Elwood City Building
| Dates: | 1899 |
| Location: | Elwood, Madison County, Indiana |
| Architects: | J. F. Alexander & Son, of Lafayette, Indiana |
| Contractor: | J. J. Wood |
| Cost: | $35,000 |
The beautiful Elwood City Building is one of the largest surviving projects designed by J. F. Alexander & Son, and was designed at roughly the same time as the Eastern Indiana State Normal School in Muncie. The Elwood City Building was vacated by the City of Elwood in 2003 when it moved to a smaller new building two blocks away. The City of Elwood has little interest in the building, which it considered to be too expensive to maintain. A new tenant for the building has been found, but its future remains uncertain. The building contains a beautiful golden oak staircase and a spectacular third-floor auditorium in the base of the tower. The auditorium, unused since the mid-20th century, remains largely unchanged except for the c.1950s paint and water damage to part of the ceiling.
![]() |
![]() |
| Elwood City Building, 1907 | 2003 |
![]() |
![]() |
| West elevation | West and South (alley) elevations |
![]() |
![]() |
| View along south wall | East (alley) elevation |
![]() |
![]() |
| North entrance | |
![]() |
![]() |
| Detail of north gable | |
![]() |
![]() |
| Cornerstone with "Architects: J. F. Alexander & Son" at bottom | |
![]() |
![]() |
| Detail of main cornice | Detail of balustrade on corner pavilions and limestone flat arch over windows |
![]() |
![]() |
| View into hall from west entrance, staircase on right | Panel, tile, and column detail at west entrance |
![]() |
![]() |
| View of main hall from north entrance, with 1960s planter at left | Main staircase at the first floor |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| Looking down stairwell from entrance to auditorium stairs | City court room |
![]() |
![]() |
| City court room | |
![]() |
|
| The city court room with desks and benches probably designed by J. F. Alexander & Son | |
![]() |
![]() |
| Entrance to the city court, second floor | Staircase leading to third-floor auditorium |
![]() |
![]() |
| General view of third floor auditorium in base of tower | Detail of dentil-moulded cornice of arch and decorative foliate corbel in corner |
![]() |
![]() |
| One of the two side portions of the auditorium under the east and west gables | Door to one of the entrance stairs at right |
![]() |
![]() |
| One of the two side areas beyond the arches | Ladder leading into dome, note electric light sockets in plaster cove moulding |
![]() |
![]() |
| Detail of the proscenium | Alcove at rear of auditorium (the stairs come up on either side, just off camera |


































