Newly Renovated Allison Mansion Spotlights a Historic Hoosier Homestead

Now called The Alumni House at Allison Mansion located on Marian University campus, the historic mansion recently underwent renovations. Photo credit: Michael Schrader

At Marian University, high on a bluff overlooking Crooked Creek sits the Allison Mansion, built on a foundation of Hoosier history.

James Allision, an Indianapolis entrepreneur and one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, commissioned the mansion as part of his 64-acre Riverdale estate in the early 1900s. The exterior is a blend of early Prairie School and Lombardy Villa architecture, designed by Indianapolis architect Herbert Bass. Master landscape architect Jens Jensen, known as the “Prophet of the Prairie” for his use of native plants and Midwestern imagery, designed the grounds.

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Now, the mansion is part of the campus of Marian University, with a forest surrounding the mansion and, to the southwest, a formal garden where much of Jensen’s original landscaping, including stone bridges, spring-water cisterns and more, can be found.

The space has recently undergone renovations to make it ADA accessible, and the first-floor space, now called “The Alumni House at Allison Mansion,” is the new home for Marian University alumni. The Allison Mansion is also available as a rental space for your special event.

Aside from rentals, the Allison Mansion isn’t open to the public, but visitors can tour the Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab and surrounding forests and gardens. To learn more, visit marian.edu.

See more: Enjoy a Spring Getaway to Bloomington