Night & Day

For aficionados of the American Songbook, it doesn’t get any better than Cole Porter, the composer of “Night & Day,” “Anything Goes,” and “Kiss Me Kate.” Born and raised in Peru, Indiana, Porter became a titan of popular music in the ’20s, ‘30s and ‘40s. His birthplace is for sale, a sweet opportunity for any music or history lover.

Born in 1891 to Samuel and Kate Porter, Cole spent his early years in a home on at the corner of East Third and South Huntington Streets. Originally built in a simple Greek Revival style, the house was enlarged sometime in the early twentieth century with a pair of two-story sun porches and brick Craftsman-style entry porches with tapered columns.

By the time Cole turned 10, the increasingly prosperous Porter family moved to a larger brick house on the edge of town. Decades later, his original family house had fallen into dilapidation and was slated for auction to satisfy unpaid taxes. It looked like the final curtain for the landmark until the Ole Olsen Memorial Theater, a local nonprofit, bought the building in 2003 and renovated it as the Cole Porter Inn.

By 2005, years of neglect and use as a meth lab had taken a heavy toll on the house where Cole Porter lived as a child.

The rehabilitation included a new roof, restored windows and siding, updated HVAC, plumbing, electrical systems, and more. The group furnished the inn with antiques and painted the house the same sunny color it wore when the Porter family lived there.

Now for sale, the property offers a one-of-a-kind live/work opportunity. The house includes three furnished apartments and a reception space, plus an unfurnished caretaker’s apartment.

The $125,000 asking price includes the house, the furnishings, the inn’s guest registry, and a rebate for a new paint job and gutters. Indiana Landmarks holds a protective covenant on the exterior of the house, so we will be available to advise new owners on additional renovation options. If owning a property rich in Hoosier history sounds appealing, this might be just the place for you!

For more information, contact Alan Myers, president of the Ole Olsen Memorial Theater, 765-438-3272.