Moore-Corlew Building

Built in 1844, the Moore-Corlew Building is one of the oldest buildings in Huntington. It has been documented as one of the first brick and the only federal style structure downtown. This building was listed on the National Register in 1982.

In 1833 Samuel Moore opened a business that sold provisions at the Forks of the Wabash. In 1845, he moved his business to Huntington. John Kenower was the builder of the Moore Building and was one of the first 14 families to settle in Huntington. The bricks used for the building were fired locally and were the start of what would become the Montgomery Brick Yards. The building changed hands and was eventually bought by George R Corlew. He made an addition to the building in 1869, making it 102.5’ long. A "modern" façade was added in the 1960s or 70s. It was removed in 1982 when the building façade was returned to its original appearance by Dr. Harman and his family. The last major renovation was in 2020 – 2022. It is currently the HomeCraft store and a couple of market-rate apartments.

The Huntington County Interim Report, 2^nd Edition, labels the architecture style as Federal. This style was popular in Indiana in 1810-1840. Because of this most examples of Federal style architecture are normally found in Southern Indiana, near waterways as this area of Indiana was more settled during this time period. Simple is the mainstay of the Federal style, with buildings looking like simple blocks, being built of brick or stone and rooflines that are simple. This building shows the use of “parapet walls” which hide the roof and allow the outline of the building to look more simple and clean. The Moore-Corlew Block was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and is location number 13 on the National Register of Historic Places registration form for the Huntington Courthouse Square Historic District which was approved in 1992.

1. National Register Digital Places. National Registry of Historic Places. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=c6d5c952-88ef-4b94-980d-22cb5be298e8
2. Huntington County Interim Report 2^nd Edition, Indiana 1982. This book can be located at the Huntington City-Township Public Library. hctpl.info.
3. “Federal,”, IN.gov, accessed July 13, 2021, https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic-preservation/learn-about-topics/buildings-and-bridges/architectural-styles/federal-style/
4. “Historic Architecture Tour,” Huntington Alert, Inc., accessed July 13, 2021. https://huntingtonalert.wordpress.com/historic-architecture-tour/
5. National Register Digital Places. National Registry of Historic Places. Accessed July 22, 2021. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/85461645-f775-4cf8-a822-d8525b7cf0ba