Article - "No. 3 Faces Its Last Sack"

No. 3 Faces Its Last Sack By DAVID MANNWEILER The historic ment that preservation moveis sweeping Indianapolis is about to let a good one get away. A downtown building that is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the "honor roll" of landmarks, is about to come down. Under the shadow of the wrecking ball is White Castle No. 3, the tiny hamburger stand across from the Education Center at Fort Wayne and Delaware. That particular White Castle opened in 1927 and is the oldest operating outlet in the White Castle system, which happens to be the nation's oldest continuous hamburger chain. That makes White Castle No. 3 the oldest hamburger stand in the nation. The building has enjoyed a large clientele from the Education Center, Riley Towers, the new Federal Building, Tyndall Armory and motorists heading north at all hours of the day or night. "If everything goes according to plan, we'll close it at 7 a.m. Monday," said John Cole, the assistant area manager for White Systems. Cole said the hamburger outlet is being closed because a large White Castle facility has been built at 16th and Illinois "and we think it probably will be able to take care of the needs of the area" served by the doomed outlet. "That one (No. 3) is on such a small parking lot," Cole continued. "We don't have room to expand it. We would have made it larger a long time ago if there was more ground.' White Castle Systems began phasing out or enlarging its smaller facilities several years ago. No. 31 is one of the few remaining examples of the original "castle" architecture that E. W. Ingram, founder of the restaurant chain, decreed because he liked the battlements and turrets on the Chicago Water Tower. type of "castle" was built only in 1925-27. In September 1977, the architectural surveyor of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission recommended the White Castle No. 3 be nominated for the National Register of Historic Places, because met the requirements of age (50 years), unusual architecture and outstanding significance. Other buildings took precedence, however, and No. 3 never made the list. Reid Williamson, president of the Historic Landmarks Foundation, was shocked to hear that No. 3 seems doomed. "Oh no! No!," he said. "I was fearful of that when I saw them building that 'biggie' at 16th and Illinois." Marie Hart, supervisor of No. 3, said, "We are very sad. Everybody is quite emotional at this time. We've had such a loyal clientele. We see the same faces in here day after day for years and years." Mrs. Hart has been at No. 3 for 20 years. Another longtime employe, Clara Williams, has haven there 25 years. "We want to a closing party," Mrs. Hart said, "but we don't know when it might be. We don't know i if they will allow us to have a party or not."

The Indianapolis News

Article - "No. 3 Faces Its Last Sack"

Article - "No. 3 Faces Its Last Sack"

The Indianapolis News