For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to go fast. From racing friends on bikes to running track and field, if the goal was speed, I was interested. It’s no surprise that I’ve always been drawn to the Indy 500. Engines so loud you feel them in your chest; cars so fast you can barely see them as they zoom by; pageantry and pre-race traditions that make even rowdy race fans’ eyes well up with tears; rich history spanning more than a century . . . the Greatest Spectacle in Racing has everything.
An often-overlooked piece of Indy 500 history graces Indy’s west side, but it’s not the famed oval. Allison Mansion, now part of Marian University, was home to James Allison - one of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s four original founders. In June of 1923, Allison became president of the Speedway. And 100 years later, as I stood in his former residence to photograph it, I got chills.
Today, Marian prides itself on building future leaders. It seems fitting that Allison’s home is a central fixture on campus. Also fitting - Schmidt Associates’ recent project at Allison Mansion endeavored to transform the beautiful 1911 home into a space that would be even more accessible to all of Marian’s students and alumni – all modern-era leaders.
The project included an accessible entrance, a ramp to the event space, an accessible lift allowing access to the entire first floor and two single-occupancy unisex restrooms. And then there are the windows. New, picturesque windows in the connecting corridor match the size, feel and proportion of existing windows in the aviary, and they’re simply stunning.
For more on the project, go Here
