Abel, Elias, House

About this property

The Elias Abel House is a historic building in western Bloomington, Indiana, United States. Built in the Greek Revival style in 1845, it was once the grand home of one of Bloomington's leading citizens. After many years of use, it fell into disrepair and was endangered by the possibility of destruction, but restoration has led to its designation as a historic site due to its authentic period architecture. Born in 1800 in Wythe County, Virginia, Abel moved to the Bloomington vicinity in 1824 and began to farm. At this time, southwestern Indiana was very rural; Bloomington likely had no more than six hundred residents in 1824, but it was the most prosperous town in its region of the state. Between 1841 and 1862, he was active in local politics; he served multiple terms as the Monroe County treasurer, and he was elected to serve in the Indiana General Assembly from 1856 to 1857. After finishing his Bloomington house in 1845, Abel lived on the property until 1856; he had purchased the property for just $250, but he sold it for $1,000. After residing elsewhere for four years, he purchased a nearby house now known as the Blair-Dunning House; in 1862, he sold it to the future wife of Paris C. Dunning, later Governor of Indiana. Into his old age, Abel continued to be both healthy and prominent in the community, keeping his reputation as one of Monroe County's leading Democrats into his mid-eighties. Following several decades of use as the residence of its owners, the house was converted into a rental property in 1923; it soon began to deteriorate due to a lack of necessary maintenance. During this time, the porch was expanded, the exterior was covered with poor-quality brown asphalt siding, and the original exterior woodwork deteriorated; by the late 1970s, both the original and the later elements were crumbling. The structure of the house is typical of the design known as the "I-house" — its two stories are each divided into two rooms, one on each side. Such a plan is typical of the vernacular architecture of Monroe County in the middle of the nineteenth century: the area's early settlers generally favored the "I plan", finding it simple and sufficient for their needs without sacrificing elegance. Few such houses remain in a condition closely resembling their early years; despite the changes made to it, the Abel House has been named Bloomington's best extant "I"-house. Major structural elements of the house include a pitched roof made of composites and wooden eaves, a large basement with limestone walls and a fruit cellar, and multiple brick chimneys. During its history, the house has received two additions on its western (rear) side: a saltbox-style on the southwestern corner, and a simpler style on the northwestern corner. Individuals may enter the house through a central main entrance; flanked by two windows on each side, the door is surrounded by transoms that may include some original glass.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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