High School Honors students learn about historic Indiana theaters.

High school students in the two-week High School Honors program here at Ball State University's College of Architecture and Planning learned about the secondary resources available to them in the Architecture Library, as well as the primary resource documents in the Drawings + Documents Archive. These students are among the brightest in the state and show interest in pursuing careers in architecture, landscape architecture and planning.

The students explored original drawings and blueprints from three theaters in Indiana that we have in the collection: the 1891 Wysor Grand Opera House in Muncie, the 1920s art deco Speedway Picture Theater, and the 1952 Lafayette Road Drive-in Movie Theater in Indianapolis.

Image: High School Honors presentation, 2011. Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

South Bend's Blackstone-State Theater Will Be Sold in Online Auction

The historic Blackstone-State Theater in South Bend, Indiana will be auctioned off this month. The current owner, nonprofit religious group, Way of Life, purchased it three years ago and have since spent a reported $300,000 on renovations. The group has suffered in the present economic downturn and is looking to sell the property in an online auction.

The building, located at 212 S. Michigan Street, is a landmark in downtown South Bend. Built in 1921, this classical revival style theater was designed by Harry Newhouse. It is on the National Historic Register (#85001204)

The theater boasts some famous scars from bullet holes left during the 1934 shootout following John Dillinger's last bank heist from a bank down the street.

The current owners have created a video tour of the inside of the building. For the video and more information, go to http://www.publicenemies.us/?page_id=12