Preserve Richmond, Inc.

Top Ten Most Endangered Historic Sites

At its 2004 annual meeting, Preserve Richmond introduced its first-ever list of the most endangered historic sites in our community. None of the properties have been lost and several have had dramatic improvements.

Below is a list of the sites with brief updates on their current status:

1. Solomon Dickinson Log House. (Saved)
On the property of the Wayne County Historical Museum, the Dickinson Cabin was moved from its original site on Fort Wayne Avenue in the late 1960s. The building had deteriorated significantly and had been temporarily stabilized with steel on the outside of the building. With the support of the City of Richmond's Historic Preservation Commission, the Museum received a federal grant through the Indiana Department of Historic Preservation and Archaeology and the building has been restored.

2. Andrew Finley Scott House. (Saved)
Built in 1858 at 126 N. 10th Street, the Scott House was left to the Wayne County Museum by descendants of the Scott family for use as an historic house museum in the 1970s. While the Museum restored the property and furnished the house as its Victorian Annex, rising maintenance and utility costs forced the Museum's board to consider alternatives. After attaching historic preservation covenants to the deed, the house was sold to private individuals who have completed much of the deferred maintenance and have opened the home as a "dinner house."

3. The Pennsylvania Railroad Depot. (Saved)
Richmond, Indiana's, Pennsylvania Railroad Depot was designed by noted Chicago architect, Daniel Burnham, and opened in 1902. At its height, more than twenty-five passenger trains a day passed through the station. However, as automobile traffic grew and railroad traffic decreased, the Pennsylvania Railroad vacated the structure. The depot sat empty for several decades as efforts were made to find a new owner. Prospects for the depot improved significantly when prominent local businessman, Roger Reichert, bought it in 2010. All Richmond watched as the depot was renovated inside and out. Today, the depot is almost ready to fill the needs of some lucky tenants. Listen to a podcast about this building by the Indiana Landmarks Foundation.

4. Ruins of the Starr Piano Factory. (Saved)
Located in the Whitewater Gorge Park, ruins of the last remaining building of the vast Starr Piano Factory complex was deteriorating after a fire gutted the building's interiors. The City of Richmond and its Parks and Recreation Department sought grant money from a variety of sources to clean up the area and to stabilize the ruins. Recently, a roof was placed over the building and it is now being used an open-air pavilion in the Gorge Park. Later this year the Starr Gennett Foundation will open its Walk of Fame near the building.

5. Old Friends Meeting House
Built in 1870 on the site of the original Friends Meeting House in Richmond, the building was sold in the 1960s and is currently used for storage by the adjacent business. While the building appears to be stable, its future continues to be a concern.

6. William G. Scott House/Knights of Columbus (In progress)
Formerly a grand private home at North 10th and B Streets, the home was built in 1885-6 of Connecticut brownstone and pressed brick. For a number of years, the house and a large modern addition have served as home to the Knights of Columbus. Leaders of the club have been raising funds and making improvements to the historic building but much remains to be done.

7. Frank W. Spinning Building. (Saved)
Absentee owners of the Spinning building at 10-12 North 10th, had let the building deteriorate and it was placed on the City's Unsafe Buildings list and the rear corner of the building was in danger of collapse. The owner was persuaded to donate the building to Historic Landmarks Foundation which attached historic preservation covenants and passed the building on to the Economic Growth Group. Preserve Richmond funded a feasibility study with a grant from HLFI and EGG received two grants from Richmond's Redevelopment Commission to fund a partial restoration. Once stabilized, EGG sold the building to the interior design firm of Interior Translation which has just completed a restoration for use as a design studio and retail shop.

8. John Elwood Bundy Studio.
At the rear of the 527 West Main Street residence of the "dean" of the Richmond School of artists, John Elwood Bundy, sits his studio. Damaged by a fire, the owners were considering options for the building, including demolition. The building remains fire damaged and unrestored. Its future is still uncertain.

9. Richmond Gas Company Buildings. (Lost)
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its historic and architectural significance, the oldest parts of this building were constructed in 1855. The buildings are owned by the City of Richmond as a part of the Whitewater Gorge Park. While plans have been developed for possible uses, no use has been proved to yet to be viable. Considered an eyesore by some in city government, calls to demolish the building will grow louder unless a plan for its restoration is developed.

10. Former Fire Station No. 19 (Saved)
Richmond's most important architect, John A. Hasecoster, designed the fire house at 400 North 8th Street in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Although the beautiful building sat empty for years, it is currently being renovated, appropriately enough, by several Richmond firemen for use as a barbeque restaurant. Those who have toured the building were impressed with both the quality and quantity of the work that has been done. Opening day can't come soon enough for the city's barbeque fans.

What's Happening in our Community

• Read our Newsletter.

• Richmond's historic Pennsylvania Depot will be featured on Indiana Landmark's "Where We Live" radio feature on November 7, 2011. The show will be archived on the website for later review.

• Wayne County's Resource Inventory Council's driving tour CDs can be purchased for $7.50 at the following locations:

  • Abbott's Candies, 48 East Walnut Street, Hagerstown
  • Abington General Store, 6676 Abington Pike, Abington
  • Clay Township Museum, 19 Pearl Street, Greens Fork
  • Levi Coffin House, 113 North US Highway 27, Fountain City
  • Vinton House, 20 West Main Street, Cambridge City
  • Warm Glow Candle Outlet, 2131 North Centerville Road, Centerville
  • Wayne County Historical Museum, 1150 North A Street, Richmond
  • Wayne County Visitors' Center, 5701 National Road East, Richmond

Mission Statement

• To encourage sustainable development through preservation of historic resources and the heritage of Richmond and Wayne County, Indiana;

• To help foster an understanding of our ancestors and their role in the historic and cultural development of the community;

• To demonstrate the economic viability of the rescue of historic structures through advocacy, acquisition, protection, and research about sites, structures, and artifacts of importance to the cultural and historic development for the educational programs;

• To publish literature about local and American architecture, interior design, antiques, technology and other related matters.

Membership

Individual $15 Family $20 Sustaining $25 and up Corporate $35 and up To join or renew your membership, send dues to: Preserve Richmond, Inc. P.O. Box 1873 Richmond, Indiana  47374-1873

Board of Directors of Preserve Richmond, Inc.