The Huntington City-Township Public Library (HCTPL) serves the people of both the city and township of Huntington as well as the town of Markle. Teachers and students in the county schools, another primary/secondary school with a presence in the service area, or Huntington University are also eligible for library cards. It has a large room dedicated as the B. Joan Keefer Genealogy and Local History Center in the main branch, and a small History Room in the Markle branch.
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Hotel Huntington was built in 1841, with additions during 1864, and 1883 to 1900. This building displays both Greek Revival and Italianate architecture.
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The Huntington City Building is an example of Richardsonian Romanesque style architecture and was built in 1904. It replaced a wood structure on the same site that was built in 1883.In the photo of the first city building (ca. 1890s) notice the elevated plank sidewalks on either side of the dirt street.
Opening in 1925, Hotel LaFontaine was the vision of railroad heir, J. Fred Bippus and quite glamorous. The hotel was built in memory of his parents, George and Anna (Purviance) Bippus. It closed in 1974 and nearly everything was auctioned off: including the bowling alley boards. Renovated in 1984, it reopened as the LaFontaine Center, an apartment building for seniors.
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Built in 1914, the building has always been owned by the local electric company, though not always occupied. It is currently owned by Duke Energy.
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Built in 1928, the former Wabash Railroad Passenger Station was completed using brick and stone. In 1855, the first train arrived in Huntington from Fort Wayne along the newly built Erie, Wabash & St. Louis Railroad. Much later, the station saw the passing of the famous Wabash Cannonball. The Cannonball was named after the song of the same name which was originally written in the 1880s and re-popularized in 1929 by the Carter Family (including Johnny Cash's future mother-in-law) and 1932 by Roy Acuff. The Cannonball operated on this line from 1950 until 1971.A separate baggage station for freight and other large baggage was built at the opposite end of the courthouse. Most recently it functioned as Pizza Junction.
Built in 1883, the Milligan Block is a three story red brick building that has been home to many different businesses.Over much of its life it has been some sort of saloon, café, or restaurant with additional apartments and/or small businesses on the upper floors. During Prohibition it was a soda fountain and then a cigar store. In 2023 the third incarnation of a tavern/ saloon and restaurant with the name of the Silver Moon opened. The first business with a variation on that name operated from about 1885 to 1893. The second operated from 1994 to 2001.
The site of the current courthouse is the only place ever used for a courthouse structure in Huntington County. Erected in 1904, the Courthouse is Neo-Classical Revival in architecture style and was designed By J.W. Gaddis, an architect from Vincennes, Indiana. Mr. Gaddis designed other courthouse buildings and libraries many of which are currently on the National Register. The first courthouse was constructed about 1840 of wood. It sat at the northwest corner of the block.The second courthouse was constructed in 1858 of brick. It was situated in the middle of the block.Both the first and second courthouses included the county jail until a separate facility was constructed in 1882.
The Odd Fellows Hall was built in 1889, I.O.O.F Trust Building in 1915, and the United Brethren (UB) Building was also built in 1915. The three buildings are now called the "UB Block" and are part of the Huntington Courthouse Square Historical District. Beginning in the 1980s the buildings started a long slow decline. Condemned in 2013, the buildings were rescued by Huntington Alert and a combination of private and public funds. The rehabilitated buildings reopened in 2020 just as the state entered the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
When it was built in 1904, this building was the largest single building in Huntington, IN. For 60 years it remained in the Kriegbaum family as a hardware and farm implements store. After being sold, the business only lasted another two years or so. Since then the building has been thru only two or three owners and only two businesses. Currently, the building is owned and operated by "Old Car Storage."
After residents expressed dismay over nearby towns having an opera house but one did not exist in Huntington, Ground broke in July 1881 for the Opera House on East Market Street. The performance venue was on the upper floor, with shops on the ground floor. Like many venues of its time, the floor was flat with a raised performance platform at one end.
The first floor of this Neo-Classical style building has frequently been a type of saloon or bar or billiard parlor; while the higher floors were occupied by the Fraternal Order of Eagles until the 1920s, and the Knights of Columbus until 2012. In keeping with its past, one side of the building is currently Legends Bar, while the other is Corn Coast Comics.
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In 1885, the Lewis Block (401 – 413 North Jefferson) was sold to five different buyers who worked together to form a solid block of buildings in a similar design. They replaced a previous block of brick buildings with the one seen today.
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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.
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Built to be a motion picture theater in 1919, The Perfect Theater (later The Jefferson Theater) featured the first talking movie in Huntington. In addition to the theater, a couple of small businesses were housed in the building including a couple of cigar stores, a confectionary, and the Ash Hat co. When its theater days were over, the building was reconfigured as a single space.
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The Huntington Theater opened in 1904 with “The Little Minister” staring Maude Adams. It was renovated in 1940 to an Art Moderne/Deco style and embrace moving pictures. In 2007 it was transformed into a theater and supper club. That closed in 2015. The marquee was removed in April 2019 after a truck ran into it. Renovation began again in 2020.
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Built in 1925/1926, the Our Sunday Visitor building was designed by the architects Worthman & Steinbech (also known for designing big, elaborate churches in the Chicago area) and incorporated many modern conveniences. For about 40 years it operated as the OSV headquarters. After the new OSV building was constructed on East Park, this building saw several uses, until it opened as the Park Lofts at Huntington in 2015.
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In February 1903, the City Free Library opened its doors to the public with 8,306 bound volumes. It circulated its materials about 27,000 times that first year. The standalone building replaced a shared public/school library in the City High School.
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The Tipton street side of the current location became the City School in 1878 taking the place of several earlier homes. In 1890 a dedicated high school was built on the same block along Jefferson St. The first building was demolished around 1920. When the 1890 building was too small and some people deemed it unsafe, work began on a new school. The new high school opened in what is now Slack Park in 1918 and a new elementary school was built on the block in 1928 (after the existing structure was demolished). In 2012 the remodeled facility was opened as Central Living Senior Apartments. Each apartment incorporates some aspect of the classroom(s) from which it was constructed.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
Get a QR Code for this tour
Starting at the library, this tour points out some of the major structures still existing in downtown Huntington. It gives a brief history of each building and talks about the architectural style and the architect (when known). A version of this tour was given during the summer of 2017.
