While we were also visiting Evansville during our Urban hike, we found this Historical Jail and…read moreResidence located across the 4th Street from the Old Evansville Courthouse. The building is gorgeous as well and has a long history; History: jail Evansville is rich in exquisite examples of 19th century American Architecture. The Vanderburgh County Jail and Sheriff's Residence at 208 N.W. Fourth Street is an excellent example from this period. This castle-like fort, designed by architect Henry Walters, was modeled after the Castle of Lichtenstein in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Therefore, the structure is familiar to Evansville's German-born residents. This Gothic-inspired building was originally crafted from stone, which simplified its construction a good deal. Evansville's natural environment has rich subsoil, which combined with abundant rainfall and high mean temperatures, yields an abundance of stone, sand, and fine clay for bricks. Evansville's prime location along the Ohio River also allowed a direct shipment route for imported stone products. In addition, natural deposits of coal and iron in the area provided inexpensive means of operating brick kilns and iron foundries. The building itself is designed to invoke fear in the observer. Its exterior consists of step-gables, projecting turrets, crenelated roof lines, simulated portcullis, and a central keep, or rounded tower. The entrance presents pointed arches to lengthen the appearance of this part of the building. All of these elements add to the castle-like appearance of the structure. The Vanderburgh County Jail is also connected to the former Courthouse, which lies across the street, via an underground dungeon-like tunnel. During the time of the jail's use, the tunnel served as a passageway to transport prisoners to and from court. Presently, however, no nervous inmates are forced to make the tedious walk down the tunnel, nor are they required to sleep in the jail's less than spacious cells. The building now houses commercial offices. However, one cell still remains to allow modern visitors to take a look and imagine what life may have been like in the old Vanderburgh County Jail. The building was closed when we were there but it is FREE to walk around and take photos.

Lovely Evansville In.home in the old mansion area near the river. One of many amazing houses…read more Tour was great and the house was an amazing example of the homes built in the 1870's in that area. Well kept.

This is an absolute hidden gem for history and architecture lovers in Evansville!!…read more Currently, they are open 11-4 Tuesday-Saturday. Check the website or call to get the most up-to-date hours. Tours start at the top of the hour, so make sure you plan to show up at the right time. Tours start from the carriage house next to the home - press the door bell or knock in order to be let in. Admission costs $10 for adults. Our tour guide Renee was fantastic! She shared tons of details on the history of the family as well as the architecture and decor of the house! She was a wealth of information and could answer all questions! This is probably the most detailed historical home tour that I have been on! You typically visit all 3 floors of the home, but we missed out on the basement due to time constraints. Well worth the cost of admission! Highly recommend visiting between Thanksgiving and New Years to see the home decorated magnificently for Christmas!

The worlds largest is a downtown Evansville Indiana sculpture that sits out in front of the old…read morenational events plaza. My family and I were in town from Louisville visiting the plaza for my daughters cheer competition when we came across This curly looking mural. There isn't any signage about the piece giving a name or an artist. After a deep dive google search I discovered the name of this piece is called "the worlds largest" and was created by artist John McNaughton in 1975. Overall a solid and cool sculpture. The family and I always enjoy finding public art when visiting cities. Be nice if they had a placard on this piece describing its name and artist. Also I'm very curious as to why it's named "worlds largest". Worlds largest what?

Moments In time is a decorative or just a very nice old fashioned street clock that blends in…read moreperfectly with downtown Evansville Indiana brick laid Main Street. The clock can be good. Right at the 300 block of Main Street or right across the entrance pretty much of the popular and fun self.e alley on Main Street. Overall cool clock that makes for a cool photo with the old brick buildings and road behind you as a backdrop.

Moments and time is just another cool artifact landmark in Evansville Indiana. It is just an…read moreold-school clock and has a little poster picture next to it describing what's going on. My wife and I were in Evansville we came across this I thought it was really cool I saw it on yelp and decided to review it Evansville is a cool little city

While Tony, Noel and I was Urban Hiking in Evansville we happened upon this gorgeous German…read moreArchitectural Gem. It is absolutely gorgeous. History: The Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse, often simply called the "Old Courthouse," was once the center of Vanderburgh County, Indiana government. Construction started in the spring of 1888 and was completed in November 1890. The building was ready to be occupied by the county government in early 1891.[2] It sits in the heart of downtown Evansville. The building was designed by architect Henry W. Wolters of Louisville, Kentucky and constructed by the Charles Pearce & Company of Indianapolis. The 19th century German Beaux-Arts architecture masterpiece cost $379,450 to buildCost Comparison: A $379,450 capital expense in 1890 would be roughly equivalent to $76,000,000 in 2011 If you are ever in the area you have to go check this out..put it in your GPS: 201 NW 4th St Ste 102, Evansville, IN 47708..It is a gorgeous building to be checked out.

One of the stops I had planned on our get away to Evansville was to view the architecture of the…read moreOld Courthouse in downtown. Well worth the visit. The building has a great presence in the town. It is massive and the pink marble, wood working and iron works are all phenomenal. It was designed by Henry Wolters of Louisville, Kentucky and occupies a full city block in downtown Evansville and at its tallest point, 216 feet, the courthouse's bell tower dominates the skyline of Downtown Evansville. Both Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy gave speeches from the courthouse steps and it cost approximately $380,000 to construct in the last 1890's. In the late 1960's county government offices were moved and the building was almost torn down. However it has been revitalized and well worth the effort and cost to renovate. Well worth a trip to pursue the three story building and the impressive metal, wood, and marble artistry. Currently occupied by local businesses it is open to the public for self guided tours during normal business hours. we spoke to a woman coming out of her office on the third floor who provided us with a brochure of information on the history of the building. Great find.

While on family Urban Hike in Evansville, IN about a block from the Old Evansville Courthouse we…read morefound this lovely Old Coliseum. The building is amazing. It was locked up and for sale. I am hoping that someone saved the building and is using it for something for the community. History of the building: The Coliseum was erected as a tribute to the men of Vanderburgh County who fought in the American Civil War and Spanish-American War. After several old buildings were torn down, the cornerstone of the 66,000-square-foot facility was laid May 9, 1916. Construction concluded in March 1917 and the Coliseum was formally dedicated April 18, 1917 right around the time the United States was joining World War I. The original construction cost $180,000. The neoclassical coliseum was designed by Shopbell & Company and provided the community with its first modern facility for conventions and other public gatherings. The ceremonial aspect of the building was heightened by placing the structure directly on an axis with Fourth Street. Rockport native George H. Honig created two heroic monuments that flank the entrance. The Spirit of 1865, on the left, represents victory for the Union. The Spirit of 1916, on the right, shows the reflective elderly veterans of the Civil War Once considered the premier location for events in Evansville, the Coliseum was seen as dated and small when Roberts Municipal Stadium was built in the mid 1950s. When a push for "urban renewal" involving demolitions occurred in the city, the Coliseum was threatened. A "Save the Coliseum" campaign was developed and the same organization that helped save the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse stepped in. In 1919 a 4,000 pipe concert organ was installed as a memorial to Prof. Milton Z. Tinker, for years supervisor of music in the local public schools. At the time of its installation it was among the largest municipal pipe organs in the world. In 2013, the University of Evansville purchased the pipe organ, dismantled it, and put it into storage. The University hopes to restore it to full operating condition sometime in the future.

Came here with my daughter. It's a beautiful building! The people here are very rude. Not one…read more'Hello' or smile. Every room we walked into, conversations stopped and we were watched until we were basically forced to leave. They also block negative comments on their Google review page. If you hate your job, quit.

Wow! The Willard Library is Indiana's OLDEST library, and it's everything it lives up to be for an…read moreold, creaky library. It's quiet and filled with ghost stories of the old Grey Lady. There are even ghost cams in the library that can be viewed online 24/7. We only knew about these stories after we visited, but it's a big part of the Willard Library story. It's a gorgeous 19th-century building that is on the national registry of historic places. The woodwork and staircase are detailed, and if you are into history and architecture, you'll enjoy a visit here. The 2nd level is devoted entirely to genealogy. Willard was a well-known abolitionist and his collection of anti-slavery books are featured in a bookcase on the stairwell.

The marker is a downtown Evansville sculpture that resembles a map marker on the side of a WNIN…read morestudios building right across from the riverfront area of the city. The sculpture itself sits on a concrete block and is probably 4-6 ft tall with a shiny reflective metal ball at the tip. Kinda gives you the famous Chicago cloud gate bean feel to it but on a much smaller level. Overall very cool sculpture in a really nice and fun to explore part of downtown in the city.