What's Hot | On the Map: Indianapolis, Indiana
What did a 1921 Indianapolis car factory become?
An office building. The four-story building at 1402 N. Capitol Avenue in Indianapolis was built in 1920-1921 as an automobile assembler, supplier and showroom for the HCS Motor Car Company. It was renovated for office use between 2005 and 2007.
Some office buildings spent their first life building something else.
In 1919, automotive pioneer Harry C. Stutz and business partner Henry Campbell formed the HCS Motor Car Company. Its building at 1402 N. Capitol Avenue in Indianapolis went up in 1920-1921: four stories of reinforced concrete with buff-colored brick walls, designed by the architects Rubush & Hunter in the Classical Revival style, to serve as an automobile assembler, supplier and showroom.
In 1923, driver Tommy Milton won the Indianapolis 500 in an HCS Special. In 1926, after a business recession and strong competition, the company closed its doors. The building was renovated for office use between 2005 and 2007, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 17, 2009.
What it shows: a concrete frame, a street-facing presence and a story that explains itself are the raw material of reuse. The history stays in the walls, and the rehabilitation is what turned it into an office.
The question worth asking: what did the renovation change, and what does the current floor plan allow a tenant to do? Ask the building's leasing contact.
If a building with an unusual first life is on your desk, send the address and we will pull the public record alongside you.