Tomlinson Hall
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Tomlinson Hall was a public meeting hall in
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
,
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 ...
, on the northeast corner of Market and Delaware streets adjacent to the
Indianapolis City Market The Indianapolis City Market is a historic Market (place), public market located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was founded in 1821 and officially opened in its current facility in 1886. The market building is a one-story, rectangular brick buildi ...
. It hosted a variety of public events from 1886 until January 30, 1958, when it was destroyed in a fire. The building was named for Stephen D. Tomlinson, an Indianapolis druggist, whose will had bequeathed the money to build it.


Beginnings

The will of Indianapolis druggist Stephen D. Tomlinson, who had died on November 14, 1870, provided that the residue of his estate would, upon the death of his wife, Mary Todd Brown Tomlinson, be given to city of Indianapolis to construct a "public building" on the western portion of what was then East Market Square, a farmer's market that had operated since the 1830s. The city reached an agreement with Mrs. Tomlinson in 1874 to receive the estate immediately. However, construction was delayed while the question of whether the site, which the
State of 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 ...
had given to the city for use as a public market, could be used for other purposes. Some of the city's leaders also feared that the erection of a public hall would ultimately require a tax increase. The city council decided that the new structure would house both the public hall and the city market. The city organized a design contest that was won by local architect Diedrich A. Bohlen. Construction using Bohlen's designs, began in 1883, and extended more than two years at a cost of $125,000. The first floor housed offices and overflow from the City Market, while the second floor contained a large auditorium with a seating capacity of 4,200 people in the audience and an additional 650 people on the stage.


Opening and events

Tomlinson Hall was inaugurated on June 2, 1886, as a part of the
Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...
Music Festival that raised money for the construction of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.
William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...
was one of the dignitaries presiding over that event. On June 27, 1888, the hall was the site of a large celebration honoring the nomination of
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...
for president of the United States. Rallies were held in 1917 to mark the declaration of war on Germany in
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and in 1920 to mark the city's centennial. The hall was host to several kinds of public activities during its history, including concerts, fund raisers, political events, conventions, and sporting events. Notable entertainers who performed there included
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...
and his band (which featured soprano
Estelle Liebling Estelle Liebling (April 21, 1880 – September 25, 1970) was an American soprano, composer, arranger, music editor, and celebrated voice teacher and vocal coach. Born into the Liebling family of musicians, she began her professional opera career ...
), pianist
Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (;  
r 1859 R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars''. The lette ...
– 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation's Prime Minister of Poland, prime minister and foreign minister durin ...
, silent movie star
Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...
, and many prominent
big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
s of the 1920s. The hall was also host to the city's annual May Music Festival. During the
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of the 1930s,
dance marathon Dance marathons (or marathon dances) are events in which people dance or walk to music for an extended period of time. They started as dance contests in the 1920s and developed into human endurance contests, or exploitative entertainment events d ...
s were held in the hall.


Deterioration and fire

Beginning in the 1930s, Tomlinson Hall began to deteriorate, leading city leaders in the 1950s to consider what should be done with it. A persistent proposal was to demolish it and build a parking garage on the site. In 1955, the
National Board of Fire Underwriters The American Insurance Association (AIA) is an insurance industry trade association representing about 300 insurance companies that provide property insurance and/or casualty insurance in the United States. Founded in 1866 as the National Board ...
called the structure the "city's worst fire hazard". The hall was destroyed by fire on January 30, 1958, allegedly after a pigeon dropped a lit cigarette on the roof of the building. The city issued a contract to demolish the building, but a group of citizens who wanted to maintain the civic landmark obtained a restraining order on March 10. The judge subsequently vacated the order on May 13, finding that because Tomlinson Hall was not part of the original market trust, the city was within its rights to raze it. The demolition was completed in July. The demolition dealt only with the aboveground portions of the structure. The basement had been used to transport and store goods in a cooler location for the market vendors on the first floor. Subsequent construction of a new west wing of the City Market in the 1970s retained the basement. Since then the underground area, while no longer used for any purpose, has become known as the Indianapolis Catacombs, with guided tours given at various times. When the adjacent City Market was rehabilitated in the 1970s, an arch from Tomlinson Hall that had been incorporated into a later wall was uncovered and renovated as a memorial to the hall and its benefactor.


See also

* List of destroyed heritage of the United States


References

{{Commons cat Buildings and structures in Indianapolis Buildings and structures completed in 1886 Buildings and structures demolished in 1958 Theatres in Indiana Tourist attractions in Indianapolis Sports venues in Indianapolis Burned buildings and structures in the United States Demolished buildings and structures in Indiana