NEWS

Helping Two Buildings Tell Their Stories

The Porter County Museum uncovers fascinating hints of history as it rehabs two downtown buildings for expanded exhibit space.

Porter County Museum

Peeling Back the Layers

In his book How Buildings Learn, author Stewart Brand writes “Buildings tell stories, if they’re allowed – if their past is flaunted rather than concealed.” We think Brand would commend Kevin Pazour, Executive Director of the Porter County Museum, for steering restoration and reimagining two commercial buildings in downtown Valparaiso. Long hidden by a single façade, 16 and 18 Indiana Avenue served a variety of uses over the past century. The museum is adding its own layer while highlighting those who came before.

Porter County Museum

(Photo: courtesy Porter County Museum)

The city constructed 16 Indiana Avenue in 1878 as Valparaiso City Hall, housing equipment for the Valparaiso Fire Department on the first floor, with fire fighters’ quarters and offices for city staff on the second. In 1885, an Italianate commercial building went up next door at 18 Indiana Avenue. Tenants over the years included Mitchell LaFore Boots & Shoes, the Oak Buffet restaurant (a suspected prohibition-era saloon), Nelson Field’s printing shop, and Campbell’s House of Music. In 1963, the city outgrew its space in City Hall and expanded into the neighboring building, connecting the spaces inside and covering the storefront.

4-18 Valpo City Hall during facade combination Courtesy of PoCo Muse

Valparaiso City Hall during facade combination. (Photo: courtesy of Porter County Museum)

After the Valparaiso Police Department – the city’s final tenant – moved out of the buildings in 2007, the Porter County Museum set its sights on the two structures. Located across the street from the museum’s 1860 Porter County Sheriff’s Residence and Jail, the two buildings presented an ideal location for expansion. With support from the Porter County Museum Foundation and a downtown city façade grant, the museum began restoring the two separate facades in 2011.

Contractors began interior demolition in February, peeling away layers to uncover many of the buildings’ stories. Workers discovered original tongue-and-groove ceiling, music-themed wallpaper from the 1950s, and a pair of holes in the floor where poles once led fire fighters to their equipment below. They even discovered a painted mural of a river scene in the former City Water Department office.

Valpo Water Dept Mural

Once the work is finished, 16 and 18 Indiana Avenue will provide an additional 10,000 square feet of space for museum exhibits and a new immersive exhibit experience designed for younger visitors.

On Wednesday, April 25, the Porter County Museum is hosting a “Behind the Scenes Night” offering the public a chance to tour 16 and 18 Indiana Avenuebefore construction begins inside. Guests will see some of the exposed historic features and check out artifacts related to the buildings. The event takes place 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., with guided tours at 5, 6, 7, and 8 p.m. General admission is $10 per person, but Indiana Landmarks members can attend for free. Email info@pocomuse.org or call 219-465-3595 for more information.

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