Independent Turnverein of Indianapolis
Posted by: 
GwynEvie
N 39° 46.762 W 086° 09.463
16S E 572128 N 4403608
Preserved gymnasium and meeting hall of the Unabhängiger Turnverein (Independent Turnverein) of Indianapolis.
Waymark Code: WM5NDY
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 01/25/2009
Views: 13
This was the second home of the Unabhängiger Turnverein, one of three active Turner societies during the golden age of German-American life in Indianapolis. This hall was designed by the prominent Swiss-born architect Adolf Scherer and built in 1914. Scherer's design combined elements of German Renaissance Revival and Craftsman styles. The front windows still bear Latin inscriptions with the Turnverein mottos: "Mens sana in corpore sano" (healthy mind in a healthy body) and "Dum vivimus vivamus" (while we live, let us live).
In 1921 the Unabhängiger Turnverein changed its name to the Independent Athletic Club, and later to the Hoosier Athletic Club. The club experienced hard times financially, and in 1943 the building was sold at auction and donated to Purdue University. It housed classrooms and offices of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis for many years. In the 1980s an investment group bought and renovated the building into high-end apartments. It is now owned by Van Rooy Properties and marketed as "Turnverein Apartments."
In spite of the renovations, enough of the character of the building was retained for it to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Independent Turnverein is located at 902 North Meridian Street. It is listed in the "Wegweiser: A Self-Guided Tour of German-American Heritage Sites in Indianapolis," compiled by William L. Selm and published by the Indiana German Heritage Society and the Max Kade Center of IUPUI.
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