Hugh McCulloch House (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

 residence, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, Greek Revival (architecture), 1860s construction, Italianate style (architecture), 1840s construction

This Greek Revival house was designed by local architect Henry Williams, and was constructed as part of the 100-acre country estate of Hugh McCulloch in 1843. Situated between the St. Mary's River and the newly-constructed Wabash and Erie Canal, the house was sited on a high point and had a broad front lawn on the south that extended down to the banks of the canal. Orchards were planted on either side of the house.

The two-story house was initially a simple rectangle flanked by two open one-story porches. The pedimented front façade had a portico with four, square columns that sheltered an entrance in the easternmost bay. An Italianate addition was constructed in 1862 that extended across the rear of the house. Also at this time, it is suspected that the eastern front porch was enclosed in glass and became a conservatory. In 1887, Hugh’s son, Charles, sold the house and divided it into housing tracts. In 1892, it was bought by the Fort Wayne College of Medicine who drastically expanded and remodeled the house. The roof of the original house was removed. The central mass was lengthened and enlarged to three stories and was covered by a more steeply pitched roof, and the original portico was replaced by a Roman Doric portico. Additionally, the side porches were removed and replaced by enclosed two-story wings with a flat roof. In 1906, the house was bought by the Turners’ Club who again remodeled the building. Recent owners have done restoration work including replacing the columns with those more appropriate to the original Greek Revival style.

Born in New England in 1808, Hugh McCulloch was a prominent financier and banker who came to Indiana in 1835. From 1835 to 1857, he was the cashier and manager of the Fort Wayne branch of the State Bank of Indiana. In 1863, he began serving as Secretary of the Treasury under President Abraham Lincoln and continued to serve in this position under President Andrew Johnson and then later under President Chester Arthur. In 1869, he became a partner in a London banking house. He retired to Prince George’s County, Maryland and died there in 1895.

Source: www.westcentralneighborhood.org/BldgHistories.htm