NEWS
Rehabilitation of Early Terre Haute House Nears Completion
The Greek Revival-style house will soon be available for sale.
Historic Turnaround
In 2021, strong storms blew through Terre Haute’s Farrington’s Grove Historic District, toppling a mature tree onto the vacant c.1855 Grover-Lee House, smashing the roof, chimney and brick walls at its northeast corner. Recognizing the house’s architectural and historical significance, Indiana Landmarks moved quickly to purchase the property from the family trust that owned it, ensuring the damaged landmark wasn’t lost to demolition.
As Terre Haute’s first National Register-listed neighborhood, the Farrington’s Grove Historic District has long been recognized for its diverse mix of architectural periods and styles. The Grover-Lee House, built by Eagle Foundry owner Joseph Grover and his wife Mariette, qualifies as one of the earliest homes in the neighborhood, built in the Greek Revival style. Following subsequent ownerships and period remodels, Dr. Anne Lee and her husband, John, acquired the house in the 1950s. Dr. Lee was a career faculty member in Indiana State University’s home economics department and lived in the house well into her ‘90s. Following her death in 2009, the family’s trust owned the property until its acquisition by Indiana Landmarks.
After rebuilding the damaged brick walls and roof and making the house watertight, Indiana Landmarks discovered more extensive damage along with issues in other parts of the house related to deferred maintenance. The project shifted from stabilization to more extensive rehabilitation, including rebuilding walls, making additional roof repairs, repairing and finishing plaster and drywall, remodeling bathrooms, refinishing wood flooring, and constructing a new Greek Revival-inspired porch to replace the one irreparably damaged by impact of the large tree.
“It’s a testament to the home’s original solid construction that the damage wasn’t worse,” says Tommy Kleckner, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Western Regional Office. “With the project in the homestretch, we look forward to bringing the property to the market with a goal of finding a preservation-minded buyer to continue the Grover-Lee House rehabilitation and preserve this important early landmark.”
To learn more, contact Indiana Landmarks’ Western Regional Office, 812-232-4534, west@indianalandmarks.org.
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