January 9, 2013 Lafayette Place Historic District on Fort Wayne’s south side was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lafayette Place is bounded roughly by Lafayette Street on the east, Calhoun Street on the west, McKinnie Avenue on the north and Pettit Avenue on the south. The Lafayette Place Historic District is significant in architecture, landscape architecture and community planning, the ARCH news release said. Read more Lafayette Place neighborhood named to National Register of Historic Places It was one of three districts nominated by local group ARCH that received listing approval by News-Sentinel staff reports, January 19, 2013.
The only natural lake in Lake Township, Allen County includes Spring Lake Woods and Bog, an ACRES Landtrust preserve, that includes a sphagnum bog with native flora including five foot tall cinnamon ferns giving a lush tropical feel in a northern muckland woods. Not open to the public as of summer 2014.
Lake Everett has long eluded the plans of lake developers and, curiously, could have been home to much more. In 1914, Fort Wayne businessman Henry M. Williams tried to develop it into an amusement and Chautauqua park, with rail lines feeding it and five fountains. An article in The Fort Wayne Daily News described the plans for an amusement park near a wooded hill on its southeast shore that Williams named Chautauqua Ridge. Six rail lines were planned to Fort Wayne and other northern Indiana towns. Williams, owner of the Fort Wayne Traction Company, died in 1923. His grandiose plan died with him, and a new development company soon was looking for buyers for a housing development of lake homes. ARCH is proud to present this edition of Throwback Thursday, part of its service as the historic preservation organization serving the greater Fort Wayne area made possible by ARCH members and donors. Thank you. Photo courtesy of the Allen County Public Library, 1960.
Lake Shore Hotel
Was located at the intersection of Cass Street and Wells Street just North of the Wells Street Bridge. Photo posted August 8, 2019 by Hofer Davis Surveyors on Facebook.
Lakeside Park
1401 Lake Avenue. 23.8 acres, Lakeside Park is bound by California Avenue to the west, Lake Avenue to the south, Forest Park Boulevard to the east, and Vermont Avenue to the north and Lakeside Park South with two recreational fishing ponds bound by Lake Avenue on the north, Crescent Avenue to the west, Edgewater Avenue to the south, and Delta Boulevard to the east.
Lakeside Park - The uncredited 1912 master plan for Lakeside Park is likely the work of George Kessler, who designed the Park and Boulevard Plan for Fort Wayne the same year. Land for this 23.8 acre landscape was purchased in 1908, with excavation for lagoons beginning in 1911, a refectory pavilion constructed in 1916, an Italianate sunken garden and pergola built in 1925, and tennis courts installed in 1928.
The most classical element in this otherwise picturesque landscape is the sunken garden. Designed in 1921 by Superintendent of Parks Adolphe Jaenicke, the garden contained over 1000 plants and was named a National Rose Garden in 1928. Its strict geometry is a natural fit with its context, bracketed on three sides by city streets and private residences. Throughout the park walks connect to the nearby street grid. Historic photographs reveal ornate furniture and flowerbeds. Four lagoons, both natural and excavated, are featured in the original plans, along with serpentine paths, a curvilinear drive, and bridges leading to islands in the lagoons.
Today, a sculpture honoring Fort Wayne’s Civil War hero Henry Lawton is located in the park. The rose garden has recently been renovated. Three lagoons still exist, with one filled to create a baseball field. Copied from The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
In 1890 the Fort Wayne Land Improvement Company held a contest for the naming of a new housing subdivision they were preparing to develop east of the Columbia Street Bridge. Mrs. Lillian Pierce won the $25.00 prize and thus the subdivision and later adjoining park became known as Lakeside.
That same year, the marshy low-lying areas that are now Delta Lakes were dredged out to supply the dirt to build up the riverbanks along the future St. Joe Boulevard and Edgewater Avenue. These lakes were later deepened again for the same reason. In 1908 another developer, The Forest Park Company, started laying out the Forest Park Addition just north of Lakeside Park. With gifts of land from each of the two developers, and the purchase by the city of one small section, today’s Lakeside Park was born.
The streets in the Lakeside addition were soon graveled and the street car line run across the Columbia Street Bridge to Delta Lakes by the end of 1892. The Lakeside School at Oneida and Tecumseh was then completed in 1896. The main Delta Lake became a popular swimming hole for folks from all over town with diving boards, a diving tower, and changing rooms. Four cents would get you a trolley ride from anywhere in the city to Lakeside Park. In 1902 a separate ladies bathing area was added. In the winter the lake became a popular spot for ice skating and curling competitions.
By 1912, the plans for the park that had been drawn by Henry Doswell (landscape architect for Lindenwood Cemetery) had been implemented. These included planting 400 trees, extensive floral gardens, islands in the lake connected by rustic bridges and landscaped paths. In 1917, Adolph Jaenicke designed the sunken gardens, Greek pergolas and rose gardens which were completed about 1920.
Today large areas of the park look much different than they did in the early 1900’s as the main park area north of Lake Avenue included a series of islands and lagoons stretching nearly to California Avenue. During the Mayor Hosey Administration in 1917, a large two-story pavilion was built on the center of the western three islands.
In 1926 under a joint venture with the Izaak Walton League, City Council appropriated $5,000 for construction of a fish hatchery to be contained within the park’s lagoons. In 1930 this resulted in over 110,000 bluegill and largemouth bass being raised and distributed to more than 40 northern Indiana lakes and rivers. Also in that year a concession stand was built along Lake Avenue, which in the winters became a skating hut.
The onset of the Depression closed the fish hatchery in 1931. With the lagoons being a safety hazard and mosquito breeding ground they were finally filled in in 1958, and in 1964 the deteriorated 1917 pavilion was set afire and burned down by the fire department for firefighting practice.
The Landing is Fort Wayne’s and the State of Indiana’s First Historic District.
The Landing Historic District in downtown Fort Wayne was designated in 1965, and it was the city’s first historic district. In fact, The Landing was the first historic district of any kind in the state of Indiana. From item #2 on 10 Things to Know About Historic Preservation in Fort Wayne at City of Fort Wayne. The Landing was home to Fort Wayne's first post office, theatre and hotel. This block of West Columbia Street was called The Landing because it was known as "The Docks" in the Wabash and Erie Canal era, and it was near three basins for canal boats to turn around. It's the oldest commercial area in Fort Wayne. In the 1960s, it became one of the city's first historic preservation projects receiving gas lights, ornamental trees and a new name The Landing for the Wabash and Erie Canal that was just to the north of the existing buildings. The Landing was known for its fine hotels, such as the Randall, which was being historically restored in 2018 and converted into loft housing.
A. D. 1883 cornerstone from unknown source on Dock Street off Harrison Street and the RR elevation between Columbia and West Superior Streets. Discussed many times on social meda by local historians and still unresolved in 2023. The League Park wooden structure for baseball was built nearby in 1883 where Headwaters Park is today and the first night game was played June 3, 1883 so may have something to do with it?
You never know what you might see "Out in the Field"! Check out this cornerstone on Harrison Street, just South of the elevated railroad tracks! This 1883 cornerstone is on "The Landing" in downtown Fort Wayne!
Hans Hofer shared May 22, 2023 on Facebook stating: I think this was discussed earlier on this page [March 7, 2023]. I took this picture when we surveyed for Bud Hall of HALL’s Restaurant for the building they moved on Harrison Street before Promenade Park was built.
Read more in Can The Landing's luster be restored? Downtown Trust is buying properties there and will seek developer by Kevin Leininger was published March 15, 2014 on The News-Sentinel newspaper
Things you should know about downtown Fort Wayne by Kara Hackett was published April 17, 2014 in the The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Landing on a new Columbia Street vision by Mac Parker published March 16, 2016 in The Journal Gazette newspaper states: When Fort Wayne was originally platted in 1829, it was envisioned that Main Street would be the primary location for commerce and business. The Wabash and Erie Canal changed that and made Columbia Street the central hub of the city for more than 100 years. The canal was also the catalyst that changed Fort Wayne from a village of 1,000 people to a city prominent in the whole Midwest – and with one of the longest and most colorful histories west of the Appalachians. When Columbia Street was laid out, it was four blocks long – three blocks lying east of Calhoun Street and one block west of Calhoun. The City-County (now Rousseau) Building, Freimann Square, Arts United Center and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art now occupy where East Columbia Street once was. West Columbia Street still very much exists and has come to be known since canal days as "The Landing." On the west end of Columbia Street was the Orbison Turning Basin, a space wide enough that canal boats could be turned; this was also the main port for Fort Wayne, hence the name, "Landing." The buildings located on the north side of Columbia Street were originally built to face the canal just to the north. After the canal was abandoned and the land sold for railroad right-of-way, these buildings were actually rebuilt so that the front faced south to Columbia Street. The eventual downfall of the canal was when the railroads came – it is ironic that the first locomotive to come to Fort Wayne was actually brought in on a canal boat and offloaded and re-assembled at The Landing. While the canal was in full operation – and for many years after it folded in 1883 – Columbia Street remained the No. 1 location for business in Fort Wayne. It was estimated that more than 2,500 businesses have come and gone from the once four-block-long street, including feed stores, blacksmith shops, grocery stores, theaters, dry good stores, cigar factories, barbershops, a number of hotels and on and on. Baking powder and Pinex cough syrup were two of the many products invented or developed on Columbia Street. A 17-year-old telegraph operator came to work on Columbia Street in 1864 but unfortunately was fired because he was too slow in sending Morse code. That young operator later became the most renowned inventor in the world – Thomas Alva Edison. In the early 1900s, businesses and hotels started to locate to the south, but Columbia Street remained the main artery for business until well into the 20th century. The article continues more information up to the current plans to refurbish The Landing.
In 1924, on 8 acres of land the Fort Wayne Hospital and Sanitarium, at 1640 Spy Run Avenue was established by Doctor Stamets. See biography of Henry Stamets, M.D. in Indiana, One Hundred and Fifty Years of American Development, Volume 3. The building is now the Shepherd’s House. Lonnie Cox the executive director of the Shepard's House posted a Comment stating: The building you're talking about is now the Shepherds House property, a transitional living center primarily for veterans suffering from alcohol/ drug issues many with symptoms from PTSD and some non vets with the same. When we bought the building it was called the Landmark and served as an office building. It was originally built as the "Knight Mansion", a very prominent, in today's dollars, billionaire family. The Knights were the parents of movie star Carole Lombard's mother, in fact somewhere there's an old newspaper article describing the beautiful wedding of her and Carole's father in the parlor, which is now our office. At some point later it was turned into a holistic hospital. I'm not sure of the date but it was eventually bought by contractor J. R. Miller and Nancy ("Honeytree") Miller who upgraded the building to code then sold to Greg Pelosi for office space, which it remained until we bought it. I had heard that at one time there was a horse racetrack where the apartment buildings are next door that extended all the way down to the river. There was a lot of historical action going on around that area in the old days...the old house across the street was the home of Fort Wayne's first mayor, the whole area was the battlegrounds with the early Indian tribe and also many Indian burial grounds throughout. when it was discussed September 14, 2018 on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.
Lanternier-Vesey Flowers
On Crescent Avenue, now closed, could trace its history in Fort Wayne back to 1854. Before the Allen County Courthouse downtown was built, before the old City Hall building on East Berry Street was even a notion, before the Cathedral was planned and even before Lindenwood Cemetery took in its first grave, there was a florist in Fort Wayne called Lanternier. Word has it that the floral business was started by a family from France, and it was at one point on Calhoun Street. In time, Lanternier bought out a florist named Vesey and eventually it ended up in a little building on Crescent Avenue near State Boulevard. Read the rest of their story Wilting business ends Lanternier’s 158 years by Frank Gray of The Journal Gazette newspaper published September 9, 2012. Lantenier - Vesey Flowers - December 23, 1914 Fort Wayne News Christmas rose newspaper advertisement when Vesey's was at 2602 Thompson Avenue fromthe original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook.
LaSalle Inn
LaSalle Inn, on Facebook, with Sion Bass House - Bed and Breakfast - the historic 1842 home of Fort Wayne’s most celebrated Civil War hero Sion Bass, has been added to the LaSalle B&B Inn. Fort Wayne’s only bed and breakfast. LaSalle Bed & Breadkfast - occupies 2 buildings: The Thomas Snook House and the Sion Bass House. Located side by side in the 500 block of W. Washington Blvd.
Law Enforcement/Firefighters Memorial of Allen County
Today we honor the Officers and their families of those that have made the supreme sacrifice and fallen in the line of duty while serving our community. Our thoughts and thanks are always with these families that have given so much. Please remember them and all of our officers in your prayers.
The grounds for what would become Lawton park were purchased in 1864 as a site for the Indiana State Fair, an event that ended up only being held there once, in 1865. The property joined the city park system in 1866 and was given the name of Northside Park. In 1899, local and national military hero Henry W. Lawton was killed near Luzon while leading a 4,000 man army during the Philippine Insurrection.
Lawton, born in Maumee, OH was chiefly raised in Fort Wayne and in 1858 enrolled in the Methodist Episcopal College here which stood at the intersection of Wayne and College Streets in today’s West Central neighborhood. At the onset of the Civil War in 1861, he joined the first Indiana regiment that was formed and later became the first Fort Wayne native to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, given for his heroism during the war’s Atlanta campaign. Lawton would go on to distinguish himself in the Spanish-American War, several Indian campaigns, and in the tracking to Mexico of Indian Chief Geronimo in 1886.
Northside Park was renamed in honor of Major-General Henry Lawton in 1900 and the cannon returned from the Philippines was placed upon a limestone base there. Recently, the over 115 year old cannon was removed, taken to Illinois for restoration, and then re-installed at the park. You can see the cannon on your left as you pass the park while driving south on North Clinton Street. A bronze statue of Lawton was erected in Lakeside Park in 1921 and additionally statues of him are in Garfield Park in Indianapolis, and Thomas Park in Lawton, OK. His grave and a bronze monument to him reside in Arlington National Cemetery.
Located on 200 acres southwest of Fort Wayne, Indiana on Aboite Road, LC Nature Park includes herds of bison and elk as well as restored tallgrass prairie, an ancient sand dune, and forested areas.Our mission is for the guest to Learn about Indiana’s ecosystems through camaraderie, food, and fun, explore natural landscape restorations, and protect our native flora and fauna. The park’s vision is to inspire a lasting appreciation for Indiana’s natural history and native environment. LC Nature Park lies within the Little River Valley and shares a natural heritage with other nearby protected sites such as Eagle Marsh. Copied from LC Nature Park at Visit Fort Wayne. LC Nature Park at Hagerman Group. LC Nature Park featuring elk, bison holds grand opening, posted: May 1, 2021 at CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15
A little slice of Montana in Northeast Indiana just minutes from Downtown. We’ve become so enchanted with this place LC Nature Park so when a good snowfall showed up on the radar, we jumped to film these guys in a snowy landscape. We’re grateful for our 4WD Suburban. #LCNaturepark, #4WD, #Suburban
Guest Roadtripper Terri Gorney Lehman of Fort Wayne suggests a visit to the relatively new LC Nature Park in Allen County between Fort Wayne and Huntington in the historic Little River Valley. The park was created by the retreat of the Lake Erie Lobe of the Wisconsin Glacier. Events include Trillium Fest, summer camps for kids, antler roundup, and public hikes. Listen to Terri Sat. about 12:15 pm on Hoosier History Live on WICR 88.7 fm or stream at wirconline. WICRTerri Gorney LehmanSociety of Indiana PioneersAllen County Genealogical Society of IndianaLC Nature Park
Built in 1990, 105-117 W. Wayne Street and 904 S. Calhoun Street. The site of the Lillie Building was once home to many well-recognized local establishments including Azar’s restaurant, Greenblatt’s Furs, and M&N Shoe Store. See Lillie Building history with photos and timeline on midtowncrossing.net.
Lima Road
People sometimes wonder why it's called Lima Road, also known as Indiana State Route 3? Looking at a map it shows Lima Road goes north from Fort Wayne through Kendallville to Howe, Indiana. Shortly after 1834 the town was settled in an area known as Mongoquinong by the Potawatomi Indians a name given to the prairie in northeastern Indiana. Sometime after 1834 it became know as Lima, an 1876 atlas map shows the name as Lima, and sometime before 1884 was renamed for John B. Howe a local banker. So Lima Road north out of Fort Wayne used to go to Lima, now it goes to Howe, Indiana.
Was headquartered in Fort Wayne until 2008. Lincoln National Bank founded in 1905, received written permission from the late president’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, to use Lincoln’s image as its logo. The The Journal Gazette newspaper was founded in 1863 to provide an editorial voice in support of Abraham Lincoln and the ideals for which he stood. Abe Lincoln grew up in Spencer County, Indiana from age 7 to 21 from Abe Lincoln's enduring Hoosier legacy at 150 years published April 14, 2015 in The Journal Gazette newspaper now on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
They completed their new building in 1923. The Abraham Lincoln “Hoosier Youth” statue, cast in Belgium, was unveiled in 1932. See early photo posted August 11, 2017 on Fort Wayne Food Tours.
For decades Indiana’s tallest building. Construction of the Lincoln Tower began in October 1929 and was completed in November 1930. At 22 stories and 312 feet tall, it was Indiana’s tallest building. Lincoln National Bank and Trust was chartered as The German American National Bank in 1905. During World War I, anti-German sentiment was running high and therefore on May 31, 1918, the German American National Bank became Lincoln National Bank. Shortly after Lincoln National Bank and Trust was formed, President Charles Buesching commissioned a skyscraper to serve as headquarters for the new bank. Buesching considered it to be a monument to the German immigrants who settled the Fort Wayne area at the turn of the 20th century and formed the backbone of his investors, depositors, and customers. Buesching himself was a German immigrant. Read more on Lincoln Bank Tower on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Lincoln Tower PlaqueThese poor pictures are of the plaque located across the street from the Lincoln Tower. The bank was originally started as the German-American Bank of Fort Wayne in 1905. The bank changed its name in 1918. From photo album at Hofer and Davis, Inc. Land Surveyors on Facebook.
Little River Wetlands Project posted Oct 12, 2021 by Little River Wetlands Project on YouTube Our mission is to restore and protect wetlands in the historic watershed of the Little River, a major tributary of the Wabash River, and to provide educational opportunities that encourage good stewardship of wetlands and other natural ecosystems.
5800 Smith Road, Fort Wayne, 46804. Little Rivers Wetlands Project on Facebook. Little River Wetlands Project (LRWP) protects more than 1,300 acres of wetlands in the Little River watershed. In addition to Eagle Marsh (our Eagle Marsh page), Arrowhead Preserves consisting of Arrowhead Marsh and Arrowhead Prairie and Buttonbush Bottoms, LRWP also co-owns Little River Landing with ACRES Land Trust. Webiste: www.lrwp.org. A photo of the Continental Divide sign at the Little River Wetlands Project was discussed December 11, 2021 on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. The sign shows that East of the divide, the Great Lakes Watershed flows to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence Seaway. West of the divide, the Mississippi Watershed drains via the Wabash River system to the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.
FIRST LOOK! We've partnered with NiSource and PBS Fort Wayne to create a series of pieces that beautifully communicate the importance of wetlands and restoration efforts. Our first piece will be hitting the airwaves soon however, you get to see it here first! We hope you love it as much as we do!
The Little River Wetlands Project restores some the portage wetlands between the 3 rivers that were here when the pioneers first arrived. The portage was the only land barrier on shortest trade route using rivers between Quebec and New Orleans in 18th century North America. "Its project area encompasses 25,000 acres of land once known as the Great Marsh, in Allen and Huntington Counties, Indiana. When settlers first arrived in this area, they found a vast wetland complex teeming with wildlife. LRWP is working to restore what can be saved of this great and valuable ecosystem." Just outside of Fort Wayne’s urban landscape, you’ll find lush oases home to thousands of native plants and wildlife. And though once natural to Indiana’s ecosystem, these nature preserves have been re-built from the farms they once were, after human settlers. Behind the ambitious feat: the Little River Wetlands Project (LRWP). “It began in 1990 by a group of concerned residents here in Allen County, that were worried about 85% of Indiana’s wetland loss at the time,” Executive Director Amy Silva explained. “Wetlands are the kidneys of our community and they will tell you whether or not you have good water quality.” She told us, LRWP has a two-pronged mission: restoration and protection of wetlands in the Little River Valley, and education. You’ll often find schools, guided hikes, and even corporate work days part of the activity out at Eagle Marsh. LRWP cares for four preserves, with three of them being accessible to the public. By far the most popular, is off of Engle Road. Close to city limits, and with several miles of trails, you’ll often see people walking through the serene wetland of Eagle Marsh. It’s also a favorite place for nature photographers to spend hours trying to get perfect pictures of over 250 species of birds.Copied from 21Country: From farmland to nature preserves, the mission of Little River Wetlands Project Building ecosystems and restoring Indiana’s natural landscape with video by Daniel Beals published June 2, 2022 on ABC WPTA21.com TV station.
Eagle Marsh felt the BURN 🔥 yesterday! It was a great prescribed burn that was made possible with the help of Blue Heron Ministries, A Land Trust. The burn helps remove invasive species and allow for stronger, John Gevers Photography Captured amazing photos and here are a few throughout the process.
LRWP is so excited about the amazing partnership with PBS Fort Wayne on the second video of the 3 video series sponsored NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation. This will be playing between programs on PBS and on PBS Kids. We believe this 2nd video shows the rich history of the wetlands and how diverse the wildlife who depends on these wetlands is. It is our hope that the audience will see how LRWP came to be and aid in the preservation of the wetlands we have today.
Thank you PBS and NIPSCO and the Nisource Charitable Foundation for making this happen!
Plan you visit to see the beauty of the wetlands first hand! more information at www.lrwp.org
At least eight Lustron houses were built in Fort Wayne. Between the years of 1948 and 1950, the Lustron Corporation produced porcelain- enameled steel, prefabricated houses in response to the post-World War II housing shortage in the United States. Despite being heavily funded by the federal government, inadequate start-up cost estimates, production and construction problems, and design deficiencies eventually resulted in the failure of the Lustron Corporation after producing just 2,680 houses. Approximately 187 of those were built in Indiana. Copied from April 18, 2018 Facebook post by ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage).These steel-and-ceramic dwellings still stand, more than 60 years later by Patrick Sisson in Lustrons: Building an American Dream House by Aria Danaparamita at National Trust for Historic Preservation. Lustron Homes, the ‘50s prefabs that were ahead of their time published October 10, 2016 on Curbed.com. Sometimes confused with Sears homes. They came with an assembly manual and a serial number. See Rebuilding a Prefab Home in the Indiana Dunes One family’s journey to resurrecting a mid-century Lustron for their vacation home. Posted on February 28, 2019 by Indiana Landmarks.
There is an August 2, 2010 Indiana MPS Lustron Houses in Indiana 28-page document in the National Archives Catalog for the NRHP National Registry of Historic Places National Park Service. For anyone wondering why Lustron quit making houses, on page 7 of the 28 page document it states: Standlund had projected the plant could produce 100 houses per day, but even at its best, the plant produced only 26 per day, and 50 per day were needed just to break even. On page 10 it states: it is estimated that approximately 187 Lustrons were built in Indiana, about 180 of which are still standing. It is known that, according to Lustron shipping records, 142 houses had been shipped to locations in Indiana by December 31,1949. ... The majority of Lustron models built in Indiana were the 2-bedroom, Westchester Deluxe, which is not surprising since this was the best-selling model for the company. ... Two Indiana Lustron homes are individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) [one in Chesterton, another in Indianapolis]. Page 17 shows floor plans and a photo of a 2-bedroom Westchester Deluxe model. Fort Wayne, IN (photo by Jill Downs).
#66 - 415 West Maple Grove near Fairfield and Hoagland on the south side of the block. The Lustron registry listed it in 2008 as blue-green. Google Street View map
#67 - 2510 Oakridge Road, Serial Number: 1723, off of State (Brookview Terrace) is listed in the National Register. It's a contributing house in the Brookview--Irvington Park Historic District. From Creager Smith April 29, 2022 comment on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. The Lustron registry listed it in 2008 as gray with a 1 car garage. Google Street View map.
#68 - 3214 Parnell Avenue The Lustron registry listed it in 2008 as blue-green. Google Street View map.
#69 - 1133 Somerset Lane, Serial Number 1721, off Parnell. The Lustron registry listed it in 2008 as gray. Google Street View map.
#70 - 4105 Webster Street, between W. Rudisill and Lexington. The Lustron registry listed it in 2008 as tan. Google Street View map.
#206 4127 Rosewood Drive, Serial Number 835, on corner of Aboite Center Road and Rosewood Drive was disassembled for removal to Ohio. Unknown if reassembled. The Lustron registry listed it in 2008 as tan. Google Street View map.
Why people thought steel houses were a good idea posted Mar 29, 2022 by Vox on YouTube
Shared May 13, 2022 by Heritage Documentation Programs, NPS on Facebook It was supposed to be the future of housing. What went wrong? Why aren’t homes made of steel? In the late 1940s, one company posed that question. Lustron was a prefabricated home that was supposed to be the future of housing. So why did it fail? For just a few years — 1947 to 1950 — the Columbus, Ohio-based Lustron represented the future of housing. Using a steel frame and porcelain enamel-covered steel panels, Lustron made homes in a factory and shipped them around the country. Vox’s Phil Edwards visited a Lustron home just outside Dayton, Ohio, to experience the unusual features, like magnetic walls, for himself. This home’s quirks weren’t relegated to the materials. Through a combination of government funding sources, an attempt to reinvent the production cycle for home, and a unique distribution plan, the Lustron home helps explain how housing does — and doesn’t — work in America. See the video YouTubepage for suggested publications for more information.
This article was written for and is courtesy of Fort Wayne Reader newspaper where it was published February 3, 2018.
The Lutheran Hospital Association was organized by area Lutheran congregations in 1903 under the leadership of its director, the Reverend Philip Wambsganss. The association then purchased the former 21-room brick residence of Judge Lindley Ninde on Fairfield at Wildwood Avenues and remodeled it to accommodate 25 patient beds with the resulting dedication being held on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1904. Three months later an addition was already in the planning that would bring the hospital’s size to 75 rooms by 1906. In 1953, the original structure was entirely replaced when a $3-million project allowed for the construction of an entirely new hospital with a capacity of over 300 patients, which was dedicated in 1956. Over the years a number of further facility expansions continued to take place on the hospital’s 12-acre site.
In 1981, the hospital, landlocked on Fairfield Avenue, purchased substantial acreage at I-69 and US 24 with the intention of someday constructing a new hospital at that location. Six years later, in 1987, the announcement was made that the first phase of the new facility’s construction was ready to commence. At a cost of $92million, the new Lutheran Hospital was completed in 1992 and the final move from Fairfield Avenue to 7950 W. Jefferson Blvd took place.
In 1995, Quorum of Brentwood, TN bought Lutheran for $137millon. This sale resulted in the emergence of The Lutheran Foundation , which has invested and grown the proceeds since, thus far disbursing over $162million to faith and health & wellness based activities over a 10 county area in Northeast Indiana. Even with these distributions, in 2016, the Foundation held assets of over $200million.
The sale of Lutheran Hospital to Quorum did not include the hospital’s old 425,000 sq. ft. facilities on Fairfield Avenue, for which the foundation strived to find a new use. Finally, with no buyers in sight, the old hospital was razed in 2000, the grounds landscaped, and then reborn as Lutheran Park and Gardens in 2006. The only building left standing on the former hospital grounds, the original Duemling Clinic (small rectangular building pictured at the southwest corner of Fairfield and Home Avenue) is now The Lutheran Foundation’s offices.
After buying Lutheran, Quorum went on to purchase St. Joe Hospital in 1998. With St. Joe’s purchase came Dupont Medical Center, which had been built in 1990 on the 125 acres at I-69 and Dupont Road that St. Joe had purchased in 1984 for future healthcare expansion. From this site later evolved Dupont Hospital, whose groundbreaking then took place in 2000. Dallas-based Triad Hospitals then acquired Quorum (who owned a number of hospitals and health care facilities in addition to Lutheran/St. Joe/Dupont) in 2001 for $2.4billion. Then in 2007, Community Health Systems (CHS) of Franklin, TN purchased Triad, which included Lutheran Health Network, for $5.1billion, and who as of this writing remains the current owner.
(ca. 1985 Image Courtesy HPC/ACPL) Image is posted on both articles linked above.
Lyric Theatre
Opened October 12, 1908 at 1014 South Calhoun Street as a home to vaudeville acts and movies. By 1929 it was operating as the Riley Theatre a burlesque place. Around 1942 it was renamed Wayne Theatre and was still open in 1955, but had closed by 1956, then was torn down in the 1960s. The downtown Hilton Hotel now stands on the site. From a colored postcard Wayne Theatre
1014 S. Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802 with comments on CinemaTreasures.com. A Lyric Theatre postcard is at CardCow.com. page 26 of the book Fort Wayne by Randolph L. Harter.
