Test Building Explained

Test Building
Nrhp Type:cp
Nocat:yes
Coordinates:39.7683°N -86.1589°W
Architect:Bass, Knowlton, & Company
Added:June 16, 1983
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:83000138

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.[1]

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

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

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.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD) . Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology . Searchable database. 2016-08-01. Note: This includes Web site: National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Test Building . 2016-08-01. Mary Ellen Gadski and James S. Reed. PDF. February 1983. and Accompanying photographs