Mansion Row Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Mansion Row Historic District in New Albany, Indiana
has been on the National Register of Historic Places
since 1983. It features the various mansions of the city when New Albany was the largest city in Indiana
around the time of the American Civil War
. The main section is on Main Street from State Street (where the Scribner House is), to 15th Street. A smaller section is on Market Street from E. 7th Street to E. 11th Street.
Most of the buildings are of the Federal and Italianate
styles, but other styles of the mansions are of Greek Revival
, Gothic Revival, and Victorian. The oldest of the buildings are of the Federal style, built before Upper High Street was renamed East Main Street.
New Albany, Indiana
New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River opposite Louisville, Kentucky. In 1900, 20,628 people lived in New Albany; in 1910, 20,629; in 1920, 22,992; and in 1940, 25,414. The population was 36,372 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of...
has been on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
since 1983. It features the various mansions of the city when New Albany was the largest city in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
around the time of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The main section is on Main Street from State Street (where the Scribner House is), to 15th Street. A smaller section is on Market Street from E. 7th Street to E. 11th Street.
Most of the buildings are of the Federal and Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
styles, but other styles of the mansions are of Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
, Gothic Revival, and Victorian. The oldest of the buildings are of the Federal style, built before Upper High Street was renamed East Main Street.
Prominent residents
- Asahel Clapp (physician)
- William CulbertsonWilliam CulbertsonWilliam S. Culbertson was once the richest man in Indiana. He was born in New Market, Pennsylvania, and left at age 21 to find his fortune along the Ohio River. He settled in New Albany, Indiana, taking a job as a dry goods clerk, but by 1860 had found his wealth in dry goods. In 1868 he retired...
(merchant) - Washington C. DePauwWashington C. DePauwWashington Charles DePauw was an American businessman. DePauw University is named in his honor.DePauw was born in Salem, Indiana, on January 4, 1822. He was grandson of Charles DePauw, who came to the Americas with LaFayette, and the son of John and Elizabeth Battist DePauw. John DePauw had...
(industrialist) - Michael C. KerrMichael C. KerrMichael Crawford Kerr was an American legislator.He was born at Titusville, Pennsylvania and educated at the Erie Academy. He graduated from Louisville University's Law School in 1851...
(U.S. Speaker of the House) - William Vaughn MoodyWilliam Vaughn MoodyWilliam Vaughn Moody was a United States dramatist and poet. Author of The Great Divide, first presented under the title of The Sabine Woman at the Garrick Theatre in Chicago on April 12, 1906...
(playwright)
Prominent buildings
- Dr. Asahel Clapp House (1822), first brick house in New Albany
- State Bank of Indiana building (1837, Greek RevivalGreek Revival architectureThe Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
) Built at the cost of $40,000, it was the tallest building in New Albany for a time. It was one of the ten original branches of Indiana's State Bank. - Isaac P. Smith House (1847, Greek RevivalGreek Revival architectureThe Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
) - Sloan-Bicknell-Paris House (1851, Italian Villa), now the Admiral Bicknell Inn, it features a mahoganyMahoganyThe name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
staircase with a cherryCherryThe cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
balustrade. - Culbertson Mansion State Historic SiteCulbertson Mansion State Historic SiteCulbertson Mansion State Historic Site is located in New Albany, Indiana by the Ohio River. It was the home of William Culbertson, who was once the richest man in Indiana. Built in 1867 at a cost of $120,000, this French Second Empire-style mansion has 25-rooms within , and was completed in...
(1869, Second Empire) - Washington C. DePauw House (1873, Second Empire) was the millionaire's winter home
- Holy Trinity Church (destroyed by fire in 1975)
- Culbertson Old Ladies' Home (1873), built by William Culbertson for the benefit of poor widows, it is currently a bed and breakfastBed and breakfastA bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
. - Samuel Culbertson House (1887, Queen AnneQueen Anne Style architectureThe Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
), built as a wedding present from William Culbertson to his son, it now holds gatherings such as weddings and class reunionClass reunionA class reunion is a meeting of former classmates, typically organized at or near their former school by one of the class on or around an anniversary of their graduation. Former teachers may be invited as well...
s. - St. Paul's Episcopalian Church (1896, Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
) - New Albany Masonic Temple
See also
- East Spring Street Historic DistrictEast Spring Street Historic DistrictThe East Spring Street Historic District, in New Albany, Indiana, is on the National Register of Historic Places since 2002. The general area is E. Fifth Street to the west, Spring St. to the north, E. Eighth Street to the east, and Market Street to the south...
- New Albany Downtown Historic District