Instructor

Website


Lanier Mansion became a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

Lanier Mansion

Admin

James Franklin Doughty Lanier was one of Madison’s pioneers. His activities in banking and railroad development made him one of the most important figures in Indiana’s history.Lanier moved to Madison in 1817 and practiced law. In the 1820s, he served as clerk of the Indiana General Assembly, but turned to banking and finance in the 1830s. In 1834, he became the president of the Madison Branch of the State Bank of Indiana. He was a major investor in Indiana’s first railroad, the Madison and Indianapolis, completed in 1847. Lanier’s business success allowed him to hire Madison architect Francis Costigan to design and build the grandest residence in Madison. The mansion was completed and occupied in 1844. Following the death of his first wife, Elizabeth, in 1846, Lanier married Margaret Mary McClure Lanier in 1848.In 1849, Lanier formed an investment bank, Winslow &amp; Lanier, in New York City and moved there in 1851. However, he maintained close ties to Indiana. During the Civil War, he made unsecured loans totaling over $1 million — $26 million today — enabling Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton to outfit troops and keep up interest payments on the state’s debt. His actions kept Indiana an active participant on the Northern side during America’s greatest conflict. By 1870, these loans were repaid with interest. Lanier died in 1881.Designed by architect Francis Costigan, the mansion exhibits many original Greek Revival features including its square plan, the full façade porch on the south elevation, the Corinthian columnns on the south portico, the Doric pilasters that appear on several locations on the exterior, the massive exterior entablature and cornice, the ornamental anthemia, the ornamental pediments over the windows and doors, and the Ionic columnns that separate the double parlors on the first floor.

Lanier Mansion is one of the best examples of Greek Revival architecture in the country and is considered to be the "Crown Jewel" of Madison’s Historic District.Careful interior restoration and redecoration have recaptured the Mansion’s 19th century splendor. During the 1990s, the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Museums and Historic Sites, with major funding provided by the Lanier Mansion Foundation, restored the building and grounds to their former grandeur. After many years of painstaking research, the home was painted in the original colors both inside and out. On the interior, horsehair brushes were used to paint the walls and decorative plaster moldings which were then covered with a high gloss varnish as they were in 1844. The wallpapers and carpets are all reproductions of those available for purchase in the 1840s. Curators and other staff continue to research furnishes from the period and changes to reflect their research may be made to the home in the future.

Lanier Mansion became a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

Lanier Mansion

Introduction

Images

Sources

Additional Information