Skiles Test and the House of Blue Lights

We all love urban legends, and here in Indy, we have one that I have heard of for a long time, but is now only a memory.

Years ago, teenagers used to try to get a glimpse of the House of Blue Lights at 6700 Fall Creek Boulevard, Indianapolis, Indiana. The home of eccentric Skiles Test, heir to the Diamond Chain Company, had rumored to have kept his deceased wife in a glass coffin surrounded by blue lights. Skiles favorite color was blue and he believed the color blue attracted spirits. Teenagers would often make the trek to his house to get a glimpse of his wife lying in her coffin.

The home was quite elaborate, he sided his house in white tile, added a 3 story bathhouse, sun deck, a miniature railway and his own power plant. The 40 X 80 ft pool was solar heated and had a 3 story diving platform. Skiles Test loved pets and kept hundreds on his huge estate, never turning away a stray animal, and maintaining his own pet cemetery.

Skiles tolerated the trespassing and vandalism on his property until 1950 when he finally constructed a fence around his property. As a result, vandalism increased. After his death, an auction was held in 1964 that drew over 50,000 people seeking a souvenir or two. Items for sale included hundreds of pet coffins, cases of dog food, shoes and other miscellaneous items. Skiles Test willed the property to the Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation. The Parks Department razed the house in 1978, amid public outcry, and now is known as Skiles Test Park. Skiles Test was a generous benefactor, a friend of Ft. Benjamin Harrison, and donated the land for Skiles Test Elementary.

An aerial photograph of the house in 1937 can be seen here.
http://www.cees.iupui.edu/Service_Learning/images/2005%20skiles%20service%20learning%20map%201937.jpg


http://testfamilygenealogy.com/documents/quotes/house.htm
http://www.cees.iupui.edu/Service_Learning/All_Projects/Skiles_Test.htm

Indianapolis, a new start

Since it’s cold and snowy out, I am unable to get outside and take some pics for this blog, so I thought I would give a little insight to our city.

The city of Indianapolis was founded as the state capital in 1825. Previously, the state capital was Corydon, Indiana. The state commissioned Alexander Ralston to design the new city in 1821. Ralston, who was an apprentice to Pierre L’Enfant, and helped him design the layout of Washington D.C. In fact, Ralston modeled the city of Indianapolis after Washington D.C. The original plan was for Indianapolis to inhabit a one square mile, the boundaries being North, East, South and West Streets. The governor’s residence was to sit in the center, and did so until 1857. Now, this site contains Indy’s most recognizable landmark, the Soldier and Sailors monument, (i.e. Monument Circle).

The monument was designed by German architect, Bruno Schmitz. The monument was dedicated in 1902 and appears to be Schmitz’s only commission outside of Germany and Switzerland. The limestone sculptures were completed by Vienna-born Rudolf Schwarz, and the broze statues by German Nicolaus Geiger.

Street numbering begins at Washington Street (the Old National Road, U.S. 40) and Meridian street, one block south of Monument Circle.

Holliday Park Ruins

One of my favorite places in Indianapolis, although it is in dire need of help, is the "ruins" at Holliday Park. Located at 6363 Spring Mill Rd, the park dates back to 1916 when John Holliday and his wife deeded their 80 acre estate to the City of Indianapolis as a park.

"The Ruins" are the remains of the St. Paul building in New York City designed by Austrian born architect, Karl Bitter. It was a 26 story skyscraper built in 1899 and demolished in 1958. The facade of the St. Paul building was disassembled and shipped to Indianapolis where they stand today.

The Ruins were designed by Elmer E. Taflinger, a graduate of Manual High School. He studied art at the New York Art Student's League and continued his studies in Florence Italy. He returned to Indianapolis in 1928 and had a studio at 158 E 14th Street in Indianapolis, Taflinger also taught at the Indianapolis Art League.

The following are some pictures taken of the statues, known as "The Races of Man", the summer of 2006, as well as a picture of the St. Paul building prior to demolition.

Information obtained from:
http://www.indianahistory.org/library/manuscripts/collection_guides/sc2585.html

Welcome

Well, I decided I would start an official blog about the city I live in, Indianapolis. I have been inspired by a couple of great blogs, notably http://sparkletack.com/ and http://www.mistersf.com/ that detail San Francisco history, news etc, and thought it would be a great challenge to learn and write about some of the things in my own backyard.

Keep posted as I have several ideas I am working on.

Richard