Indiana Landmarks named the state's 10 most endangered historic sites. See where they are.

Once centers of culture, industry and community, these historic Indiana sites are now in peril. On Monday, Indiana Landmarks released its 10 Most Endangered list for 2022, which includes a high school gymnasium, an industrial tycoon’s neglected mansion and Indiana's oldest covered bridge that remains in its original location.

The list places a spotlight on historical sites facing problems such as abandonment, neglect or above-market asking prices.

Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks, said in a written statement the 10 Most Endangered list has several functions, from education and advocacy to assisting in fundraising and saving pieces of Hoosier history.

“Every listing comes with significant challenges,” Davis said in a news release. “In all cases, when an endangered place lands on our list, we commit to seeking solutions that lead to rescue and revitalization.”

Since 1991, when the list was introduced, 20 of the 159 sites named have been demolished. Meanwhile, nearly 100 sites have been restored or are no longer endangered. Three sites — the Courthouse Annex, the James M. Shields Memorial Gymnasium and Kamm and Schellinger Brewery — are back on the list for a second year after being on it in 2021. 

Here are the stories behind the sites on this year’s list.

Birdsell Mansion

511 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend

Built in 1898, industrial titan J.B. “Ben” Birdsell’s mansion was once a paragon of grandeur: hardwood paneling, fireplaces and a third-floor ballroom. In its heyday, it rivaled other iconic South Bend mansions, Tippecanoe Place and Copshaholm. But these days, it’s fallen into disrepair and is plagued by code violations, according to Indiana Landmarks.

Today, Birdsell Mansion’s water gutters are leaking, windows are missing and water is seeping in, the group says.

Cades Mill Covered Bridge

West Cades Hollow Road, about four and a half miles southwest of Veedersburg

Built in 1854, the Cades Mill Covered Bridge in Fountain County is Indiana's oldest covered bridge still in its original location, but its future is at risk.

The bridge was built to help Fountain County’s early settlers travel to a mill located at Coal Creek and for decades has functioned as a pedestrian bridge for the area. But the Cades Mill Covered Bridge has serious safety hazards: A broken chord could cause the 150-foot long bridge to collapse if left unrepaired, according to Indiana Landmarks.

The Fountain County Art Council Historical Committee is raising money to completely rehabilitate the bridge. However, the cost is estimated at over $800,000, a figure that will likely increase with the rising cost of labor and materials shortages.

Carol Freese, Fountain County historian and member of the Art Council, told IndyStar that as of Friday the group has raised nearly $300,000 toward bridge restoration.

Geter Means House

2044 Monroe Lane, Gary

Means Brothers Inc., founded by brothers Andrew and Geter Means, built nearly 2,000 homes and rental units in Gary alone, making it one of the largest Black-owned real estate development companies in the Midwest by the 1950s.

The Means Manor neighborhood quickly became a preferred area for Black middle-class homebuyers, and it remains a neighborhood where many residents have lived their entire lives. Geter Means’ mid-century ranch home, built in 1954, sat on a corner and was once a focal point of the area.

However, in recent years, neighbors have taken to caring for the Geter Means House as vandalism, neglect and abandonment have turned a once well-loved home into a neighborhood eyesore, according to Indiana Landmarks.

Hulman Building and Garage

20 N.W. 4th St. and 109-111 N.W. 3rd St., Evansville

The Hulman Building in Evansville is a 10-story commercial building with an art deco style. It was built in 1929, the garage in 1927 and the site was acquired by Hulman in the 1930s.

However, after sitting vacant and neglected for years, the building has water leaking in through its windows and roof, according to Indiana Landmarks.

Knox County Poor Asylum

2830 Arc Ave., Vincennes

So-called "poor farms," where people would work in exchange for shelter and food, were the crux of the state's plan for caring for those who were poor and living with disabilities in the 19th century. Every one of Indiana’s 92 counties had a farm, though these places eventually faded from relevancy as counties looked to find new uses for the county homes.

The Knox County Poor Asylum, located in Vincennes, was built in 1882 and last occupied in 2004. A nonprofit that acquired the property in 2020 wants to make it into a hospice facility, but the site is in need of repairs and investment after nearly 20 years of vacancy, according to Indiana Landmarks.

First Friends Church

1501 S. Adams St., Marion

First Friends Church is one of the few buildings designed by Black architect Samuel Plato left in Marion. The Quaker congregation that established the church, which supported abolitionist efforts, hired Plato to design the building in 1914.

However, the church has been empty for over a decade, according to Indiana Landmarks. There’s damage to one of the stained-glass windows, while the paint inside is peeling and plaster is collapsing.

Stinesville Commercial Buildings 

8211-8237 W. Main St., Stinesville

A small mining town just northwest of Bloomington, Stinesville was a boomtown in the 19th century as the limestone industry came to Indiana.

The two-story I.O.O.F lodge, which houses the historic store Stinesville Mercantile and post office, as well as the limestone faced commercial buildings downtown were constructed between 1884 and 1894. The structures are a relic of a past era of prosperity for the small boomtown.

The four buildings have been vacant for decades, with serious deterioration behind the scenes, Indiana Landmarks said. The block first made the 10 Most Endangered list in the 1990s.

In 2021, the city of Stinesville offered the block of four buildings for just $1 to anyone who could stabilize and restore them, but no one took the offer, according to Indiana Landmarks.

Courthouse Annex

105-115 S. 12th St., New Castle 

In the beginning of the 20th century, New Castle was a thriving center of the manufacturing industry. But when the gas wells dried up, factories closed and people began to move away, leaving its downtown desolate.

The Courthouse Annex in New Castle is a relic of that booming era, but in the many years since, it’s been vacant and fallen into disrepair. The structure needs its exposed interior wall fixed, as well as a new roof, according to Indiana Landmarks.

The annex made the 10 Most Endangered list last year, and in the time since, Henry County commissioners put out a request for redevelopment for the property.

James M. Shields Memorial Gymnasium 

400-418 W. 5th St., Seymour

There’s nothing more Hooiser than high school basketball, and this Seymour gym, built in 1941 by Works Progress Administration workers, has so many stories on its court and within its stands. The gym is all that remains of the high school, which was previously demolished.

But it’s seen better days: People have broken windows and vandalized the walls with graffiti, and the leaky roof has let water into the building, according to Indiana Landmarks. Still, the building is structurally sound, according to an architectural assessment.

The structure first made the list last year and though there’s community support for saving and repurposing it, it’s surrounded by open land, which Indiana Landmarks noted could make the spot attractive to residential developers.

Kamm and Schellinger Brewery

100 S. Center St., Mishawaka

This historic brewery, along the St. Joseph River in Mishawaka, operated from 1887 until 1951, where it at one time produced 30,000 barrels of beer a year. The original four-story brewery building dates back to 1853.

Despite its past success, Kamm and Schellinger has a long list of code violations, as well as dilapidation, according to Indiana Landmarks.

The brewery made the 10 Most Endangered list last year. A series of buyers have expressed interest in the brewery, but tax sales on the property cast a cloud of uncertainty over Kamm and Schellinger's future.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Landmarks: These sites are the most endangered in the state