102 S. Union to make temporary move east on Tuesday, July 9
Contact: Kayla Arnold, Director of Communications
Email: karnold@westfield.in.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
102 S. Union to make temporary move east on Tuesday, July 9
Westfield, IN (July 8, 2024) — The City of Westfield and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) have announced the move of 102 S. Union Street in downtown Westfield.
On July 9, eastbound State Road 32 traffic will close temporarily so that the contractor, Wolfe House Movers, can slide their beams underneath the structure. Each beam will take five to ten minutes to place. The closure will begin at 9 a.m. and last approximately four hours. Eastbound traffic will need to utilize south Union Street to 171st Street to Carey Road to State Road 32 as the detour. Westbound traffic on State Road 32 will remain closed as part of the Citizens Energy Group water main relocation project.
102 S. Union Street, also known as "The Green Building," will move to the parcel directly to the east of its current site. Once State Road 32 construction is underway and the appropriate utilities have been buried, the building will move to its permanent location on North Union Street, directly west of Westfield City Hall and south of Westfield Basile Playhouse.
The contract with Wolfe House Movers was approved by the Westfield Board of Public Works in December 2023 for $95,250.
History of 102 S. Union Street, courtesy of the Westfield Preservation Alliance
In 1861 and 1862, it was advertised as “The Old Corner Drug Store” and also served as the town post office from 1873 to 1877. The Old Corner Drug Store sold medicine, oils, prescriptions, medicated wine and liquor, a full line of notions (knives, pencils, and pocketbooks), tobacco, perfume, confectionaries, cigars, and cosmetics.
Records indicate the building operated as the Patterson’s Store and then the Hetherington’s Store before becoming Funderburgh’s Grocery.
Arthur Funderburgh came here in 1857 and was a brickmaker and tanner. Later, in 1889, he and his son started a grocery business.
The parcel was originally 28 feet wide. Shortly after the Funderburgh purchase, the building was widened, and an addition, known as the “Funderburgh Ware Room,” was used as a polling location for the 1926 Primary Election. Mary Horton opened a barbershop in the additional fifteen-foot room in 1927.
In 1958, the building became one of the most well-known places to eat in Westfield: Pickett’s Cafeteria. Families enjoyed good food and the chance to meet folks in town for a special occasion until the early 1990s. Pickett’s initially served only 25 patrons in an entire day, but by 1960, they had a seating capacity of 93. Over the years, they averaged 405 customers each weekday and up to 600 customers on Sundays. They were best known for their fried chicken and handmade pies.
# # #
About the City of Westfield: Westfield is the fastest-growing city in Indiana and the sixth-fastest-growing city in the country. Westfield is home to more than 50,000 residents in Hamilton County, situated north of Indianapolis. The city is known for its 400-acre Grand Park Sports Campus, connectivity to US-31 and State Road 32, and nationally recognized public schools.
# # #
Additional History provided by the Westfield Preservation Alliance, courtesy of U R Here-Historic Westfield
This building started in the NW corner of Lot 22 at the main corner of Main Street and Cross Street (Union St.), platted in 1834. Many in Westfield dealt in Real Estate, and the ownership of this parcel and another parcel added to it changed hands 30 times +/ -. This building was continuously and commercially operated for more than 185 years; it was sought after as the solid center of Westfield. It was the first building in Lot 22 and drew others to this lot. It is a cornerstone, although not in the sense of a “masonry type”. It was several years until there was another building in the southern area of Lot 22.
The North 28’ of the lot was separated circa 1837 while owned by Dr. Israel Haines. This parcel was sold many times over as a 28’ frontage on Union St. until Funderburgh bought an additional 15’ to the south. The parcel became a lot with a 43’ frontage on Union St (Cross St) and continued to change hands with this frontage as it stands today.
The now “green building” was built circa 1837 while in the hands of Dr. Israel Haines. The hand-hewn timbers of the structure are from trees grown in the area 300-400 years ago. Businesses have been continuously operating on the main SE corner of Westfield since this time.
About 60 years as a drugstore – The Old Corner Drug Store – post office for 4 years, gathering place recognized far and wide. When O. H. Brown took over in the mid-1850s (Kenyon/Brown were relatives), it was already “The Old Corner Drug Store” and advertised as such. O. H. Brown, Pharmacist, lived upstairs and died there in 1881. Town doctors and others made sure the drugstore went on and, in 1888, encouraged Paul D. Brown, a graduate of Union High School (now the UBCA), to operate the drugstore until he was accepted into pharmacy school at Purdue in 1889. Paul D. Brown was a renowned pharmacist & received Purdue’s Gold Certificate for his service to Purdue University and the field of pharmacy in Indiana. He moved back to Westfield after retirement and lived in what was his boyhood home (The Cabin 115 N. Union today) and then traded the home for a more rural home on South Union.
About 60 years as a grocery store – Funderburgh’s 1899-1958 (Bunk and his son Robert) – polling location in the 1920’s. Funderburgh’s started operating the grocery in this location in 1899 when Robert was 22. Ten years prior, he and his father Arthur (known by all as Bunk) started their grocery business in 1889 on North Union when Robert was 12 years old. Both Bunk and Robert were prominent residents in Westfield. Robert was on the board of the Carnegie Library and a member of many organizations within the town. When Robert Funderburgh bought this property in 1913, he remodeled the interior and changed the windows and canopy. In a few years, he bought 15’ to the south and built a “room” used first as his ware room and polling location, and later sometimes leased to other businesses like a meat shop, barbershop operated by Miss Horton, etc. Residents of Westfield were quoted in the papers about how excited they were about this expansion. This room addition is now about 100 years old. It was built with an attractive railing on the front roof line. Again, a natural gathering place for all reasons in Westfield on the widely recognized cross streets. Robert Funderburgh left the grocery to his daughter Martha Kirkman upon his death in 1944.
44 years as Pickett’s Cafeteria, 1958-2002, under different owners up to and including Cliff and Theresa Bradley. Bernard & Mary Pickett operated the restaurant themselves for 25 years. People gathered and visited as they waited in line to enjoy a meal with family and friends, as many as 500-600 on a Sunday. Pickett’s Cafeteria was the location of so many happenings in Westfield, from birthday parties and family gatherings to numerous organization meetings, Chamber meetings, etc. It was and could again be the gathering place on the main corner of Westfield. During its time, people traveled from all around Indiana for a return visit to one of their favorites. Upon news of its closing in 2002, the newspapers called it a Landmark.
Keltie’s temporarily leased this space as it remodeled and moved into 110 S. Union.
It was then occupied as Caso Blanco Mexican Restaurant, Ericka’s Place until 2020 and most recently a Dance Studio.
In November 2022, INDOT purchased the building in anticipation of relocation and rehabilitation as part of the historic mitigations for the SR32 Project in downtown Westfield.
This was known as “The Old Corner Drug Store” through 1899. As it was located on Range Line Pike, Cross Street,
Hwy 31, Union Street – all the same street – people traveling throughout the County, living in and around Westfield, and travelers from Indianapolis and north stopped and shopped here. If you attended the Indianapolis famous race that started back in 1908, you very likely stopped here on the way to or from. The newspaper highlighting the same day race results were sold at the stoplight outside of this store, one of those young men selling those papers is still a resident of Westfield, Bob Whitmoyer.
This historic wooden building stood as buildings on all sides burned, and new buildings replaced them. This building was operational when the Carnegie Library and bank on the northern corners were built. Even when the upper floor of 110 S. Union (Jan’s Pizza) succumbed to fire, this building stood and continues to stand the test of time. A move and renovation will keep our landmark and show the architecture of the day when it was built over 185 years ago. It was one of the very first commercial buildings in Westfield, the amazement is that it is still here. This building is a contributing structure to the State Historic Site Listing and the National Register of Historic Places.
