Indiana Landmarks is a private non-governmental

heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...

preservation organization focused on the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. It is America's largest private statewide

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

organization. Founded in 1960 as Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana by a volunteer group of civic and business leaders led by Indianapolis pharmaceutical executive

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly (July 8, 1838 – June 6, 1898) was a Union Army officer, pharmacist, chemist, and businessman who founded Eli Lilly and Company. Lilly enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War and recruited a company of men to ...

, it has nearly 6,000 members.The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis By David J. Bodenhamer, Robert Graham Barrows, David Gordon Vanderstel, pg 685 At the end of 2023, an independent auditor reported a total endowment of 67.8 million for the organization. The organization simplified its name to Indiana Landmarks in 2010. Indiana Landmarks owns and restores historic buildings, buys and sells vacant and endangered property, and helps people throughout Indiana save and restore historic places through a variety of programs including grants, loans, and advocacy. Morris-Butler-House-Indianapolis

Indiana Landmarks employs staff at its state headquarters in Indianapolis and in regional offices throughout the state of

. Regional offices are located in South Bend, Gary, New Albany, Aurora, Evansville, Cambridge City, Wabash, and Terre Haute. The organization's state headquarters are located at the former Central Avenue United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, now known as Indiana Landmarks Center. In addition to Indiana Landmarks Center, Indiana Landmarks owns and operates two historic properties as event and rental venues: the Morris-Butler House in Indianapolis and Veraestau historic site in Aurora, Indiana. Landmarks' honorary board chair is Indiana's former Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard. The organization's first project was restoration of the 1865 Morris-Butler House in Indianapolis. Eli Lilly personally underwrote the acquisition and restoration of the house as a museum of Victorian decorative arts. Though the Morris-Butler House no longer operates as a museum, it is part of the Indiana Landmarks Center campus and functions as an event and rental facility. One of Indiana Landmarks' largest projects was the $30 million+ restoration of the West Baden Springs Hotel's exterior and public spaces. Indiana Landmarks helped lead the effort to bring riverboat gaming to

Orange County, Indiana Orange County is located in Southern Indiana, Southern Indiana in the United States. As of 2020, its population was 19,867. The county seat is Paoli, Indiana, Paoli. The County (United States), county has four municipal corporation, incorporate ...

, as a way to revitalize the French Lick Resort Casino and the West Baden Springs Hotel.

New name and headquarters

In April 2010, in conjunction with the organization's 50th anniversary, Indiana Landmarks announced its name change from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. At the same time, it announced that medical device entrepreneur Bill Cook and his wife, Gayle had pledged $17 million to renovate the former Central Avenue United Methodist Church at 12th Street and Central Avenue in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis as a performance space and new headquarters for the organization, to be known as Indiana Landmarks Center.

Endangered landmarks

Each May (National Historic Preservation Month), Indiana Landmarks announces a list of the state's ''10 Most Endangered'' landmarks. Circumstances that cause properties to be named to the list generally involve one or more of the following factors: demolition threat, abandonment, neglectful owner, dilapidation, obsolete use, lack of money for repairs, unreasonable above-market sale price, out-of-the-way location, or encroaching sprawl. Indiana Landmarks uses the ''10 Most Endangered'' list to bring public attention to the imperiled sites and mobilize support for their preservation.

Annual awards

Indiana Landmarks issues several annual awards, including: * Cook Cup for Outstanding Restoration * Sandi Servaas Memorial Award * Williamson Prize Together with the Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Landmarks co-sponsors the John Arnold Rural Preservation Award.

References

External links

*
National Trust for Historic Preservation
{{Authority control Historic preservation organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1960 State history organizations of the United States Non-profit organizations based in Indianapolis Museum organizations