National Register of Historic Places

Ade, George, House

Brook, Newton County, Indiana
Listed
September 26, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000014

About this property

George Ade House, also known as Hazelden, is a two-story, fourteen-room, Tudor Revival-style home in Iroquois Township, Newton County, Indiana. Chicago architect Billie Mann designed the frame dwelling, built in 1904, George Ade (1866–1944), a syndicated newspaper columnist, author, humorist, and playwright. Ade named the property Hazelden, after his English grandparents' home. By the early 1900s, after twelve years of working as a newspaper reporter and columnist in Chicago, Illinois, George Ade (1866–1944) decided to return to Indiana and retire to a life in the country. Ade was born and raised in Kentland, another farming community in Newton County, Indiana. He gained national notoriety as a newspaper columnist writing "Stories of the Streets and of the Town" for the Chicago Daily News (which later became the Chicago Morning News and the Chicago Record) at the turn of the twentieth century. Collections of articles from his columns were also published as books. In addition, Ade wrote a syndicated weekly newspaper column and a book series of fables in slang, which were humorous stories that featured vernacular speech and the liberal use of capitalization. Ade was also a playwright for the Broadway stage whose best-known plays, The County Chairman and The College Widow, and some of his other literary works were adapted into motion pictures. Using the earnings from his writing career, Ade invested in Newton County, Indiana, farmland, eventually owning about 2,400 acres (970 hectares). In 1902, William Ade (George's brother) purchased on George's behalf a 417-acre (169-hectare) site of wooded land along the Iroquois River near the town of Brook in Newton County, Indiana. Ade named the property Hazelden, after his English grandparents' home, and had a two-story, fourteen-room home built on the site. He moved from Chicago into the newly built residence in 1904 and owned the home for the remainder of his life. Following Ade's death in 1944, ownership of Hazelden was transferred to Purdue University (Ade's alma mater). The university relinquished the property to the State of Indiana when it could no longer afford its upkeep. The state government, also unable to maintain the home, turned it over to Newton County, Indiana, officials. In 1962, the George Ade Memorial Association raised funds to acquire, renovate, and restore the home, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Ade initially planned to build a summer cottage, but Chicago architect Billie Mann, one of Ade's Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, designed a country manor for the site. Ade's two-story, fourteen-room, Tudor Revival-style home was constructed in 1904 at an estimated cost of US$25,000. The frame dwelling features half-timbering and stucco on the upper floor, leaded glass windows, and beamed and vaulted ceilings. Ade made additional improvements to property that included landscaped grounds, a swimming pool, greenhouse, barn, and caretaker's cottage, among other outbuildings. He also added an adjacent golf course and country club in 1910.

Location

Brook, Newton County, Indiana
40.86394, -87.32250

Categories

ARTLITERATUREEDUCATIONPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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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Nearby Historic Sites

McCairn--Turner House
Industrial
6.9 mi
Goodland-Grant Township Public Library
Industrial
7 mi
Scott-Lucas House
Industrial
8.7 mi
Seller's Standard Station and Pullman Diner
Industrial
8.8 mi
Newton County Courthouse
Industrial
9.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ade, George, House listed on the National Register?

Ade, George, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Ade, George, House?

Ade, George, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ade, George, House?

The period of significance for Ade, George, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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