By Heather Collins
The 56th annual St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild Decorators’ Show House and Gardens will feature the boyhood home of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., April 29-May 14.
The 5,907-square-foot residence, at 4401 N. Illinois St. in Indianapolis, was built by the author’s architect father, Kurt Vonnegut, Sr. Construction began in the Fall of 1922 and was completed in the spring of 1923. The house incorporates a primarily “Arts & Crafts” architectural style, with components of mahogany woodwork, oak floors, ceramic tile and leaded glass interiors doors, but also incorporates an eclectic English County and English Tudor vernacular.
Architect Evans Woollen III, famous for designing Clowes Memorial Hall and the Barton Towers, also occupied the home.
Decorator Chair Joan Hilger said the Decorators’ Show House and Garden is one of the oldest traditions of Indiana. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, in partnership with the the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library and Visit Indy, proclaimed 2017 “The Year of the Vonnegut.”
According to Hilger, through remodeling projects, 26 designers and two landscape artists have upgraded the house to give it a fresher, more current look while maintaining the same footprint and “great bones” of the house.
“It’s a unique house, and it’s a great way to raise money for a great cause,” Hilger said.
Proceeds for the 2017 St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild Decorators’ Show House and Gardens will benefit Eskenazi Health.
The show house will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 29 through May 14. Adult admission is $20. Senior tickets are $18 and children tickets are $5, available at the door only.
For information or to purchase tickets, visit showhouseindy.org.
