The historic building known by many names at the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and State Street. (Google Earth photo — CLICK TO ENLARGE)
By Fern Eddy Schultz, La Porte County Historian
The building located on the northeast corner of State Street and Michigan Avenue, referred to nowadays as the Hiler Building, was purchased in recent years by La Porte County government to relocate some offices from the La Porte County Courthouse. But the
La Porte County Historian Fern Eddy Schultz
building, which dates back to 1912, has been known by many names during its lifetime.
In 1912, the property — referred to as the Marr Corner — had been purchased by John Wolf, a prominent member of the Rumely Co. executive force. He had also married, in 1896, Mary Rumely, daughter of Meinrad and Theresa Rumely. On the Marr Corner site was what was described as a “ramshackle building, the old livery stable, one of the town’s landmarks,” which was to be razed. At this same time, a location for a hotel was being sought and this was one of the sites being considered for that purpose. It was a desirable location for business purposes. The site ultimately chosen for the hotel — The Rumely — was the southwest corner of Michigan and Jefferson avenues. John Wolf managed The Rumely (now Rumely Historic Apartments) until 1914.
John Wolf came by his business acumen naturally as his father, Peter N. Wolf, established a grocery in La Porte in 1860 and continued in that business until 1929. His store was located at 316 Lincoln Way and later became known as LeRoy’s Food Market.
The first floor of the new construction at Michigan and State, which was to become known as the Wolf Building or Wolf Hall, was to have a frontage of 115 feet on Michigan Avenue and a depth of 30 feet on State Street, leased by the Rumely Co. It was to be utilized as a sales room with Mr. Wolf in charge, and would alleviate congested conditions at the Rumely plant just a few blocks away.
Excavation began for the Wolf Building and Larson-Danielson Construction Co. was awarded the contract for construction. The architects were Allen & Son, who drafted the plans for the two-story brick building. By April, a large auditorium inside the building had already been christened “The Assembly.” Negotiations were under way with the Eagles, who had an interest in leasing the lodge rooms which were to be incorporated in the construction. If this occurred, the organization would leave its then-headquarters.
By 1921, La Porte Motor Sales Company and Arthur C. Mansfield’s garage were housed on the Wolf Building’s lower level. In March of that year, it was announced that the “first annual auto and tractor show” would be held on the ground floor of the Wolf Building. This was a three-day event and all of the automobile dealers in La Porte reportedly participated. It was expected the town would become quite a “metropolis” during the show. The floor space was marked out so each dealer could display three “machines” to advantage, and it was anticipated this would result in many sales. Dealers drew for booth locations. A large platform was constructed for an orchestra and the X-Cell Advertising Agency was awarded the contract for the decoration of the hall. Some of the brands of automobiles displayed were Studebaker, Buick, Haynes, Dort, Nash, Willys-Knight, Marmons, Franklin, Oakland, Overland, Maxwell, Chalmers, Elgin, Gardner, Dodge, Cadillac, and others. Models of tractors on display were Rumely OilPulls, International Harvester and the first Pony tractor. The latter was built in 1911 and was considered a special and unique attraction. Also on exhibit were tire displays, battery services, lighting systems and many accessories. In all, there were 15 exhibitors.
Automobile dealerships were located in the building for many years following the show. Some of them were Maple City Motor Corp., Wilson & Puritan Auto Dealer, Bonfield Motor Company, and others.
Later the building was the location of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles La Porte License Branch, and was sometimes referred to as the License Bureau Building. The home of The Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 492 was on the upper floor and so the building was also often called the Moose Building. That organization moved to a new building on Boyd Boulevard in 1990.
When the building was purchased by the Hiler family, it became known by their name. Various businesses were housed there following that purchase.
In April 2007, La Porte County purchased the Hiler Building at 555 Michigan Ave. with $789,500 in riverboat revenue funds. It was then that all county offices that were not court-related were moved from the courthouse across the street to the building. It still retains the name of Hiler, but on occasion is referred to as the County Office Building.
John Wolf died in Michigan City in 1943. At that time, he was the owner and manager of the Sheridan Beach Hotel.
FERN EDDY SCHULTZ is La Porte County’s official Historian. For more information on the county’s fascinating history, visit the La Porte County Historical Society Museum and its website, www.laportecountyhistory.org.