Friday, March 9, 2012

Lost Irvington--Julian/Layman Villa


In 1952, the wrecking crews began to dismantle one of Irvington's original homes. First built for Jacob Julian, one of the founders of Irvington in 1871, the home passed to the Layman family in 1887. The three-story Second Empire villa was the site of the first wedding in Irvington on February 24, 1875, when Edgar Brown married Martha Julian, the daughter of Jacob Julian. The next day, the house became the site of one of the first crimes in Irvington when a thief entered the home and stole the bride's wedding gown and slippers.

Thirty-five years later on February 15, 1910, the Laymans celebrated the the joyous wedding of their daughter, Katherine to Harvey Elam. The next day, a terrible blizzard paralyzed the city of Indianapolis.

One of the Layman sons helped to develop the Audubon Court Apartments on the southeast corner of East Washington Street and Audubon Road in 1914. Land became highly sought after as developers strove to construct apartment buildings along the National Road.

Entrepreneurs knocked down the house at 29 South Audubon Road in the winter of 1952 to make way for the Saxony Apartment Complex. The new site included 69 apartments and cost about $651,000 to build. Unfortunately, the neighborhood lost several of its crown jewels during this period of history. To view the home in its glory click on the "Julian Family" or "Layman Family" links below.

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