We all have expectations when we travel to places we’ve never been, or don’t know well. Prior to the APT conference two weeks ago, I’d been to Indianapolis once, for a day, and had no chance to look around. When I got to explore a bit two weeks ago, I had a small surprise: there was less limestone and more terra cotta than I had expected in the facades of older buildings.
“Indiana limestone” is the most common limestone used in construction in the US, and that name is used for a type of stone that can be quarried in several different places. It’s the Goldilocks of facade stones: far tougher than brownstone, far easier to work with than granite, less susceptible to weakness from internal flaws than marble. If you see light gray stone (accounting for dirt) on a New York facade built between 1900 and 1960, it’s probably Indiana limestone.
So, anyway, here’s some Indianapolis terra cotta (probably made in Chicago) all within walking distance of the conference hotel, and all in good condition. Also note that you see limestone on buildings at the edges of some of the photos.
Two small commercial buildings:
A slightly over-the-top theater:
Two small commercial buildings with nothing in common but terra cotta and being on the same block:
An old high-rise in the process of renovation:
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