Ooh La La in Lala

While Lafayette's namesake is rooted in the Marquis De Lafayette, one of the most famous French figures in American culture and French history, the city itself lacks any substantial French roots. Prior to the establishment of Lafayette and the state of Indiana, the little outpost of Fort Ouiatenon held a substantial French community of 14 or so permanent families in the 18th century, though it still paled in comparison to the small French city of Vincennes just down the Wabash. However, by the time of the Battle of Tippecanoe the French residents of Fort Ouiatenon had fled to Vincennes and settlements west of the Mississippi in Spanish holdings. The last remnant of the French met the torch when American forces lit Ouiatenon ablaze to discourage natives from returning. It would be several decades of the world turning upside down, empires falling and wars between American settlers and Tecumseh led natives before William Digby would wander into the area in an abandoned patch of half-cultivated wilderness to establish the city of Lafayette in 1825. Lafayette was named not in honor of the region's French heritage, but because the revolutionary war hero, Marquis De Lafayette was on tour in the nation at the time. Whether or not William Digby was even aware that the area was ever under French control is up for debate.

"We established Ouiatenon, not La Fayette!"

Yet, French influence would eventually return to Lafayette in the form of architecture. Americans eagerly mimicked and transformed the latest architectural fashions coming out of England and France. One that took a particular strong hold in the United States and Lafayette by extension was the glorious Second-Empire style. The style, in stark contrast to the austere Greek revival or whimsical Gothic revival, expressed power, wealth, and a powerful appetite for the grandiose architecture of the old world. The Second-Empire style is named for the Second Empire of France, which was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France. Napoleon III was responsible for the reconstruction of Paris in the 19th century that produced its familiar form today, in part by reviving the Mansard roof which was developed during the 1600’s Renaissance by Francois Mansart.


The style is undoubtedly recognizable by one feature; the mansard roof. Architecture.about.com defines the mansard roof as a roof that has two slopes on each of the four sides. The lower slope is so steep that it can look like a vertical wall with dormers. The upper slope has a low pitch and is not easily seen from the ground. A mansard roof has no gables.

Source formfronts.com

Between the 1860's and 1880's, the Second Empire style took off in the bustling and emerging city of Lafayette. Stores, houses, schools, and public buildings alike were thrown up in the grand French style. Was it inspired by the French roots of the region? Unlikely, yet it unwittingly gave a respectful nod to the French world, and by extension, the long since passed French town that preceded Lafayette. The Lafayette residents of the Second-Empire period were likely more inclined by the "cutting edge" look of the Second-Empire style than any reference to what they perceived as a long gone people, if they knew they were there at all.

Lafayette today has an unusually large number of Second Empire structures still standing for a Midwest city. Their popularity dramatically fell in the 20th century and the opulent structures frequently met their end with the wrecking ball. While possessing many Second Empire structures, Lafayette itself suffered several dramatic losses of important Second-Empire buildings in the city.


One of the most famous symbols of both Lafayette history and nostalgia is also one of the best surviving examples of the Second Empire style in Lafayette. The McCord Candies shop at Main and Sixth Street has survived to this day since its construction in 1867. Although it has experienced some alterations to the store front, it remains surprisingly intact despite the alterations and destruction of its neighbors. The tall steep Mansard roof and extravagant architecture make this structure seem more at home in Montreal or a French village than an Indiana town. The McCord's building is protected as part of the Main Street protective district.

Ball Building

Another example, just across the street, stands as a colorful alternative to the more uniform McCord's building. The Ball Building was constructed in 1867, the same year as McCord's. While both are Second-Empire, they reflect two very different approaches to the style within the United States. While the McCord's building is more pure to the French style, the Ball Building is a more colorful, Americanized version of the style.

Just further east on Main Street one can find a "secret" second-empire behind a much larger and more imposing Italianate commercial building at Main and 8th. The "secret" second-empire is very modest in comparison to its more grand counterparts, and looks as if it hopped right out of a backstreet in a modest Quebec neighborhood.

Ce n'est pas mal!

Another one that is a very unique take on the Second-Empire style is the lovely building that houses Kathy's Kandies. The structure is a very rare example of the "1-story" second empire, with the second floor receding into a mansard roof. The general rule of thumb for Second Empire is that there is always a floor separating the ground floor and the Mansard roof floor, but the builder of this whimsical structure took their own direction in its design.



The structure used to be part of a longer stretch of "1 story" second-empires reaching all the way down to a 2-story Second Empire, which, as the photo below makes evident, had already been defaced by the early 20th century.




One by one the Second-Empires fell, until historic preservation came to the rescue of the last remaining "1-story second-empire" that would become Kathy's Kandies.



However, even this old Second Empire was in such rough condition that very little of the original facade remained. This makes it appear as a more modern structure, save for a few details like this original pressed tin ceiling. Unlike the Greek Revival, the Second Empire has to be subject to more dramatic alterations to lose its characteristic style and architectural contribution. This makes it recognizable even after considerable abuse.

    The commercial core of Lafayette itself, while still possessing many historic Second-Empire structures, has experienced significant losses through the years. One example is the St. Nicholas Hotel, a grand hotel that used to stand near Main and 2nd street where the Chase Bank Plaza is today.



The loss of Second Empire architecture in Lafayette was just one symptom of both reckless demolition and poor urban planning that plagued the country in the mid and late 20th century, the damage of which we are still recovering from as a community today. Historic preservation during this period was only beginning to develop, and Main Street was not yet a protected district. Had the district been given protection following World War II, much more of our prized historic architecture would be standing today.

Early Second-Empire structures to meet the wrecking ball included the grandiose bank that stood at the Southwest corner of 3rd and Columbia. Yet, this demolition is different, as the structure was replaced not with a modernist box or a parking lot, but rather a stately neoclassical vault-style bank in the early 20th century.




I can't pick! I love them both!

Other demolitions didn't have such lovely replacements. One such loss exists in the Capitol Hotel. The Capitol Hotel used to stand at South and 2nd street before it was demolished in the mid-20th century after the construction of the South and Columbia Street bridges.



Second Empire was also gained some modest popularity as a housing style in Lafayette, though it never came close to the popularity of Italianate. Examples of this include more opulent structures such as the Ball Mansion, Fitzgerald House and Ward house, though more modest examples exist in middle class homes, apartment structures, and duplexes across the city.


Ball Mansion



Ward House at 1116 Columbia


Left-corner of New York and Seventh-Right-Corner of Tippecanoe and 7th

The Second Empire style has suffered losses in the past, and may suffer more in the future if the community does not act quickly. One of the finest examples of Second Empire in the city, the Fitzgerald House at 717 Columbia, is on Wabash Valley Trust's endangered list. Despite some recent renovation work, the future is still uncertain for this landmark. Open windows expose the interior to the elements, which spells bad news for our historic buildings. Furthermore, the two historic homes located behind the Fitzgerald house were recently demolished by the Central Presbyterian Church, a testimony to the lack of protection in this historic neighborhood. Many of our second-Empire structures remain unprotected to this day due to a severe lack of historic protection in Lafayette's old city.

While Lafayette's French architecture only unwittingly nods to the region's old French heritage, it remains one of downtown Lafayette's key features. The style has been adapted across the city for many different purposes, though unfortunately many of those examples have been lost. The preservation of our remaining Second-Empire buildings is essential to the preservation of the city's historic urban fabric and by extension, our identity as a city and who we are as a people.

Protecting our Neighborhoods

"The primary strength of a local designation is that it can be tailored to specific community needs and provides greater protection for local resources."
City of Prescott, Arizona, Master Plan, 1997

Lafayette's historic neighborhoods are essential to our identity as a city. Passing through the 20th century relatively unscathed by "urban renewal" and demolition, Lafayette sits as an architectural treasure on the Wabash. Surprisingly, many of these very intact and historic neighborhoods remain unprotected to this day. Protection through the establishment of local protective districts is essential to preserving our city's historic character and identity.

While Lafayette's old city boasts many historic districts that have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, very few of these districts have any real protection. The National Register of Historic Places makes this very clear stating "Under federal law, owners of private property listed in the National Register are free to maintain, manage, or dispose of their property as they choose, provided that there is no Federal involvement." Essentially, Lafayette's historic city is is grossly underprotected, leaving our historic core vulnerable to demolition, defacement, and decay. Without our historic neighborhoods, Lafayette would quickly lose what makes it, well, Lafayette.

Left- Nationally recognized historic districts, Right- Actual protected historic districts

Filling in the Gaps

Filling in the Gaps

Urban flow in old Lafayette

          We've all had that moment when we were walking through an old part of town, enjoying the line of shops or the row of houses when suddenly there was a huge empty space. A gap in the flow. A hole in the fabric. Aside from being visually unpleasant, it also discourages you from walking any further.

Though still in use, these empty spaces stand in stark contrast with the historic fabric of the old city

      Despite being remarkably intact for a city its size, Lafayette has many areas where historic buildings have been demolished, leaving empty gaps or spaces. In many cases, reconstruction of the structures that stood there is not feasible nor practical. How do we as a community restore the lost urban fabric of yesterday while moving forward? How do we fill in the gaps without damaging the historical integrity of our old city? The answer; infill. Infill is defined by the National League of Cities as new development that is sited on vacant or undeveloped land within an existing neighborhood.

New infill in historic Lockerbie Square in downtown Indianapolis

Good infill needs to respect the form, style, and fabric of our old city.

FORM  

    Creating new structures that are harmonious with our historic fabric doesn't necessarily require copying historic styles. New structures in historic neighborhoods can respect their surroundings by following the shape and form of the historic buildings around them. Roger Trancik stated in his book, Finding Lost Space: Theories of Urban Design, that infill should "respect the existing silhouette of buildings and landscapes" and "respect existing rhythms of facades and spatial elements" (pg. 229).

This new house in Indianapolis is clearly new but respects the historic houses around it

  This house in Indianapolis was constructed on an empty lot (presumably where a historic building had once stood many years ago) close to many 19th-century houses. While the house is clearly modern, it doesn't distract or conflict with the older buildings around it, but it doesn't copy them either. Compare the new house with the old structure in the left of the photo. If you just focus on the shape, they are remarkably similar. Both have a projecting overhang of similar size, the same window and door proportions and materials. 

The end product is a new structure that respects and contributes to the neighborhood while meeting the needs and tastes of a 21st century family. As a growing and important city, this is exactly the kind of structure Lafayette's old city needs. 

                                             

STYLE

 While form is important, style is also crucial in redeveloping the empty pockets of our old city. The style of an infill project can make or break its contribution to the neighborhood around it. As stated before, new buildings don't need to copy the styles of yesterday in order to contribute to our historic urban fabric, they simply need to respect the styles around them the same way they need to respect the form. Diane Suchman proclaimed in Developing Successful Infill Housing  that "In the best communities, all the buildings are well-behaved and respect the prevailing style and character of their neighbors." (pg. 59)

Image from styleweekly.com

    Here is an example of infill that has the density and relationship with the street that COULD have made it good infill if it weren't for the conflicting style. Do you think this structure respects its neighbors? Instead of trying to use a style that respected the historic neighborhood around it, this structure was designed to conflict with it. The result? A structure that disrupts the historic flow of the street and distracts from the old architecture around it. In old Lafayette neighborhoods already suffering from lost historic buildings, a design such as this could do more damage than good!

Photo courtesy of Bobbie Lutes Photography

 In this example, we have the recently completed Lafayette Community Bank. The new structure is only a block away from our iconic courthouse, placing it in the very oldest part of town. The structure's style is clearly traditional but doesn't copy the old buildings around it. Its windows honor many of the historic windows downtown, and its heavy cornice (trim) follow the style of downtown, yet it doesn't pass as a 19th century building. A style like this doesn't distract from the historic architecture downtown but instead quietly contributes to the reconstruction of the old city's historic fabric. 

   FABRIC 

 While style and form are important, the fabric of the neighborhood is more important in planning long-term infill projects. The fabric of a neighborhood is the consistent development, the distribution of that development, and the consistent form and size of the structures within the neighborhood. For example, the urban fabric of downtown is multi-story commercial structures that are built up to the sidewalk while the fabric of St. Mary's is single family homes built in close proximity to each other. So, when constructing new infill projects, we have to ask ourselves "is this appropriate to the urban fabric?" 

Respecting the urban fabric, you're doing it wrong (photo from gopixdatabase.com) 

  The image above is an example of new development that does not respect the fabric of a neighborhood. Not only is this not harmonious with the built environment, it's also historically inaccurate. New structures in neighborhoods need to respect the density and developmental type of structure (is it commercial? Residential? Industrial? Etc.).

After photo courtesy of Bobbie Lutes Photography

 The before image above is an example of development disrespecting the fabric of an old Lafayette neighborhood. The Midwest Rentals in the historic Centennial neighborhood violated the urban fabric of a historic residential neighborhood by putting an industrial compound in the center of a residential street. Not only did this complex lower property values in the neighborhood, it also damaged the historic fabric of the street. The new row houses that are replacing the crumbling Midwest Rentals respect the historic residential neighborhood (which contains many row houses already) and again, contribute to the historic fabric of the old city. 

 As downtown continues to be revived and rejuvenation makes its way through more of the old city, we need to keep these principles in mind when we fill in the gaps. We want new buildings in the old city to respect and contribute to our city's historic fabric, not destroy or disrupt it. However, such policies of good design are difficult to have in neighborhoods lacking historic protections. In order to push for good design, we need to first get our historic neighborhoods protected. What point is there in building new structures to respect our historic urban fabric if that fabric keeps getting destroyed? 

It's All Greek to Me!

                                     It’s all Greek to Me!

           Lafayette was established in 1825, on the eve of the country’s 50^th birthday. Greek revival architecture was becoming all the rage in the United States, especially following the War of 1812. As a young nation, Americans naturally looked to the birthplace of democracy, Greece, for inspiration in their architecture. Lafayette, a booming river town was no exception and quickly built structures up in the style of the Greeks. 

Lafayette's previous Greek Revival Courthouse

Greek Revival architecture is surprisingly simple by later Victorian standards. It follows the shape and form of ancient Greek temples and structures. According to The Resource Guide from Wabash Valley Trust, Greek Revival structures are generally square or rectangular with low-pitched roofs, symmetry, dentil trim, and classical columns. 

The lower image is an example of dentil trim. Source: http://oldstonehousemuseum.org and http://www.invitinghome.com

Throughout Lafayette there are many grand examples of Greek Revival Architecture. Here are a few examples.

Another interesting aspect of Greek Revival is how often it was changed within our city. As the Greek Revival style fell out of favor after the Civil War, new styles like Italianate and Second-Empire began to take over. Many stylish Lafayette residents wanted to keep up with the trends without necessarily building a new house. Instead, many Lafayette residents replaced their Greek Revival details with Italianate trims and details. A good example is the Jones - Carnahan House. The house was constructed in 1849 in the Greek Revival by Mark Jones, a local district judge. In 1873, when Jones moved out and the Carnahans (you may know this name from Carnahan Hall downtown) moved in, they had the facade remodeled to keep up with the Italianate Style.  Although the trim has changed, the shape has remained essentially Greek Revival.

The Jones-Carnahan House (Courtesy of Bobbie Lutes Photography)

 Since Greek Revival can be very simple, it makes it very easy to destroy or obscure the original architecture.  For example, this house in Centennial was built in the mid-19^th century in the Greek revival style. It’s very simple yet in its original condition has a beauty that contributes to the character of the historic Centennial neighborhood. Centennial is NOT a protected district unfortunately, so guidelines for historic preservation are powerless in these renovations.

Before Photos from Historiccentennial.org

 

 Sadly, renovations that have removed the cornice, downsized the windows, and original siding have made this house look more at home in a newer suburban part of town than the historic old city.

While areas such as Main street and parts of 9^th Street Hill are protected, much of the city’s Greek Revival architecture is unprotected.  This lack of protection was brought front and center when St. Mary’s demolished a  Greek revival at Columbia and 13th streets (despite major opposition and efforts by neighbors and local groups) and Central Presbyterian demolished a Greek Revival at South and 8th. These houses had been standing since slavery was a legal institution, since Lincoln was president and the country was torn apart by war. They had been standing through both world wars, the rise of the automobile, the cold war and to modern day. What did them in? A need for a playground and green space.

Last image from architectural-metal.com

These structures have been demolished for a few years now, and neither playground or green space has been constructed since, leaving only empty land where Lafayette heritage once stood.We can take this loss and mourn or we can push for better protections for our remaining historic neighborhoods and landmarks.