User:RichardMcCoy/CAVC

The Columbus Area Visitors Center or the Visitors Center promotes tourism and cultural appreciation throughout Bartholomew County, Indiana. Since May 13, 1973 it has operated out of the historic John V. Storey house at 506 fifth street in Columbus, Indiana. In addition to promoting convention and sports tourism, the Visitors Center also provides guided architectural tours of the city and in collaboration with Indianapolis Museum of Art, operates tours of the Miller House and Garden. Contained in the Storey house are offices for the Visitor Center staff, a gift shop, a video viewing room, and a conference room.

History
, which is located inside of the Columbus Historic District.

First renovation and grand opening
By the turn of the century, the city had begun planning improvements to the facility. At this time, the mayor of the Columbus was George W. Caldwell, a building contractor, whose company Caldwell & Drake was currently building the West Baden Springs Hotel—this building was also designed by the architect Harrison Albright. In 1901 the city let the contract to Dunlap and Company of Columbus to begin construction of the new building designed by Albright right on top of the first structure. This building began service in 1903 with new centrifugal pumps, which could pump up to 8,000,000 gallons of water per day. By 1904, a small addition was made to the northwest corner to accommodate dynamos that produced enough electricity for the city street lights.

Second renovation and expansion
This city used this building until 1951, after which time it began using a deep well system as a water source. In 1952 the building was sold to Ray and Martha Smock, owners of Southern Machine Company. With some alterations and renovations, it operated as a machine shop. The building was purchased by the Columbus Redevelopment Commission in 1972 at a cost of $65,000 with the intention to use it to help revitalize the downtown area; it later was deeded to the City of Columbus.

Original design and construction of the Storey House
Construction for the Albright building started in September 1901. The larger footprint of this building allowed for it to be built around the previous brick building, which itself had been built over the original, wooden "Holly Works" structure. The brick and stone building has stone foundation of two-foot thick slab and 17-inch walls on all sides.

The two color brick scheme provides accent around the windows and doors, highlighting the arches over the windows. The hip-roofed structure was originally covered with gray, clay tiles and had a number of ventilation stacks protruding high above the roof line.

Historical status
While multiple publications have indicated that this property is among those listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Bartholomew County, Indiana, this is not true.

The property was surveyed in both the 1980 and 2012 Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory (IHSSI). This architectural inventory is administered by the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA), also called the survey program. Since 1978, Indiana Landmarks has partnered with the DHPA by conducting the survey on a county-by-county basis.

In the 1980 survey it was listed as "Outstanding" and in the 2012 survey it was listed as "Notable."