Growing up in Northeast Indiana, one of my great childhood joys was spending time at my grandparents’ farm just outside of Decatur. I climbed on grain bins; played on the tractor; learned how to grow things in dirt and fix just about anything with chicken wire or metal snipped from old tin cans.
Our family farm was one of many farms that, when stitched together, formed a seemingly endless expanse of fields dotted with quaint farmhouses. As I learned later in life, this mountain-less, ocean-less landscape is a bit of an acquired taste for some. My wife who grew up in hilly Southern Indiana will often comment, “It sure is flat here. Pretty. Just flat.”
That it is.
But when the flat landscape is broken by the occasional small town, the contrast makes main street shops and courthouses seem wonderfully appealing. As much as I enjoyed visiting the farm, I also relished going into town with my grandparents to run errands. The bank was one of my favorite places to visit. A family friend, Jud, worked there. And the building itself was a beautiful limestone structure unlike anything else in downtown Decatur. It stood out in a majestic sort of way, and I loved it.
When the team at Martin Riley called me in 2021 to tell me they had renovated an old bank building in downtown Decatur, transforming it into the new City Hall, I knew exactly which building they were describing . . . and I was delighted to photograph the project.
Decades, later, the building is still magnificent. And once again, it’s a hub of activity at the heart of a vibrant town square.
