NEWS
Rehabilitation Underway for Madison’s Historic Custer-Cosby House
Indiana Landmarks is working to save the formerly threatened 1844 house with ties to local Black heritage.
Good Work
Madison’s Custer-Cosby House, a landmark with significant ties to the city’s Black heritage, escaped threat of demolition in late 2025 when Indiana Landmarks acquired the property and announced plans to stabilize it and complete exterior restoration.
Custer-Cosby House in September 2025. PHOTO: Greg Sekula
Originally located on Poplar Street, the two-story house was built in 1844 by carpenter Charles Custer, later becoming home to the family of Charles Cosby, Jefferson County’s first Black elected official when elected to the Madison City Council in 1970. Cosby was re-elected for a second term in 1974 but after dying in office, his wife, Christine, assumed his council seat, becoming the first Black woman to serve in government in the county.
In 1999, when a planned hospital expansion threatened the landmark, local preservationist Link Ludington relocated the structure and placed it on a new foundation at its present site, 111 East 4th Street. In the intervening years however, the property suffered from neglect and vacancy, and when a subsequent owner announced plans to demolish the home and replace it with new construction, Indiana Landmarks moved quickly to purchase the building.
Since taking on the project, Indiana Landmarks has completed foundation and structural repairs and construction of a two-story addition to allow for a potential three-bedroom floor plan. This spring, exterior siding, window work, and exterior painting will commence. Once work is complete, the house will be placed on the market with covenants protecting the historic exterior. Comprehensive interior rehabilitation will need to be completed by a new owner.
In recent years the City of Madison has placed renewed focus on eliminating vacant and blighted properties in an effort to boost revitalization within the city’s National Historic Landmark District. This project, a collaboration between Indiana Landmarks and the City of Madison, fulfills the city’s aims by preserving a long-vacant structure and returning it to a habitable state.
“Many of the historic places associated with Madison’s Black heritage have been lost over the years, and we’re honored to be part of this collaborative effort involving the City and descendants of the Cosby family, who are engaged with us in this project,” said Greg Sekula, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Southern Regional Office.
“This restoration is an investment not only in a building, but in the people and neighborhoods that make Madison special,” said Mayor Bob Courtney. “This would not happen without the partnership with Indiana Landmarks.”
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