Griffith Block (Commercial Building), 36-38 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Marion County, IN

Significance: Built in 1872 by the heirs of Humphrey Griffith, a leading pioneer businessman, the Griffith Block has housed a variety of retail establishments during its long history. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the editorial offices of the "Indianapolis News" were located in the block. The third and fourth floors contained lodge meeting rooms, used by several fraternal orders and labor unions. Architecturally, the Griffith Block is one of a few surviving examples in the city of a facade designed in the "Venetian Commercial Italianate" style, popular in Indianapolis during the 1870s. It is one of the very few surviving nineteenth century buildings with a limestone facade .
Survey number: HABS IN-214