Indiana Landmarks

🏠️ PRICE IMPROVEMENT: 119 Madison Avenue, Hanover, $399,900

The Rodgers-Millican House is a unique blend of history and modern comfort. This charming two-story, home with unique German siding was built in 1852-1877 and offers the perfect combination of new home elements like modern air conditioning and heating, updated electrical system, new roof, and new kitchen with granite countertops, while keeping its original charm with refinished floors, original woodwork, and open cherry staircase.

Outside, a spacious covered porch provides a comfortable space for relaxing and entertaining with a large backyard which includes a large barn garage and storage shed. Site improvements include a new concrete walkway in the front and new asphalt driveway. Additional interior amenities include built-in bookcases in the living room, antique fireplace mantels, built-in china cabinet in the dining room, and ample closet space. House has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, first-floor mudroom and laundry. Located a short walk to the Hanover College campus, the house is part of the broader preservation and growth efforts underway in Hanover.

➡️ Contact Jessica Butler, Legacy Land Use and Realty, 812-612-5472, to arrange a showing or for more information.

🎳 On this we're showcasing the remarkable revival of the West Baden Springs Bowling Pavilion.

Located at the edge of West Baden Springs Hotel’s formal gardens, the Billiard and Bowling Pavilion opened to hotel guests on Christmas Day in 1917, replacing an earlier wooden structure destroyed by fire. German architect Peter Weber—designer of the hotel’s grand porch and east terrace, as well as the Hygeia and Apollo springhouses and the West Baden National Bank Building—contributed to the pavilion, giving the limestone structure a classical appearance that visually connected it to other buildings on the property.

Repeated water damage caused the bowling pavilion to close by 1929, followed by closure of the entire hotel during the Great Depression. In the property’s era as a Jesuit seminary, the pavilion was repurposed as a community recreational space, later serving as a student center during Northwood Institute’s tenure. By the early 1980s, the pavilion was largely vacant.

Located in a flood-prone area, the pavilion required a comprehensive mitigation strategy before any interior work could begin. Engineers implemented a flood control system combining pumps to remove excessive water with protective gates to safeguard the building. After addressing the exterior challenges, the resort kicked off interior rehabilitation in 2022, transforming the space into a vibrant social hub for guests and community, featuring bowling, billiards, and Sprudel’s Pizzeria that opened in January 2026.

Read more about the alley and other historic recreation landmarks in the July/August issue of our member magazine, Indiana Preservation.⁠
➡ https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2026/07/historic-bowling-alleys-get-new-life/

📸 Courtesy French Lick Resort

Fifteen sites significant to Indiana’s African American history are receiving restoration and rehabilitation assistance through two funds established by the late Eli Lilly chemist and preservation champion Standiford “Stan” Cox.

Grants totaling $205,000 are being distributed from the Standiford H. Cox Fund and the Dovie Stewart Cox & Chester A. Cox Sr. Memorial Fund to sites across the state.

Stan Cox, who passed away in 2019, joined Eli Lilly and Co. in 1957 as its first Black chemist. He established the two funds with the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) to support the restoration, preservation, operation, and ongoing maintenance of African American historic sites in Indiana.

“We’re pleased to serve as a preservation advisor on these grants, which continue the visionary work of Stan Cox to protect Indiana’s Black heritage,” said Mark Dollase, vice president of preservation services at Indiana Landmarks. “The partnership between the Central Indiana Community Foundation and Indiana Landmarks creates a brighter future for these important local landmarks.”

➡️ See the full list of recipients:⁠ https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2026/08/grants-help-preserve-15-historic-african-american-sites-in-indiana-2/

📸: Evansville African American Museum by Stephanie Richard; Union Literary Institute Preservation Society, Inc. in Randolph County by Evan Hale; Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Indianapolis by Evan Hale; Second Baptist Church in New Albany by Laura Renwick; Olivet AME Church in South Bend by Todd Zeiger

🏨 On select Thursdays at 2 p.m., join our Behind-the-Scenes Tour at West Baden Springs Hotel. Discover the history of areas that served the hotel’s first guests—including the kitchen, garage, ice cream plant, laundry, printing office, and filtering plant—and see how these spaces have been re-purposed for the hotel’s operations today. Make plans to capture stunning views of the atrium from the balcony of one of the sixth-floor rooms!

➡ Learn more: https://www.indianalandmarks.org/event/west-baden-behind-the-scenes/

📷: Evan Hale and Indiana Landmarks archives

🏡 WOODRUFF PLACE NEIGHBORHOOD WALKING TOUR
Saturday, August 15, Indianapolis

Known as the city’s first planned residential suburb, entrepreneur James O. Woodruff created Woodruff Place in 1872, an upscale, park-like neighborhood with stately homes and tree-lined esplanades that remains largely intact today.

On a 90-minute guided tour, learn about the neighborhood’s unique cultural and historic importance, recognized in 1972 when it became Indianapolis’ first neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tours depart at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Groups will cover approximately 1.5 miles over the course of 90 minutes.

Presented in partnership with the Historic Woodruff Place Foundation and Woodruff Place Civic League

➡ Reserve your spot: https://www.indianalandmarks.org/event/woodruff-place-neighborhood-walking-tour/

📸: Kelly Harris

At Purdue’s Memorial Union, a bowling alley has been part of campus life since the late 1930s. Known today as the Union Rack and Roll, the lower-level venue in the 1924 building remains a popular hangout for students, faculty, and the broader community.

The alley stays busy each semester thanks to course “PES 115: Bowling,” which draws over 290 students who earn credit while learning and practicing the game. Student and faculty teams also use the alley’s 10 lanes, and they can be rented by visitors for walk-in play.

Beginning in 2022, a series of renovations refreshed the space so it could continue to serve as a hub for recreation. Updates include an e-sports lounge, meeting space, updated seating near the lanes, and a new string pinsetter system that requires less maintenance than traditional systems.

The redesign also introduced two pool tables and relocated the pro shop to the front of the space. The result blends modern amenities with the Rack and Roll’s signature cozy ambiance.

Read more about the alley and other historic recreation landmarks in the July/August issue of our member magazine, Indiana Preservation.⁠
➡️ https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2026/07/historic-bowling-alleys-get-new-life/

📸: Courtesy Purdue University; Courtesy Purdue Memorial Union; and Victoria Deno⁠

👉️ Don't miss the August 1 early bird deadline for Preserving Historic Places, Indiana’s statewide historic preservation conference, happening this year in Franklin, Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, 2026.

REGISTER NOW: bit.ly/PreservingHistoricPlaces

Join us this fall to discover the charm of Frankin, a city with a vibrant historic downtown and active preservation community. From adaptively reused buildings like the Garment Factory and Johnson County Museum of History to restored landmarks like the iconic Artcraft Theatre and historic Johnson County Courthouse, the city showcases a blend of innovation and tradition.

Choose from over 20 educational sessions on a range of historic preservation and archaeology topics including revitalizing Main Streets and historic theaters, advances in canal archaeology, marketing and storytelling for historic sites, and the impact of short-term rentals on historic neighborhoods. Specialized workshops and tours offer insight into historic preservation law, community entrepreneurship, preservation efforts in Franklin, and more.

Sponsored by Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, and Indiana University.

📸: Festival Country Indiana

📰 Applications are now being accepted for the next round of awards from Indiana Landmarks' Historic Fraternal Lodges Grant Program, which will be reviewed in September 2026.

➡️ See details: https://www.indianalandmarks.org/resources/grants-and-loans/

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fraternal orders proliferated across the U.S. At one point, nearly every town in Indiana had at least one fraternal organization, and for generations lodges built by Masons, Odd Fellows, Elks, Knights of Pythias and other orders became important community landmarks. Today, as participation in fraternal organizations dwindles, orders struggle to maintain their structures, leaving hundreds of significant buildings at risk. In 2023 and 2024, Indiana Landmarks named fraternal lodges to its annual 10 Most Endangered list, and in 2025, we created a new grant program to support preservation of historic fraternal lodges.

The program offers assistance with rehabilitation expenses and planning grants for both lodges in active use by fraternal organizations and buildings no longer used for lodge functions.

Nonprofits, fraternal societies, and municipal governments can apply for funding through the program. Private property owners are eligible to receive a grant, but only in partnership with a local community-based organization.

Applications may be submitted any time and will be reviewed on a quarterly basis for approval. The next round of awards will be reviewed in September 2026; recipients will be notified within 30 days of review.

Pictured: Built in 1926 as a Masonic Temple on the eastern edge of downtown Muncie, the building has housed Cornerstone Center for the Arts since 2006. Indiana Landmarks awarded the group a matching grant from its Historic Fraternal Lodges Grant Program to support the commissioning of a comprehensive historic structure report that will help them look at long-term preservation, rehabilitation needs and continued use of the landmark building.

📸: Lee Lewellen and Courtesy Cornerstone Center for the Arts

OLD SPEEDWAY CITY NEIGHBORHOOD WALKING TOUR - August 11, 12, & 13

🏎️ Celebrate the Town of Speedway’s centennial by exploring the community’s historic district

Two-hour tours depart every half hour from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. EDT

Incorporated in 1926, the Town of Speedway celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, where residents continue to embrace a spirit of innovation and honor the community’s history through preservation of historic residential and commercial blocks. On a two-hour guided tour, learn about Speedway’s historic white collar and working-class residents, discover the rich commercial and industrial heritage hidden in plain sight, and explore the neighborhood’s unique connection to automotive heritage.

➡️ Learn more: https://www.indianalandmarks.org/event/old-speedway-city-neighborhood-walking-tour/

👀 This spring, Hanover College faculty and staff, along with community leaders from Hanover, Madison, and Jefferson County, got a sneak peek of completed rehabilitation at the 1852 Rodgers-Millican House before the once-endangered property was listed for sale. The event showcased the results of a nearly 15-month interior and exterior rehabilitation by Indiana Landmarks, undertaken through a partnership with Hanover College and the Town of Hanover through the community development initiative “Jefferson Together” and supported by a $30 million Lilly Endowment College and Community Collaboration grant.

Designed to bring together regional partners in Jefferson County—such as Hanover College, the Town of Hanover, City of Madison, Jefferson County officials, and others—“Jefferson Together” aims to revitalize communities and enhance the region’s quality of life. Indiana Landmarks is playing an active role in the Town of Hanover’s revitalization strategy, which involves acquiring and rehabilitating endangered or vacant historic properties along and near Madison Avenue and Main Street, such as the Rodgers-Millican House, now for sale for $405,000.

➡️ Read more: ⁠https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2026/06/open-house-showcases-hanover-houses-transformation

📸: Greg Sekula and Legacy Land Use and Realty