HISTORY
HISTORY
PCGHEADQUARTERS
South Side Turnverein
An Indiana Landmark Reborn
In November, 2018, Point Comfort Group (PCG) celebrated the grand re-opening of our new corporate headquarters in Indianapolis’s 'South Side Turnverein.' Located on the south side of downtown Indianapolis in the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood, this beautiful historic building was once on the list of the 10 Most Endangered Indiana Landmarks. The adaptive use and revitalization of a centuries-old German social club and gym is a perfect union of PCG’s core values: compassion, community, health, preservation and sustainability.
HISTORICALTIMELINE
1840s-1880s
'Turnverein' Movement Comes to America
German immigrants bring over their concept of "sound body, sound mind." By 1890, German-American population in Indianapolis is 18 percent.
1890-1894
'South Side Turners' Forms
This athletic and social club breaks off from other popular German-American groups of the time. Henery Victor is elected club president in 1894.
1900
June - November
Construction on Club Hall
Victor hires architecture firm Vonnegut & Bohn to design and build a gymnasium / hall in Bates-Hendrick neighborhood south of downtown. Land & build costs $25,000.
1901
January
'South Side Turnverein' Opens
3,000 people attend the dedication. A grand ball of 400 guests follows, establishing the Turnverein as the leading German social spot.
1900s-1930s
Heyday for Club & Building
During this prime cultural period for South Side Turnverein, Turner membership peaks at 400 and the building hosts scores of events each year.
1960
October
JFK Visits
The South Side Turnverein hosts then senator John F. Kennedy for a campaign speech during his 1960 presidential run.
1940s-1970s
Declining Period
Membership slowly decreases due to WWI & WWII anti-German sentiment. Interstate construction in 50's & 60's levels homes and cuts area off from downtown.
1977
Club Sells Building
With enrollment dwindled, South Side Turners relocate and sell building to investors, who turn it into the Madison Avenue Athletic Club and 5th Quarter Lounge.
1970s-2010s
Turnverein Deteriorates
Neither athletic club or bar are enough to keep up with repairs. The South Side Turnverein crumbles and is placed on Indiana Landmark's 10 Most Endangered Places.
2016-2018
Point Comfort Purchase & Renovation
Point Comfort owners Betsy & Bill hunt for a historic site to repurpose into office space. Choosing South Side Turnverein, they undertake a huge renovation to reverse decades of deterioration and bring back original features.
2018
November
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Joined by the mayor of Indianapolis, a crowd inaugurates the re-opening of the South Side Turnverein building for use as Point Comfort's new headquarters.
2019
National Historic Register
Point Comfort Group successfully advocates to have the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
2020-Now
A Thriving Gem
Back to its former glory, the South Side Turnverein is now an integral part of the Bates Hendricks neighborhood revival and perfectly serving PCG's successful business needs.
Let's Start at the Beginning...
In the late 1800s, Indianapolis boasted a booming German-American population with many clubs and societies for them to gather. Henry Victor (pictured right side of oval photo), and his group called South Side Turners, set out to create their own clubhouse. They wanted to have a "turnverein,", a word that combines the German terms ‘turnen,’ which means “to practice gymnastics,” and ‘Verein,’ German for “club, union” – to practice their cultural principles of sound body & sound mind. They hired architectural firm Vonnegut & Bohn, who had previously designed another prominent German-American clubhouse called Das Deutsche Haus (later renamed The Athenaeum and still thriving to this day).
Built in 1900 at 306 E. Prospect Street, the red brick building contained a gym and upper stage designed to seat 800 spectators for athletics and theatrical performances. The designers fitted the lower level with a bowling alley, pub, and more for social gatherings. The firm recruited Austrian Rudolf Schwarz, the creator of limestone sculptures for the downtown Indianapolis Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, to produce an allegorical stucco relief for the west gable facade.
Important Sporting & Social Hisory
From its completion into the late-1930s, the South Side Turnverein served as a fixture not only in the area's German community, but also Indianapolis south-siders at large. It hosted musical performances, dances, plays, festivals, and other events. The basement bar (aka ‘rathskeller’) continually offered fish fries and flowing brews, providing a source for neighborhood merriment and spirited political discussion!
As an organization dedicated to physical education, the South Side Turnverein hosted many athletic events during its history, including gymnastics expositions, basketball games, bowling leagues, and boxing matches. During regional events, hundreds of athletes and large crowds came in from cities such as Chicago, Louisville, and Fort Wayne.
What Goes Up Must Come Down
Following WWI and WWII, anti-German sentiment slowly spread throughout America, leading to an eventual decline in the South Side Turners and other similar groups. The club suffered further with the construction of 2 major interstates to the West and North of the building in the 1950s-60s, disconnecting it from the core of downtown and destroying dozens of nearby residences. Still, some notable events occurred during this waning period, with the venue hosting senator and future president John F. Kennedy for a campaign speech in 1960. Among his talking points, JFK spoke about the high cost of medical care and the consequences of illness caused by drinking polluted water.
By 1977, with enrollment down to just 62 members, South Side Turners had no choice but to sell the building to investors. Renamed the Madison Avenue Athletic Club, the main and upper floors rented out to private sport leagues, while a tavern called 5th Quarter Lounge operated in the lower level. Although many in the city recall fond memories of imbibing in the basement bar (including Indianapolis’ own Mayor Hogsett) or shooting hoops in the gym (among the many amateur athletes, there were a few future Pacers and Butler University b-ball players), the slim revenue of both ventures led to slow neglect and decades of deterioration.
A Major Turning Point for This Landmark
Point Comfort Group owner Betsy Brougher had previously located her businesses in other historic venues, rehabilitating the former Harry Wood Vocational Training School and Indianapolis Public School No. 9 for her enterprises. Formerly located at the historic Stutz Business Center, Betsy and her husband William were on the hunt for a building to accommodate their growing company when the South Side Turnverein caught their eye. The appeal came from the club’s historic character and its easy access to interstates, parking, restaurants, and proximity to the revitalizing Bates-Hendricks neighborhood. With this architectural gem, they found their desired combo of good bones and historical elements to elevate their office from a traditional stifling work environment.
In 2018, Indianapolis architecture firm RATIO worked with Point Comfort Group on the comprehensive rehabilitation, which qualified for the federal Historic Tax Credit. After added walls and dropped ceilings came down, original features were revealed, including a pressed metal ceiling and historic windows that brought daylight to the center of the building. They rebuilt a grand staircase disassembled by previous owners, installed an energy-efficient heating and cooling system, and reopened the stage, boxed in for a racquetball court during the Madison Avenue days. They restored the building’s historic windows, more than 150 in all, and the character-defining cupola (small dome adorning the roof) that hadn’t seen attention for 117 years. Original blueprints from Vonnegut & Bohn, along with physical clues uncovered along the way, guided the rehabilitation.
Experts carefully examined the old stucco sculpture by Schwarz and determined it was too damaged to save. Local Indianapolis art studio Ignition Arts used the remnants and historic photographs to replicate the sculpture in fiberglass—much lighter and therefore friendlier than the original to the historic brick wall. PCG displays fragments and archives of the original building in a special conference space on the upper level, serving as a mini museum and testament to South Side Turnverein’s heritage.
Together We Entered a New Chapter
Point Comfort Group returned a crumbling building to its former glory, and we’re now utilizing the entire space to its full potential! The 33-foot ceiling, abundance of daylight, and unique architectural details provide an inspiring site for collaboration among PCG’s workforce. Employee teams occupy all spacious levels of the building, from the airy basement to the grand upper balconies. The environment sets the tone for a business where people can see room for expansion and advancement, and where they can feel passion for their role. The Turnverein also remains an anchor in the Bates-Hendrick neighborhood, offering a gathering space for community events and encouraging PCG team members to pitch in with neighborhood cleanups.
“Preservation merges art with craftsmanship; it combines progressive ideas with cultural heritage; it balances capitalism with tradition and authenticity. It’s a way of celebrating local customs while conserving taxpayer dollars and protecting our natural environment. Using existing infrastructure to serve today’s demand is where commercial responsibility intersects with environmental responsibility.” - Betsy Brougher, founder, Point Comfort Group.
Point Comfort Group is so grateful we received this opportunity to save an important cultural landmark, allowing us to have a conversation with the past and a future with the community! With our complete revitalization, the historic South Side Turnverein now merges the best of old and new.
