Hidden Places: Cordova Apartments

Unlike Gary, our neighbor to the East, abandoned buildings with deteriorated conditions are a rare sight in Hammond, in part due to the stronger economy in Hammond that has lead to a much smaller population loss over the last half century, but also because the city is vigilant in curbing blight. The positive effect is that even the worst neighborhoods are well kept compared to other cities in the rust belt, however it also has resulted in the loss of some of the city's architectural heritage.

This building, the former Cordova Court Apartments at 2-6 Ruth Street is one of those rare cases. While the building maintains a high level of historical integrity, it appears to have been vacated several years ago, and the lack of maintenance is starting to show. Recently, a set of Limestone panels on the front facade came loose and are still piled in the lawn below. It is an unfortunate case, since the Cordova is one of the most elaborate surviving apartment buildings in the city. Only the Belvidere and Woodmar Apartments (to be covered in later posts) can compare in their exterior ornament.

Hidden Places: Keeler Branch Library

Partially obscured by the remnants of an old sign, this converted church reveals it's former use in the carved inscription over the front door.

This structure caught my eye a couple weeks ago while trying out one of Hammond's local favorites (El Taco Real) across the street. While the inscription above the door gives a succinct view into the building's past, until just a few years ago, it may have been long covered by another sign. According to tax records, it was built in 1924. I have found references as early as 1934 and as late as 1967 in the Hammond Times that this was the Keeler Branch of the Hammond Public Library, although the Keeler name appears nowhere on the building, so it may have been a designation made after construction. A December 1922 edition of The Library Journal, suggests that there was a J. F. Keeler with a prominent position in the Hammond library system of the time after which this branch was most likely named.

Hammond Landmarks: Northern States Life Insurance Company Building

5935 Hohman Ave: The former Northern State Life Insurance Company Building viewed from the southwest

This imposing building, which anchors the southwest corner of Harrison Park at 5935 Hohman Avenue, leaves no room for ambiguity of its past life. The original occupants name: Northern States Life Insurance Company is carved in two foot tall letters across the length of its parapet. The formal, symmetrical, Neoclassical facade, replete with giant order columns, monumental door surround, and cornice also firmly identify this as an early 20th century financial institution.

 While Northern States has been memorialized in the stone of this building, their tenancy was one of the shortest in the building's history. Established in 1910 as the Employee's Life and Casualty Insurance in the back room of another local bank, the company was renamed Northern State Life Insurance Company in 1913 and grew steadily through the 1910s and and early 20s, culminating in the 1925 acquisition of a Minnesota firm of the same name. Now having a territory spanning five states, the successful business needed a befitting headquarters. They enlisted architecture firm Frank A. Childs and William J. Smith of Chicago for the design, and it was completed in 1926.

Hammond Landmarks: Herschbach Motor Corporation Building

5603 Hohman Ave: 1929 Art Deco former showroom for the Herschbach Motor Corporation

This imposing red building was one of the first structures to catch my eye during my first visit to downtown Hammond. I could immediately tell that it was once an automobile showroom. If the relief panel in the parapet depicting an vintage car hood and airplane didn't give it away, the large floor length display windows (now infilled with block) fronting Hohman Ave.were common in auto showrooms of the period. Overall this building has a very similar form to the many former showrooms that still exist along the Motor Row section of South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and I would not be surprised if one of those same architects designed this Art Deco gem.

According to the Hammond Times, where it was included in ads from 1938 and 1940, this building was home to the Herschbach Motor Corporation. Herschbach sold Ford vehicles and was founded in 1927. According to tax records, this building was constructed in 1929, so it is very likely that Herschbach was it's first occupant.