1826 Treaty between the Miami (Myaamia) and the U.S., the Pinšiwa Awikii was the primary residence and the locus of Pinšiwa’s activities as a sovereign leader in Miami negotiations with the United States government during the years 1818 to 1841. The Akima Pinšiwa Awiiki is nationally significant under NHL Criterion 1 as it is associated with events that made a significant contribution to, and is identified with or outstandingly represents the broad national patterns of United States history and from which an understanding and appreciation of those patterns may be gained. Copied from a longer American Indian Influence in the Old Northwest Territory article at the National Park Service.

Cigar Manufacturers

The tobacco plant is native to the New World. Mass cultivation of the tobacco plant in America began during the 17th century. Throughout the succeeding centuries the cultivation and distribution of tobacco has been a driving force in the American economy. Beginning in 1860, Fort Wayne played a part in the tobacco industry with the manufacture of cigars for nearly a century. Some of the most prominent cigar manufacturers in our city were Cooney Bayer, Baker Cigars and William J. Steckbeck & Sons. Coony Bayer, the last remaining and also the largest cigar manufacturer in Fort Wayne, closed in 1958. Copied from photos posted July 9, 2018 by The History Centeron Facebook to promote their temporary cigar display: Sweet Smell of Success: Fort Wayne’s Premier Cigar Industry! On September 26, 2017 a discussion of 1127 Wells Street formerly the location of George F Wells who made cigars at then 43 Wells Street included Craig Leonard, local historic preservation consultant, and Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and authoron You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Cinema Center

437 E. Berry Street, website: https://www.cinemacenter.org/, Facebook -  screens independent, foreign, documentary, classic and specialty films. (260) 426-FILM. Photo and comments on cinema Treasures. Photos posted August 9, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

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Cindy's Dinner

Cindy's Diner in Fort Wayne Indiana by Andy Lee Grahamposted April 10, 2012 on YouTube

830 South Harrison Street Fort Wayne, IN 46802, phone: (260) 422-1957, Facebook - motto: We serve the world 15 at a time. The current owners 22nd anniversary was on January 1, 2013. The favorite menu item is World Famous “Garbage”  consisting of potatoes, eggs, ham, and cheese. Iconic downtown diner set to move for a fourth timeand photo gallery published May 13, 2014 on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.Opened in 1952 by Noah Clauss, one of Fort Wayne’s first fast food restaurants was located at the northwest corner of Clinton and Jefferson Streets. VisitFortWayne.com blog Cindy’s Diner — a Fort Wayne tradition since 1952 and Taking a Tour of Fort Wayne’s Historical Restaurants! posted on January 10, 2013 by Heather. History information on purchase date and cost on Valentine Diners - Indiana - Fort Wayne 02 on kansapedia.org.

Circumurban Highway or California Road

Before it became Coliseum Boulevard and sometimes called the bypass. See map and discussion September 9, 2016 on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook groupand November 25, 2021 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. Fort Wayne Cicumurbanroute Poposed Development, US-30 to 1-69, Allen County Environmental Impact Statement 1983. is on Google eBook. Indiana State Road 930 is discussed on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Citizens Square

200 East Berry Street Street View photo from Google maps

Citizens Square Officially Open at City of Fort Wayne. All the older buildings were razed and a new builiding opened in 1959 as the new Wolf & Dessauer department store building bounded by Clinton, Wayne, Barr and Berry Streets. Ownership changed hands in the 1960s and a couple more times before the City of Fort Wayne purchased the empty building in 2009 and after renovation dedicated it in 2011 as Citizens Square. For more details read Citizens Square Block – 1957 with photo of the older buildings by Randy Harter, Fort Wayne historian and authorpublished December 9, 2018 in Fort Wayne Reader. Also posted and discussed December 9, 2018 in You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. Citizens Square is a building in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It houses Fort Wayne's municipal government. In 2011, the building attracted media attention when it was almost named the "Harry Baals Government Center" after its former mayor. From Citizens Square on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Citilink

Citizens Street Railroad Co (1872) - Fort Wayne Transit Co (1950s-60s) - PTC (Public Transportation Corp - 1968) - The Bus Company - was discussed in A look at our public transportation past by Betty Cackmar published December 7, 2015 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.

City Building - Old City Hall

The City Building was built in 1840 on land donated to the city by Samuel Hanna at Barr and Berry Streets. The Fort Wayne Old City Hall is a castle-like building located at 308 East Berry Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Built in 1893 the Fort Wayne Old City Hall Castle served as the city hall for the city of Fort Wayne until 1971. Today is a museum known as the Fort Wayne History Center which houses over 23,000 artifacts and is open to the public daily. Photo by Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne. In 1977, the city of Fort Wayne committed a Federal Grant to rehabilitate the Old City Hall for use as a historical museum that is now the home of the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society known as the History Center . City Building (The History Center) is Stop #7 on the ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage) Central Downtown Trail.

City Light & Power

1950 North Clinton Street.

March 6, 2014 post by Science Central on Facebook:

Throwback Thursday...Cars going both ways on Clinton Street, and trains running next to Science Central...or rather, City Light & Power in those days!

See our Science Central section

September 24, 2018 by The History Center on Facebook.

The City of Fort Wayne made enormous strides in providing public utility service to residents at the beginning of the twentieth century. The City first declared the need for a municipal light and power plant in 1898 and voters approved the construction of a structure in 1906. By September 1908, City Light and Power was generating power, and the first service meter was set on Christmas Eve of the same year. City Light and Power was later enlarged and modernized from 1929 to 1934. The improvements included a new turbine room building, station switchboard, boiler plant, and a 15,000 kW turbo-generator. The improved municipal plant served residents for nearly forty years. The iconic stacks and lighted signs of the expanded City Light and Power Building permeate the memory of those who can remember this Summit City icon. The sale of City Light Utility to Indiana & Michigan Electric Company came after a referendum in the May 1974 primary. In September of that year, Mayor Ivan Lebamoff signed a thirty-five-year lease of the municipal operation to I & M. Since 1995 the Old City Light and Power Building has been home to Science Central. 

City Light & Power helped provide electricity to Fort Wayne, hooking up its first residential customer 100 years ago today a column by Jim Delaney published December 24, 2008, a retired City Light and Power and Indiana Michigan Power employee who has been active in the conversion of the old City Light power plant into the Science Central hands-on science center at 1950 N. Clinton St. Delaney compiled this history for an exhibit at Science Central, in the The News-Sentinel newspaper. See a 1940's postcard and discussion May 16, 2017 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.

Public Services Projects: City Light ID Tag c. 1975 with photos at 200 @ 200 2016 Bicentennial items at The History Center.

Desciption: One of the major responsibilities of City Council is to maintain or improve the quality of life for the citi-zens of Fort Wayne. Major public service projects serve this end. By the mid 1850s, a sewer system had become critically necessary, spurred both by the fear of disease and the need for flood control. In 1858 the first sewer line in Fort Wayne was completed. The first waterworks in Fort Wayne was built in 1880, drawing the water from deep wells and distributed from pumping stations. By the early 1930s, it became apparent that there were limitations on the capacity from the underground water supply. A twenty-five-acre tract of land east of Spy Run was chosen for the new water filtration plant, at the point where the St. Mary's River and the St. Joseph River come together. It opened in 1933.

A new municipal power plant, City Light and Power, opened in 1934 and served Fort Wayne for nearly forty years. The sale of City Light Utility to Indiana & Michigan Electric Company came after a referendum in the May 1974 primary. In September of that year, Mayor Ivan Lebamoff signed a thirty-five-year lease of the municipal operation to Indiana & Michigan Electric. Since 1995 the old City Light and Power Building has been home to Science Central.

City Light and Power used metal tags to identify each of the power poles to facilitate any repair that might be needed. I & M took over operations on 1 March 1975, and as a result this city light pole identification tag became obsolete.

Library of Congress drawing
Library of Congress drawing

12 drawings plus this text: For approximately 50 years, from 1929-1978, the City Light and Power Works building, designed by Froehlich & Emery Engineering Company, served as the chief power producer for the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana. During this time period the building underwent several alterations and additions, most notably the 1932 and 1936 bay additions. The City Light and Power building obtains style characteristics similar to typical nineteenth century buildings, by way of the limestone relief detailing and masonry detailing in both limestone and brick. The building's key features are the large industrial windows which enhance the original utilitarian purpose of the plant. Plans are already being made to transform the building into Science Central, a science museum for children. By documenting this building, it is hoped that the memory of the old City Light and Power Works can be preserved. From Notes: 1993 Charles E. Peterson Prize, Entry Significance: City Light & Power, 1950 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Allen County, IN at the Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey at The Library of Congress. Lots of photos are posted in Fort Wayne, IN: Power Companies by Dennis DeBruler published April 22, 2016 on Town and Nature blog.

April 13, 2017 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook shared April 13, 2023 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook:

For "Throwback Thursday" we share this picture of a City Light manhole cover we ran across a few weeks ago! I'm sure many of you remember the old City Light Power Plant on Clinton Street. It is now home to Science Central, and BTW...... Hofer and Davis, Inc. provided the survey for Indiana and Michigan Power Company for the transfer in 1990!

December 14, 2017 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook shared December 14, 2022 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook:

For "Throwback Thursday" we share this article written for the PEOPLE SOUTHWEST through The Journal-Gazette by Tracy Warner on February 11, 1988. Tracy later became Journal-Gazette writer and Editorial Editor, and now works for Indiana and Michigan Power (AEP). We shared pictures before on the McCulloch House on Superior Street, when Tom and Kris Bireley had restored it and we surveyed for them. This article is on the flip side, and mentions one of our long-time clients Bud Hall. It also talks about the City Light property before it became Science Central. BTW....Hofer and Davis, Inc. provided the survey when Science Central took over! It shows an image of the PEOPLE SOUTHWEST a

The Journal Gazette newspaper article by Tracy Warner on February 11, 1988 discussing six old buildings he wrote about four years earlier in 1983, four were vital to Fort Wayne heritage, that were wasting away. Two were still empty in 1988. They were the McCulloch House, the Centlivre Brewery site still standing in 1988 but later demolished, The Edsall House, the Baker Street Train Depot, the Hanna School built in 1905, closed in 1977, city bought in 1979, sold in 1984, bought again in 1986 then demolished in 1987 saving only the arched doorways, a gable, the cornerstone and balustrade; and City Light now Science Central. At the end he mentioned car phones a new technology in 1988!

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Civic Theatre

The history section of the web site of the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre says that the company was founded in 1927 as the Fort Wayne Community Theatre Guild, changed its name to Old Fort Players in 1931, moved into the Majestic Theatre that same year, changed its name to Fort Wayne Civic Theatre in 1940, and moved their operations to the Palace Theatre on East Washington Boulevard in 1957. The Civic Theatre company mounted 231 productions at the Majestic over the years. While at the Palace it was renamed the Civic Playhouse. The Civic Theatre left the Palace Theatre in 1969 and briefly set up shop in another location before moving to its current home on the downtown Arts Campus in 1973. From June 27, 2012 Capital Theater comment on cinema Treasures and Sept 22, 1967: Civic Theatre installs sign with photo by Corey McMaken published February 21, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper from a post on Twitter.

Clinton Street

Is named for DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828), who is often called the “Father of the Erie Canal.” While serving in various official capacities he advocated building a canal through upstate New York into the Midwest. The resulting Wabash-Erie Canal led to the growth of the city at its highest elevation and gave Fort Wayne the nickname it has kept to this day: “Summit City.” from MLK name-change request pits the present against the past Group wants Clinton Street renamed for Martin Luther King Jr. by Kevin Leininger published March 31, 2012 in The News-Sentinel newspaper.

Cloverleaf

Dedicated May 27, 1958, the first in Fort Wayne at Coliseum Blvd. then U.S. 24 and 30, now 930, to help trafic flow near the east end industries, photo at Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne.

Club Olympia

At the intersection of Harris and Goshen Roads, opened March 21, 1963. One of only 4 Olympic size pools in Indiana. 1968 Olympic Gold medalist swimmer Sharon Wichman practiced at Club O. The leaking pool closed April 28, 2009 when the struggling American Legion Post 82 filled it in with dirt to expand their floor space to use for meetings and conventions.

Clyde Theater

Clyde Theatre
Indiana Landmarks photo

1808 Bluffton Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46809 Designed by Alvin M. Strauss. Originally opening in 1951, as a movie theatre, the Clyde underwent a $9 Million renovation in 2017-18. With most of the original art deco style of the original building preserved, this treasured venue is now a state-of-the-art mixed-use concert hall and event center. Powered by Sweetwater and featuring cutting-edge sound and lighting, world-class acoustics, and impeccable customer service, The Clyde delivers a live music experience unlike any other. From free convenient parking, to fast and friendly bar service, absolutely no detail has been overlooked. With national touring artists from a wide variety of genres, The Clyde truly does have something for everyone. Copied from Clyde Theatre at Visit Fort Wayne. The Clyde is a state-of-the-art music, performance and arts venue in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Clyde is host to live concerts and entertainment, private events, community gatherings, and more. Since our doors opened in early 2018, we’ve quickly earned a reputation with concertgoers, award-winning artists and their crews, members of the community, and visitors from all over as one of the top venues of its kind in the region. We owe it all to the fact that we’ve made it our mission to provide incredible entertainment — that sounds better than ever before — in a welcoming atmosphere that celebrates the arts and our community in every possible way. Copied from Clyde Theatre on Facebook. See ClydeTheatre.com. In Quimby Village. "The Clyde was a glamorous theater that opened on April 19, 1951 on the outskirts of Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was very tastefully moderne. The circular lobby defined the semi-circular foyer that led to the auditorium. The concession stand was upholstered in turquoise leather. There were colorful murals throughout. The murals in the main auditorium were lit with black-light…" from Cinema Treasures Quimby Theater contributed by Patrick Kage. See comments on Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana. See all 28 movie theaters on Cinema Treasures. Discussed August 25, 2017 photos August 25, 2017 and several other times on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. See half hour Clyde Theatre Rennovation video posted September 15, 2017 by Stream Magazine on Facebook. Modern Makeover posted September 29, 2019 by Indiana Landmarks. See local Theaters such as the Broadway Theatre, Clyde Theatre, Embassy Theatre, Holiday Theater, Jefferson Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Palace Theatre, Paramount Theatre, and Rialto Theatre.

CNN (Cable News Network)


CNN First Hour: June 1, 1980 - two minutes of blank space at the beginning - Fort Wayne is mentioned at the 8 minute mark
The Cable News Network was launched at 5:00 p.m. EST on Sunday June 1, 1980. After an introduction by Ted Turner, the husband and wife team of David Walker and Lois Hart anchored the first newscast. This is the complete hour, including all commercials. posted by Brandon Millman on YouTube

Their first broadcast June 1, 1980 was at 6 p.m. shown live in about a million and a half U.S. households. The top news story of the night was then-President Carter’s arrival in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was visiting civil rights leader-turned-adviser to Bill Clinton Vernon Jordan, who was “in serious but stable condition” following an assassination attempt on May 29. Briefly discussed in A Brief History of CNN’s First Day on the Air, 35 Years Ago by Jennifer M. Wood published June 1, 2015 on MentalFloss.com. See a short video on our Vernon Jordan page. Apparently CNN had paid for a satellite link until 6:30 pm from page 33 in the book The Art of Business Warfare: Outmaneuvering Your Competition with Military ... by David Leppanen. , Dave Walker and Lois Hart led the broadcast with an update on the shooting of civil rights leader Vernon Jordon at the Fort Wayne Marriott Hotel at his May 29, 1980 address to the Fort Wayne Urban League Equal Opportunity Dinner. Briefly mentioned in Jim Walton: CNN at 30 on CNN.com now found on the Wayback Machine. February 23, 2012 updated this story At CNN from the beginning, a ringside seat to history by Randy Harber, CNN published February 23, 2012 on CNN.com. Notable visitors to Vernon Jordan's room at Parkview Hospital included President Jimmy Carter, Senator Edward Kennedy, Andrew Young, and Jesse Jackson among others mentioned on page 284 in the book "Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir"  by Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Vernon Jordan, Annette Gordon-Reed by Vernon Jordan.

Coal Companies

Photos of Fort Wayne Coal men of America, a biographical and historical review of the world's greatest industry
by Hull, Arthur M., 1874-; Hale, Sydney A. published in 1918 on Archive.org.

Fort Wayne coal men John Joseph Auth, Conrad Bauss, O.R. Brokaw, Lynn Elliott Bunting, Philip Gloeckner, George H. Krudop, August J. Lassus, Shirley Nelson Longsworth, C. P. Millikin, Charles E. Moellering, Eugene H. Olds, W. J. Rodenbeck, C. A. Seibel, Cliff H. Taylor, and William M. Wells listed on page 108 of the Coal Men of America: A Biographical and Historical Review of the World's Greatest Industry on Archive.org.

An interesting read is When Coal First Arrived, Americans Said ‘No Thanks’ Back in the 19th century, coal was the nation’s newfangled fuel source—and it faced the same resistance as wind and solar today by Clive Thompson posted in the July/August 2022 Smithsonian magazine.

November 2015 Street View photo from Google maps and Aerial photo
Show concrete structures that held railroad tracks for unloading coal cars back in the day near existing railroad tracks.
Street View photo for October 2007 shows a junk yard at this location
May 7, 2023
discussion of these coal structures near Creighton Street and Anthony Boulevard. One comments say was formerly Walton Avenue with the Walton Coal Co. at the corner of Walton (S Anthony) at Hayden on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
Similar photos posted May 7, 2023 on Abandoned and Forgotten Indiana on Facebook.

Coca-Cola building

April 8, 2019 post by ARCH, Inc. on Facebook:

Built in 1940, the Art Deco Coca-Cola building was designed by the architectural firm of Pohlmeyer & Pohlmeyer who also designed the Hattersley House at 1925 Kensington Boulevard, the Bayer House at 1512 Forest Park Boulevard, and the St. Joseph's Nurses Home on the St. Joseph Hospital Broadway campus. 

The bottling plant was originally at 1631 Pontiac Street, but is now at 5010 Airport Expressway. See photos and discussion August 12, 2017 and August 17, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook. Work begins on Bottle Works Lofts Old plant on Pontiac to house rental units by Dave Gong published September 29, 2017 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. Project turning historic Coca-Cola building into lofts breaks ground by Kaitor Kposowa published September 28, 2017 by CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15. Work begins on conversion of Coke plant into 'Bottle Works Lofts' by Kevin Leininger published September 28, 2017 in The News-Sentinel newspaper. Celebration for Bottle Works Lofts opening Affordable housing has 'wow' factor by Rosa Salter Rodriquez published May 14, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. Bottle Works Lofts Celebrates Grand Opening at City of Fort WayneCommunity Development website.

Coleman-Doctor farmhouse and barn

March 21, 2019 post ARCH, Inc. on Facebook:

5910 Maples Road is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination was prepared by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage). The 44-page National Register of Historic Places Registration Form includes an extensive history, maps, and several exterior and interior photos including the three photos.

Colonial Theatre

Was located at 1003 South Calhoun Street, SE corner at Washington where a parking garage is located in 2018. A 1911 glass plate negative by Norman Standish was posted August 22, 2018 by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage) on Facebook. "His Friends Wife" and "Indian Maiden’s Lesson" were playing at the time. A building to the right of the theater was the Shining Parlor. Craig Berndt provided the photo. Images posted and discussed September 18, 2018 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Columbia Street

Now known as The Landing which has been a prime location downtown off and on since the beginning of Fort Wayne. Renovations are in the works for future developments as of 2017.

The Columbia Street story by Bates, Roy M; Keller, Kenneth B, Publication date 1975 is 127 pages on Archive.org
while the 1970 edition with a photo of Columbia Street on the cover is only 13 pages.

Community Harvest Food Bank

Community Harvest Food Bank - the food bank was formed after International Harvester left Fort Wayne in 1983 leaving hundreds jobless devastating the community. It is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of hunger through the full use of donated food and other resources. See 30 years for food bank Community Harvest lauded for aiding area by Vivian Sade published September 17, 2013 on The Journal Gazette newspaper.

Community Center

233. West Main Street. Senior at the City of Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation

April 19, 2018 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook:

For "Throwback Thursday" we share this picture taken by Dailey Fogle from the SHAMBAUGH, KAST, BECK & WILLIAMS building at 229 W. Berry Street as featured in the April 14, 1975 edition of The Fort Wayne Journal - Gazette. This is looking North from said building at the "proposed " and now the site of the SENIOR CITIZEN'S RECREATION CENTER. Oh and by the way...Hofer and Davis provided the surveys in 1974!

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Concordia College

See Concordia College Fort Wayne, Indiana 1839-1957 on lostcolleges.com, Concordian publications on Internet Archive, and photos and discussion February 13, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Concordia Theological Seminary campus

Episode 144: Concordia Seminary posted Oct 21, 2020 by by Granite Ridge Builders on YouTube
The Between the Studs cast is exploring one of Fort Wayne's hidden architectural gems -- the Concordia Seminary.

The visionary for Concordia’s grounds was landscape architect Dan Kiley. And today, says Julie Donnell, a founder of non-profit Friends of the Parks, the Boston-born practitioner of Modernism is probably the pre-eminent American landscape architect of the last century. From Place for reflection 'Sacred groves' products offamed designer by Rosa Salter Rodriguez published August 9, 2014 in The Journal Gazette newspaper. God and Grace video about the architect Eero Saarinen by Eric Olson, 21Country Featured Reporterpublished June 1, 2017. See over a dozen photos posted August 9, 2017 and was one of 5 local archetectural monuments shown in photos August 9, 2017 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook

Coney Island Restaurant

April 11, 2014 post by Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island on Facebook:

Whoot! They're in! We had many requests for the 100th logo on our mug... Come and get it.... $7 including tax.

My Town Fort Wayne: Coney Island a Federated Media video published March 25, 2014

Hot dog restaurant at 131 West Main Street,  Fort Wayne, IN 46802, phone: (260) 424-2997, Facebook. Serving Fort Wayne since 1914 with the same coney recipe, famous chili, and the steamed buns. VisitFortWayne.com blog - Taking a Tour of Fort Wayne’s Historical Restaurants! by Heather published January 10, 2013. Fort Wayne landmark celebrates 100 years of business by Kate Taylor published March 7, 2014 on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15. Downtown Fort Wayne – Coney Island’s real secret sauce for success is respect by Gerald Vandeveer was published June 23, 2014 on INFortWayne.com. They also have a Gift Shop for themed merchandise.

Cottage Flowers

Serving Fort Wayne since 1946

Courthouse Green

Is the east side of the Allen County Courthouse with half-moon walkways, benches, fountains and almost an acre of grass in the heart of downtown. It was dedicated October 15, 1999, after a three-year project that cost about $3 million. Most of the cost came from buying up real estate on the block bordered by Main, Clinton, Berry and Court streets. Court Street ran along the east side of the courthouse, where there is now a pedestrian walkway. Several of the removed buildings were built in the 1800s, including the 1894 neoclassical Dreibelbiss Building from which architectural features were saved for use on the Green. Carved roof vents became the faces of six of the Green's fountains, and carved leaf details are seen on piers around the space. A time capsule was placed in the center of the park to be opened on the anniversary in 2100. Copied from a longer article with photos Throwback Thursday: Creation of Courthouse Green by Corey McMaken published June 28, 2018 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.

Courthouse Square

See City Hall and Old City Hall.

County Line Cheese

Was founded in 1913 by Swiss immigrant Fred Marolf, Sr. in Indiana and remained private until it was acquired by Beatrice Foods in 1971. It was later acquired by ConAgra Foods, Inc. in 1990. The Indiana location was closed by ConAgra in 1991 and the label relocated to New Berlin, Wisconsin. The company was named for the location of its plant on the County Line Road dividing Allen and DeKalb counties in Indiana. The County Line cheese plant was on the DeKalb County side of the road, just north of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Throwback Thursday: County Line Cheese by Jenny posted March 19, 2015 on Eckhart Public Library blog. April 24, 2016 and November 24, 2017 discussions on You know you've lived in Fort Wayne too long when... Private Facebook group. County Line (brand) on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopediastated: "is a brand of cheese owned by ConAgra Foods, Inc. and marketed primarily to delicatessens. " See a plant photo January 2, 2012 on Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne and again July 20, 2012. The brand County Line Cheese is now sold by DCI Cheese Company of Richfield, Wisconsin.

Covington Homestead

October 14, 2019 post by WANE 15  on Facebook, shared October 15, 2019 by Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana .

One of the oldest standing homes in Allen County is for sale. WANE 15 Taylor Williams WANE 15 takes you on a tour of the property and shows you what life was like when the house was first built.

Fort Wayne home built in 1852 up for auction, mystery includedOctober 15, 2019 on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15 with several photos states: The homestead, though not on the historical registry, is one of the oldest still standing in Allen County. Historical experts have told Sowers that part of the smaller portion of the house was built in the 1820s while the larger section was built in 1852. Several places, streets, and buildings in the area are named after Covington Homestead. However, not much is known about the original owners of the Covingtons’. The Allen County History Center has a few newspaper articles from the 1950s on the house and then owners at the time, the Cronin family. [included in the online article] Other than the articles nothing else is known about the family or the home.

The article linked to Beautiful 5 Bedroom 4 Bathroom Original 1852 Covington Homestead in Aboite Township by Scheeerer McCulloch auctioneers with more photos.

New owners from the October 2019 sale were interviewed for the Hidden Treasure video by Eric Olson, 21Country Featured Reporter published November 22, 2019 on ABC WPTA21.com TV station now on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Covington Manor Farms

Was this also Covington Homestead above?

May 18, 2017 post by Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook:

For "Throwback Thursday" we stick to our theme of COVINGTON MANOR FARMS. The first is some promotional material from the time it was platted in 1993. The second is an old picture taken on the estate. The 3rd is a picture of the old Berghoff Estate taken from the Assessors Office. Anyone remember the Charity Horse Show? BTW... Hofer and Davis, Inc. did the survey for the Berghoff's in 1964, the Perrey's in 1981 and the plat in 1993.

C & P Machine

Fort Wayne's engine experts 48th anniversary on January 1, 2013

Creighton Theater

Ad in the December 1922 The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette newspaper was on Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Grace E. Crosby House

413 West DeWald Street, read more about Grace E. Crosby at ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage).

Crossroad Child & Family Services, Inc.

Street View photo from Google maps

Crossroad Child & Family Services, Inc. https://crossroadcares.org/ started in 1883 shown as a timeline with photos on their A Brief History of Crossroadpage.

The Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana has a page in the Members Only section with histories of the Fort Wayne Children's Home listing records for the Fort Wayne Orphan's Home of the Reformed Church and Fort Wayne Children's Home of the United Church of Christ Crossroad 14-page October 1983 Centennial Historyand Messenger Newsletter for the Crossroad Child & Family Services from 1950 erratically thru the present.

Crossroad Child & Family Services, Inc. is at 1825 Beacon Street. Their Facebook page states: In 1883, The Reformed Church in the United States established “The Reformed Orphan’s Home of Fort Wayne, IN.” In October 1883, nine-year-old Hermann Leisering came to live with our first Superintendent, Rev. John Rettig, and his wife. Over many decades, hundreds of orphans and other children in need of a home came here to live on the land on which we were founded and still stand on today. As the need for orphanages began to diminish after World War II, we adapted by providing a home for unwed mothers known as Woodhaven and services for emotionally troubled children. More than 1,000 unwed mothers came to Woodhaven from 1959 to 1973 to live until giving birth. Members of supporting churches adopted most of the infants. The need for these services diminished in the early 1970s as it became acceptable for unwed mothers to remain in their family homes. However, we continued to work with troubled children, expanding our services and making a name for ourselves in the Midwest as one of the finest treatment providers for emotionally troubled young people. For many years we were known as The Fort Wayne Children’s Home. We started using the name Crossroad in 1975. In 2010 our legal name became Crossroad Child & Family Services, Inc. Today we provide a full spectrum of services in residential, outpatient, home-based, and community settings. David Mullins became our President and Chief Executive Officer in 2021. He is the thirteenth administrator of our agency.

January 12, 2023 post by Crossroad Child & Family Services on Facebook:

#TBT from the #crossroadarchives: Here is an aerial view of our campus from the early 1950s looking north/northwest, featuring the brand new Westminster Administration Building and 3 new dormitories. 3 of these 4 buildings are still standing - the living unit on the far right was demolished to make room for the new Rider Administration Building, completed in 2021.

The large fields to the south were sold off and is now occupied by Byron Health Center. As the real estate surrounding what was at the time known as the Fort Wayne Childrens Home became more urbanized, our board of directors decided that if land was to be sold off, it would need to be used for public health purposes - specifically for mental health and well-being. Now, Parkview Hospital, the VA Hospital, Parkview Behavioral Health, Byron Health, Park Center, Early Childhood Alliance, and more all sit on land that was, at one time, farmland that belonged to the Fort Wayne Children's Home

 

 

Curly's Village Inn

Paul "Curly" Armstrong, a retired Indiana basketball legend and Ft. Wayne celebrity, along with his wife Mary Armstrong, founded Curly's Village Inn in 1969. They have their history on their About web page.

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