November 2005 The Megaphone Page 8
The Winds of Change
by Nancy Sumner
Member of Elwood Pipecreek Historical Society
In 1899 the anchor to our city of Elwood was completed. The Elwood City Building was a fortress modeled after the Town Hall of Chicago. It was a grand structure consisting of a basement, four wings of two stories each and above that a theatre and stage room. But the icing on the cake, so to speak, was a marvelous copper dome! Close your eyes and imagine what that might look like!
That was during the gas boom and the heyday of Elwood. One hundred years ago no one ever thought that the gas would run out or that there would be a world war or even a depression. The population of the city grew to over 15,000 people! We were prosperous. The manufacturing and business districts were busting at the seams. We had the cat by the tail. What could possibly go wrong?
When the gas well dried up so did the money. Elwood had a depression before The Depression. In between the well drying up and crash of Wall Street, the United States became involved in a world war. Fathers, brothers and sons were called to fight. Mothers, sisters and daughters stayed home and went to work, much like every other city in the United States. It was during this time that the dome was in need of repairs. The city administration felt that the cost of $65 (sixty-five dollars!) to make the repairs was too much and also the metal could be used in the war effort. The copper came off and it was replaced with black roofing material. Little did the administration realize what lay in store years to come. It was the beginning.
As the winds of change came through Elwood, so did manufacturing, the uptown business district, neighborhood Ma and Pa groceries, the personalization of our community. We became a mobile society, like the sirens of Greek mythology, we were called away. Bigger and better was in other cities. Our focus changed too. It became easy to say no to the general maintenance and upkeep of buildings we no longer cared about. Because of this lack of concern, the buildings that at one time stood in glory became parking lots. The once famed anchor to our city was also destined to become nothing but black pavement. That was until the wind picked up!
This time the change came in the form of the Elwood Pipecreek Historical Society. The group dedicated to the preservation of the city’s history, didn’t want another parking lot. When the new municipal complex was complete and the city offices, police and fire departments moved, the anchor became a vacant hull. So much potential stood seemingly lost in time. With an agreement between the city and the historical society, the city building was sold to the historical society as an option to buy. The wind picked up and something was about to happen that the naysayer proclaimed not in a million years!
The process began. First, the city building was listed with the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. Step two, the building was listed online with Historic Properties. Step three, sit back and wait! It didn’t take long before inquiries came through via phone calls, letters and email. We were amazed at the response and our obligation became intensified. It was up to us to decide who and what type of business would occupy the fortress. We had a set of guidelines that had to be met: 1. What was the proposed business? 2. What type of financial backing did the interested party have, what was their worth? 3. What was the timeline of the proposed improvements and the viability of the business itself? 4. Why Elwood? The inquiries came from California to New Hampshire, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana. The uses varied from senior housing, a quilt museum, a bridal catering business and an antique mall. Negotiations began with a Michigan couple, but as time progressed demands and requirements overshadowed the process. Negotiations ended.
A breeze came to Elwood in the form of Pam Haig, vice-president and co-founder of The Robert Palmer Institute of Biomechanics. Desiring a more centralized location in central Indiana for the Christian-based not-for-profit school and clinic, the city building seemed to be just what she was looking for. The former court rooms could be used for classrooms. The previous city offices could be used for consultation rooms. The fire department bays would be excellent for the mobile lab. The extra long second floor hallways could be utilized in monitoring the stride and walking patterns of their clients. Even the theatre and stage would be used for training and instruction. All of this . . . without changing the original integrity of the City Building.
The Institute is not-for-profit which means they are available for grants and historic funding monies. Even before contracts were signed, a major sponsor of the Institute pledged $100,000 to be used as needed. Another foot wear sponsor with over 3,000 stores will be requiring at least one person from each store to go through the Institute’s schooling. Students will be coming to Elwood from all over the United States and foreign countries to receive instruction in this specialized field of pedorthics.
During an event honoring Dr. Robert M. Palmer on October 22, it was announced that Elwood would become the world headquarters of the Robert M. Palmer Institute of Biomechanics!
The winds of change are coming . . . I hope you are ready for it!
Please take a moment to visit the web site of the Institute at www.pedorthicbiomechanics.com
Nancy Sumner
Elwood, IN