NEWS
Prospects Improve for Princeton’s Rippy Building
Indiana Landmarks working to stabilize commercial anchor in historic downtown.
Sound Investment
In southwest Indiana’s Gibson County, the National Register-listed Princeton Courthouse Square Historic District is a picturesque county seat, anchored by a Romanesque Revival-style courthouse and surrounded by an impressive collection of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century commercial buildings. When the rear masonry wall of the square’s historic Rippy Building collapsed in 2025, locals feared the rest of the structure might follow, leaving a hole in the downtown streetscape. Recognizing the landmark’s potential and deep connection to Princeton’s heritage, Indiana Landmarks stepped in to acquire the building and begin repairs.
In many ways, Princeton in the late nineteenth century developed as a classic Midwestern county seat: prosperous from agriculture, increasingly connected by rail, deeply rooted in community institutions, and confident that the future would bring continued growth and opportunity. The railroad connected the small but growing city to larger markets like Evansville, Indianapolis, and Louisville, Kentucky.
George A. Rippy, the Rippy Building’s namesake, made the most of these circumstances, earning a comfortable living as a traveling businessman representing Belknap Hardware based in Louisville. Well known in the Princeton community, Rippy and his family often appeared in local society pages for hosting luncheons, euchre, and bridge. His experience with Belknap Hardware may have led him to spur development in 1893 of the new brick commercial building on Princeton’s courthouse square, which possibly housed a similar variety of home goods as sold by the Louisville business.
By 1902, the Rippy Building was home to Herriot & Castlen, offering a wide range of products from pocketknives to roller skates to coffee pots. In the following decades, the building housed a series of small businesses integral to the Princeton community, including Utley Hardware Store, Dade’s Women’s Clothing, Eve’s Women’s Clothing, The Wishing Well, Kohlhouse Video, Spanky’s Collectibles, and Princeton Train & Hobby Depot. Most recently, residents visited the offices of Gibson County Chiropractic on the first floor.
In 2025, the property’s owner contacted Indiana Landmarks for assistance following collapse of the building’s rear masonry wall. After months of considering options and discussing possible solutions with Downtown Princeton, Inc., Gibson County Economic Development Corporation, and Mayor Greg White, Indiana Landmarks took ownership of the property in May 2026.
In July 2026, we started work to rebuild the rear wall and ensure the structure is sound, as well as investigating what original historic features remain. While removing later additions to the front exterior, workers have already uncovered remnants of a cast iron façade believed to be a design of Evansville’s George L. Mesker Company, which specialized in mail-order façades that can still be found across the country today.
As we complete exterior rehabilitation, Indiana Landmarks will work with the community to find the Rippy Building’s next owner, returning it to use as an important piece of the Princeton Courthouse Square Historic District.
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