Athenaeum (Das Deutsche Haus) National Historic Landmark Nomination

Selm, William L.

This document is the National Historic Landmark (NHL) nomination for the Athenaeum (Das Deutsche Haus) in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The NHL nomination for the Athenaeum (Das Deutsche Haus) documents its national significance under Criterion 1 in the area of education, as the home of the Normal College of the North American Gymnastic Union (NAGU) for sixty-three years. The Normal College, now the Indiana University School of Physical Education, is the nation’s oldest, continuously active school of physical education. The program educated teachers who directly contributed to the development of physical education programs in public schools across the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The foundation for the success in making physical education mandatory in public schools derived from the Turner movement, an important expression of German American culture in the nineteenth century. The period of significance for the building’s association with the Normal College begins in 1907 and ends in 1946 when the school lost its autonomy becoming part of Indiana University. The building, a rare example of a monumental Turner hall, is also significant under NHL Criterion 4 in the area of architecture as an excellent example of German Renaissance Revival Style, and as the masterpiece of the prolific Indianapolis architecture firm of Vonnegut and Bohn, which had deep roots in the Turner movement. The period of significance for the Indianapolis Athenaeum under Criterion 4 is 1893-1898.

Athenaeum (Das Deutsche Haus) National Historic Landmark Nomination

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