5. Description of Physical Appearance The ten-story Kahn Building is located on the northeast corner of Meridian and Washington Streets at 1 North Meridian. It abuts a modern four-story infill building to the east and is open to an alley to the north. Located just south of Monument Circle, the office building has held Indianapolis businesses for over 100 years, but was originally commissioned by the Kahn Tailoring Company to hold their retail store along with additional tenant spaces. Built in 1915, the Kahn Building was designed by prominent local architects Vonnegut & Bohn who designed multiple buildings in the downtown. As a part of the Washington Street - Monument Circle Historic District, the building is listed as a contributing structure in the National Register nomination.
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Constructed of steel, concrete, and masonry, the building is a simple rectangular mass divided into equal bays with a flat roof. Two bays along Washington Street and seven bays along Meridian Street were originally all adorned with white terra cotta. The architects accentuated the height of the building by designing vertical bands of the material between the bays and windows. The first and second floors are visually differentiated from the floors above by the taller floor-to-ceiling heights and a decorative band of terra cotta between the second and third floors. Storefronts encompass all the first floor except for the central bay along Meridian Street which provides access to the basement tenant and lobby for the circulation core. Historically, this entrance was framed by terra cotta and included signage for the building and basement tenant. Renovations from the 1950s covered the storefronts and building entry with black granite panels, which are now considered to be in fair to poor condition. All terra cotta details above the first floor have been maintained in place. Overall, the terra cotta across the exterior appears to be in good condition.
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Windows on the second floor fill the entire width of the bay and consist of single-hung windows flanking a fixed sash. The three-light transom has been covered with solid wood panels. Windows on the third through ninth floors have a double hung appearance with metal spandrel panels beneath. These wood sash windows have a fixed upper sash with hinges at the stiles that connect to the meeting rail of lower sash. This allows the lower sash to be lifted for ventilation. The tenth floor south and west elevations include paired steel sash windows with an operable lower sash hopper and arched head upper sash that fill each bay. With the exception of a few random replacement sash, all windows appear to be original. Decorative terra cotta elements mimic panels under the tenth floor windows and cap the arched headers with dentils and central bracket. Additional terra cotta detailing is in place between the tenth floor windows and a large terra cotta cornice.
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The secondary north and east facades as well as the penthouse are masonry construction of red brick in a common bond pattern. Three bays of the east facade include original steel sash three-over-three windows beginning at the sixth floor and extending to the tenth floor. The north facade includes an original metal fire escape and two first floor back-of-house doors. Three-over-three steel sash windows are located in the west bay from the fourth floor through the tenth floor.
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The Kahn Building was designed to hold a variety of tenants. While the basement and first floor have held both retail and restaurant businesses, the floors above have consistently been used as office space. The central entry off of Meridian Street was designed to lead directly into the circulation core consisting of three elevators and staircase that leads up to the third floor, while the first floor businesses have their own entries within the storefronts. Each floor above the first is a single-loaded corridor that provides access to the various office tenants. Due to renovations and changing needs of the tenants, the sizes and layouts of the individual office spaces have been altered over time. A chase with historic double doors for electrical and small pipes remains in place along the east faรงade in the third through tenth floors. The historic single-loaded corridor conditions remain a constant on all floors except the second, and the third floor tenant has enclosed the hallway north of the stair. The second floor circulation space is limited to the elevator lobby, as the tenant has enclosed most of the floor as an art gallery. A tenth floor mezzanine holds mechanical equipment, general building storage, and provides access to the rooftop penthouse. The first floor lobby space has undergone multiple alterations. Originally, the floor and walls were clad in marble, but was later replaced with tile. Currently the lobby is clad in metal panels, and the original stair has been partially
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replaced and enclosed. Historic conditions of this stair still exist from the second floor up to the third floor. A second stair that spans from the third floor to the tenth floor is located north of the elevator core. Floors three through ten are typically finished with tile, wood or carpet flooring, painted drywall walls, and acoustic tile drop ceiling, all of which are unoriginal to the building. The second floor tenant has similar finishes, though the ceiling structure has been left exposed and painted black. The tenth floor mezzanine's mechanical spaces are unfinished and consist of either CMU or fire proof blocks. Various types of mechanical equipment and a single original flag pole are in place on the asphalt roof. The cornice acts a parapet on the west and south elevations, but no parapet is in place along the north and east, though the location of the penthouse provides a partial barrier. All walls, interior finishes, doors, and associated fixtures have been altered since construction and are not historic, but are in good to fair condition. 6. Statement of Significance
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The Kahn Building was constructed in 1915 and named for its primary retail tenant, Kahn Tailoring Company. The building is not individually listed on the National Register, but is considered a contributing building within the Washington Street - Monument Circle Historic District. The district's period of significance lasts from 1852 until 1946, which was the fifty year age limit at the time of the nomination. Architectural styles of the buildings within the district include Greek Revival, Italianate and Art Deco, and encompass areas of commerce, social, religion, and culture. The Kahn Building contributes as a significant architectural work and commercial hub of the surrounding area.1
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The Kahn Tailoring Company was founded by Henry Kahn, the son of Isaac Kahn who was one of the first Jewish settlers in Monroe County.2 After learning the tailoring trade from his father, Kahn moved to Indianapolis and opened a small shop on Washington Street in 1886 and his business soon expanded to a four-story building on the northwest corner of Washington and Meridian Streets. Kahn Tailoring Company operated out of the corner building until the early 1910s. At this point, Kahn’s business had grown to include an office and production building on North Capitol Avenue in addition to the retail space by Monument Circle.3 Kahn kept ties to his Jewish roots by employing thousands of Jewish immigrants within his company and at one point employed nearly half of the Sephardic Jews in Indianapolis.4
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To continue the business’s growth, architects Vonnegut & Bohn were hired to design a new retail and office building across the street at 1 North Meridian.5 The existing Yohn’s Block building was demolished in 1914 and construction on the new Kahn Building was finished in 1915. Kahn Tailoring Company occupied the north portion of the first floor retail space and a few office spaces above. Additional tenant spaces were leased to other businesses.6
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While the company was known for their quality men’s and women’s suits, Kahn became a principal manufacturer of uniforms for the United States military during both World Wars. Building on his success, Mortimer Furscott, Kahn’s son-in-law, took over the business after Kahn passed away in 1934. By 1948, Kahn Tailoring Company had twelve retail stores across the country and over 2,000 dealers carried their clothing line. A merger with Global Tailoring out of Cincinnati in 1954 moved production to Ohio, though the retail store was maintained at 7 North Meridian. The store eventually became Hilton-Kahn Tailors and relocated to East Market Street in the late 1960s.7 Though all
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William Selm, “Washington Street – Monument Circle Historic District,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, 1996 Nov 25, 1-9, https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/f7f68000-f585-4475-b043-ba1d2f59ad61. 2 Jessica Ballard-Barnett, “Sunday Adverts: Kahn Tailoring,” Historic Indianapolis, 2014 Jan 5, accessed 2019 Mar 21, https://historicindianapolis.com/sunday-adverts-kahn-tailoring/ 3 David Bodenhamer, Robert Barrows, David Gordon Vanderstel, The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (Bloomington: Indiana University Press,1994), 862. 4 Ballard-Barnett, “Sunday Adverts” 5 Selm, 9. 6 “Builders of the New Kahn Building,” The Indianapolis Star, 1915 Dec 9, accessed 2019 Mar 20, www.newspapers.com. 7 Bodenhamer, 862-863.
Kahn’s Tailoring Stores had left Indianapolis by the 1970s,8 Kahn Tailoring Company is still remembered as one of the largest tailoring firms of the early twentieth century in both Indianapolis and the state of Indiana.9
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Though many businesses have occupied the spaces within the Kahn Building, one of the most notable was the King Cole restaurant. In 1929, The Seville Tavern became the first restaurant to occupy the basement tenant space. After closing in 1957, the space was renovated and King Cole opened its doors. This became a premier fine-dining restaurant that flaunted awards received for its French Continental dishes and had a strict dress code. The destination restaurant continued to thrive until its reputation was damaged by an outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease in 1979. Despite changing their business model to accommodate new preferences in dining experiences, the restaurant closed in 1994.10 The building itself eventually became more associated with King Cole than Kahn Tailoring Company and is still referred to by both names today.
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Local architecture firm Vonnegut & Bohn helped shape the Indianapolis downtown through the design of several buildings, including the Kahn Building, during the early twentieth century. Formed in 1888 by Bernard Vonnegut and Arthur Bohn, the two architects’ first major project in Indianapolis was the design of Das Deutche Haus (now the Athenaeum) which became the one of the largest social clubhouses in the country upon its completion in 1897. The firm continued to work within Indianapolis and completed projects including the Herron School or Art (1902) and the L.S. Ayres and Company department store (1905). The firm was joined by Vonnegut’s son Kurt, who carried on the firm’s name after the passing of Bernard in 1908. Vonnegut & Bohn continued to shape the Indianapolis downtown with buildings like the William H. Block Company (1912) and Fletcher National Bank (1915).11 As evident in their previous works, Vonnegut & Bohn were partial to the Renaissance Revival style with white terra cotta and emphasizing height through vertical lines during this time. The design of the Kahn Building kept this trend but added a higher level of detailing to the exterior, making it one of the most ornamented buildings around Monument Circle at its completion. It is still a prime example of a terra cotta clad building in downtown Indianapolis today.
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Ballard-Barnett, “Sunday Adverts” Selm, 9. 10 Jeff Kamm, “At Your Leisure: Jackets Required,” Historic Indianapolis, 2014 Dec 12, accessed 2019 Mar 21, https://historicindianapolis.com/at-your-leisure-jackets-required/. 11 Bodenhamer, 1389. 9
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Print this item: Kahn Building, 1916 (Bass #45705F)
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Image 1 | 1918 postcard of Kahn Building
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
Image 2 | 1916 photograph 1
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Image 3 | 1961 photograph
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Print this item: Kahn Building, King Cole restaurant, Florsheim Shoes, 1961 (Bass
Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
Image 4 | 1939 sketch of west entrance 2
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
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Image 5 | South and west elevations, looking northeast Photo taken February 2019
Image 6 | West elevation upper floors, looking east Photo taken February 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
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Image 7 | West elevation lower floors, looking east Photo taken February 2019
Image 8 | South elevation, looking north Photo taken February 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
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Image 21 | Basement stair, looking northeast Photo taken April 2019
Image 22 | Basement tenant, looking south Photo taken April 2019
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Image 27 | 1st floor lobby, looking south Photo taken April 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
Image 28 | 1st floor lobby, looking east Photo taken April 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
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Image 31 | Historic stair, second floor to landing Photo taken March 2019
Image 32 | Historic stair landing Photo taken March 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
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Image 33 | 2nd floor typical window, looking southeast Photo taken March 2019
Image 34 | 2nd floor tenant, looking northeast Photo taken March 2019
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Image 43 | 4th floor room, looking south Photo taken March 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
Image 44 | 4th floor elevator lobby and corridor, looking north Photo taken March 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
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Image 67 | Typical stair, mezzanine to 10th floor, looking south Photo taken March 2019
Image 68 | 10th floor, typical electrical chase, looking northeast Photo taken March 2019
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Image 69 | 10th floor room, looking north Photo taken March 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
Image 70 | 10th floor room, looking north Photo taken March 2019
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Historic Preservation Certification - Part 1 Kahn Building 1 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana 46201-3000
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Image 71 | 10th floor stair, looking northeast Photo taken March 2019
Image 72 | 10th floor, typical elevator, looking east Photo taken March 2019
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