By assuming ownership, Indiana Landmarks recently saved Bockhold Hall, a former Catholic school in the National Register-listed Haughville Historic District in Indianapolis. We negotiated donation of the property from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and after stabilizing the structure we’ll market it for sale with protective covenants.

Completed in 1926, Bockhold Hall served as the school for Holy Trinity Catholic Church, a congregation once comprised primarily of Slovenian immigrants. It remained in use for 50 years, after which it served as a parish hall for church-related events.

The Archdiocese merged Holy Trinity Parish into another nearby parish in 2014 and no longer had a use for Bockhold Hall, which had seen limited use since 1976. At 21,000 square feet, including a full-size gymnasium, the Mediterranean Revival building is an architecturally significant landmark in the neighborhood. The three-story building is also within the boundaries of one of several target areas for the Great Places 2020 initiative, a project of Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC).

“We are excited about the project and its prospects for revitalization of the Haughville neighborhood,” says Mark Dollase, Indiana Landmarks’ Vice President of Preservation Services. “But perhaps even more encouraging is the dialogue with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, which we hope leads to additional partnerships like this one in the future.”

After 40 years of limited use, the structure needs significant work, including masonry restoration. Indiana Landmarks will address immediate repairs and begin marketing the building for sale. Since it’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Bockhold Hall is an excellent candidate for the Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credits for historic properties.

For more information, contact Dollase at 317-639-4534 or mdollase@indianalandmarks.org.