History
Benjamin Harrison arrived in Indianapolis in 1854 in order to begin a career as a lawyer. In 1867, following his service in the military, he bought a double lot from an auction, on what was then the outskirts of town, on North Delaware Street, just north of present-day I-65. In 1874 construction of a house on the property began, and was completed in 1875, at the cost of $24,818.67 (equal to $525,253 today). The trend for wealthier citizens of Indianapolis to move to the north side of town started with Benjamin Harrison moving his family to 1230 Delaware Street. When built, the property featured many elm and oak trees. Except for the time Benjamin Harrison served as United States Senator from Indiana (1881-1887), and his time as President of the United States (1889-1893), he would live at the home for the rest of his life. Benjamin Harrison would die in the master bedroom of the house on March 13, 1901. While running for president in 1888, Benjamin Harrison would issue campaign speeches to listeners on the street outside his home, in what were called "front-porch speeches". The front porch would not be built until 1896, 3 years after he left the presidency.
After Benjamin Harrison's death, his widow Mary Lord Dimmick Harrison owned the property. In 1939 Mary Lord Harrison sold the house to the Arthur Jordan School of Music (now located at Butler University as the Jordan College of Fine Arts), on the grounds that the house would always serve as a memorial to Benjamin Harrison. The Arthur Jordan School renovated the house, turning the second and third floors into a dormitory for the female students of the school, and making the first floor a museum. The Benjamin Harrison Home became a National Historic Landmark in 1966. In 1974 the Arthur Jordan Foundation once again renovated the house, making it a house museum. The Arthur Jordan Foundation currently leases the house to the 1966-incorporated Benjamin Harrison Foundation, in order for the latter to run a museum inside the house.
Read more about this topic: Benjamin Harrison Home
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