Test Building
Test Building | |
![]() Test Building, January 2010 | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Location | 54 Monument Circle, Indianapolis, Indiana |
---|---|
Coordinates | 39°46′6″N 86°9′32″W / 39.76833°N 86.15889°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1925 |
Architect | Bass, Knowlton, & Company |
NRHP reference No. | 83000138[1] |
Added to NRHP | June 16, 1983 |
Test Building, also known as the Circle Motor Inn, is a historic commercial building in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was built in 1925, and is a nine-story, reinforced concrete structure with 12-inch thick brick and clay tile curtain walls. It is faced with Indiana limestone and has a three-story brick penthouse and two-level basement. The mixed-use building housed the city's earliest large parking garages.[2]: 2–5
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1] It is in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District.
History
_-_DPLA_-_d280948a0b7010251cc5767e3167ba2f.jpg)
The building was constructed in 1925. It was initially planned to be entirely a parking garage apart from ground-level stores, but met with controversy due to perceived danger to pedestrians and traffic congestion.[1]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1]
Description

The building is a nine-story, reinforced concrete structure with 12-inch thick brick and clay tile curtain walls. It is faced with Indiana limestone and has a three-story brick penthouse and two-level basement.[1] It was built in the Neoclassical Revival style by Bass, Knowlton & Company.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "National Register Information System – (#83000138)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved August 1, 2016. Note: This includes Mary Ellen Gadski and James S. Reed (February 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Test Building" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2016. and Accompanying photographs
- ^ "Test Building--Indianapolis: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary". National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
External links
Media related to Test Building at Wikimedia Commons