The History that Made Us
Want to go to the theater downtown or find the location of the first building in Columbia City?
They are the same place! 102 W Van Buren Street. “In 1840, 102 West Van Buren was the site of the first frame building in the town, which was originally known as Columbia. This structure was a single-story, two-room boarding house, hotel and saloon built by David E. Long. His sign read, ‘David E. Long, Entertainment for Man and Beast.’ He subsequently added a two-story front. This is where the Board of Commissioners organized Columbia Township on May 4, 1840.
“When the town was laid out it was in a grid plan with the intersection of Main and Van Buren streets as the principal corner from which the Columbia City street numbering system started.
“In 1890, Dr. D.S. and Dr. D.G. Linvill had an office upstairs above the JW Brand Drug Store. C.P. Kime, veterinarian, was also above the drug store. The access to these offices was via an outdoor stairway.
“In 1920, the original buildings at 102 and 104 West Van Buren were torn down and the Columbia Theatre was built. It opened Sept. 15, 1920. The theatre was state-of-the-art – complete with a pipe organ which provided accompaniment for the silent movies, talent and minstrel shows. Later, sound equipment was added when the ‘talkies’ became available. In June 1938 it was the site of the World Premiere of ‘White Banners,’ which was based on the Lloyd C. Douglas novel. Douglas, a popular author, was from Columbia City.
“The theater was popular until the advent of television in the 1950s, which had a profound effect on the movie industry. Many movie theaters, including the Columbia Theatre, were forced to close. In 1965, the theater was torn down and Citizens National Bank was built. In 1991, CNB became Star Financial Bank.”
This excerpt is from “Around the Square,” written by Pam Koch and published by the Whitley County Historical Museum, and it details the history of those buildings that stood at 102 W. Van Buren St.
Where are We: Architectural History
This column is neither Doric, Ionic, nor Corinthian, and lacks any real ornamentations. Yet it is a striking architectural feature. The column is part of the STAR Financial Bank building at the corner of Van Buren and Main Streets. The lack of any “artificial” decorations is a defining characteristic of Modernist architecture, or more specifically here, Mid-Century Modern (MCM).
Even though the style lacks scrollwork, flutes, pediments, and other decorations seen on older downtown buildings, the building has clean, gently curving lines to its columns and form that give it more than simply structure.
Further, ground-to-roof windows opened the building’s interior to the outside. Being built in 1967, the building now qualifies as historic (being more than 50 years old), although a 2014 remodeling removed or covered other MCM elements that will be seen in the coming history post.
Still, the building proudly holds its position at the most prominent corner in our downtown.
Thank you to Nathan Bilger for providing the recent photos and valuable insights into the architectural history.
