Test Building

Test Building
Test Building, January 2010
Location54 Monument Circle, Indianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates39°46′6″N 86°9′32″W / 39.76833°N 86.15889°W / 39.76833; -86.15889
Arealess than one acre
Built1925 (1925)
ArchitectBass, Knowlton, & Company
NRHP reference No.83000138[1]
Added to NRHPJune 16, 1983

Test Building, also known as the Circle Motor Inn, is a historic commercial building in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was built in 1925, and is a nine-story, reinforced concrete structure with 12-inch thick brick and clay tile curtain walls. It is faced with Indiana limestone and has a three-story brick penthouse and two-level basement. The mixed-use building housed the city's earliest large parking garages.[2]: 2–5 

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1] It is in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District.

History

The building was constructed in 1925. It was initially planned to be entirely a parking garage apart from ground-level stores, but met with controversy due to perceived danger to pedestrians and traffic congestion.[1]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1]

Description

The building is a nine-story, reinforced concrete structure with 12-inch thick brick and clay tile curtain walls. It is faced with Indiana limestone and has a three-story brick penthouse and two-level basement.[1] It was built in the Neoclassical Revival style by Bass, Knowlton & Company.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "National Register Information System – (#83000138)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved August 1, 2016. Note: This includes Mary Ellen Gadski and James S. Reed (February 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Test Building" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2016. and Accompanying photographs
  3. ^ "Test Building--Indianapolis: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary". National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2025.