Address: 1230 North Delaware Street
Pricing: Tours only: adults, $8; seniors, $6; students, $3
Phone: (317) 631-1888
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.; Sundays (June & July only), 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
How To Get There:
From Southbound I-65, Meridian Street exit (Exit #113): proceed east after exit (straight), cross Meridian and Pennsylvania To Delaware, turn left and proceed north to 1230 N. Delaware. The museum is the first house on your left.
Parking:Metered parking on street
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President Benjamin Harrison home: the home life of the 23rd President of the United States
Published: Jun 6, 2009
For American history buffs, a visit while in Indianapolis to the home of the 23rd American President, Benjamin Harrison, is a trip back in time to life in the late nineteenth century.
The home, just blocks from the center of downtown Indianapolis, was renovated in the late 1960s by the Arthur Jordan Foundation after being named a national landmark. Built by Harrison and his attorney in 1874, it is a 16-room Italianate style dwelling that includes a carriage house, brick driveway and ornate landscaping.
With the exception of his time spent in the U.S. Senate and as president, Harrison, his wife Caroline, son Russel, and daughter Mary lived in the home on Delaware Street. Tragically, Harrison's wife died during his last year in presidential office, so he returned to the home as a widower.
Many improvements were after Caroline's death, including the addition an English-Regency front porch, electricity and updated plumbing. Harrison eventually passed away in his beloved home on March 13, 1901. The house was officially opened in 1951 to the public.
The house is now used for a variety of public events each year, including the Wicket World of Croquet annual championship; summer naturalization ceremony for new U.S. citizens; and a variety of art exhibits. The current exhibit features former president William Henry Harrison, and is on display until fall of 2009.
Guided house tours begin every thirty minutes on the front steps.The first tour begins at 10 a.m., and the last tour at 3:30 p.m. There is no public waiting area located inside the house, so guests should arrive promptly on the hour or half-hour.
- by Jim Brown , Indianapolis Reporter for HelloMetro
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