10 Most Endangered - Indiana Landmarks

Every day, all year long, Indiana Landmarks works to revitalize historic structures that give our communities visible connections to their past and lend irreplaceable visual character to the streetscape. Once a year, we announce the 10 Most Endangered, a list of historic places on the brink of extinction and too important to lose. Our 2019 entries include a two churches, a hotel, a county courthouse, a movie theater, a grand home, and more. These places shape lives, and when they’re gone, they leave a void that can’t be filled.

Church of the Holy Cross

1401 East Ohio Street, Indianapolis

In Indianapolis, the historic Holy Cross neighborhood is in danger of losing its signature landmark, closed after the building’s arched portico collapsed in 2015.

Downtown Attica

Roughly bounded by Perry, Main and Mill Streets, Attica

Vacancy, deferred maintenance and demolition by neglect threaten several buildings in Attica’s National Register-listed Downtown Historic District.

Mineral Springs Hotel

124 South Court Street, Paoli

The Mineral Springs Hotel is one of the most architecturally distinctive buildings on Paoli’s courthouse square, but it’s vacant and unmaintained.

Pulaski County Courthouse

112 East Main Street, Winamac

A plan introduced by Pulaski County officials suggests moving all county and court functions to an annex and demolishing the historic county courthouse, replacing it with a parking lot.

John Howe Mansion

Howe Military Academy, Howe

As Howe Military Academy closes its aging campus, its most recognizable and fragile landmark rapidly deteriorates under a leaky roof.

Peru Circus Winter Quarters

3076 E. Circus Lane, Peru

Two 1920s barns are all that remain of Peru’s once-famous Circus Winter Quarters, and both need major repairs their nonprofit owner can’t afford.

Crump Theatre

423 3rd Street, Columbus

Columbus’s Crump Theater is a community favorite, but its revival depends on finding developer with a sustainable plan for the building’s reuse.

Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church

1004 North A Street, Richmond

With stained-glass windows and furnishings by New York’s Tiffany Studios, Reid Memorial is a work of art. But the building has been empty since 2017, its future unclear.

Cannelton Historic District

Roughly bounded by Richardson, Taylor, First, Eighth, and Madison streets, Cannelton

Cannelton’s historic district encompasses much of the town, but half of the 169 structures in the district face jeopardy and over two dozen are vacant.

Commandant’s Row

Indiana Veterans’ Home, West Lafayette

Three original buildings at the nineteenth-century Indiana Veterans’ Home in West Lafayette need substantial investment and repair.

Act Now to Save These Places

Saving threatened buildings takes teamwork. You can be a part of that team. Reach out to local leaders. Let them know these buildings are important to you. And support state and local preservation groups.

TAKE ACTION