WHO'S READY FOR THE NEXT MAIN STREET LOFT TOUR?!

The Loft Tour will be back in 2023, so let's take some time to reminisce about the buildings from the 2021 tour.

The Loft Tour, hosted by Madison Main Street, is a biannual event that is held every other odd year in downtown Madison from 10 AM to 4 PM. This event is not only a fundraiser for Madison Main Street, but it is your chance to see downtown from a new perspective. Loft Tour sites are a range from polished and fully furnished or renovated spaces to completely raw, untouched floor plans, full of potential. The goal of the Loft Tour is to engage the community with the upper stories or spaces tucked away in downtown Madison.

The 2021 tour consisted of 7 loft spaces in downtown buildings that were highlighted along with the building's history. For 2023, the Loft Tour will be held on October 7, so MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Planning for that event is underway! But in the meantime, here's a refresher on the buildings that were featured in October of 2021.

845 W. Main - Formerly Plant One on Me; Soon to be a New Business
409 W. Main - Suggett-Schmidt Building; JTwist Living
322 West St. - Shipley's Tavern
310 Broadway - The Stablemaster's Quarters
111 E. Second - Courier Warehouse-Eisenhardt Stable; Soon to be The Chandler
301 W. Main - Mad Paddle Brewstillery
217-219 E. Main - Masonic Lodge with Wow! What a Find and Muddy Fork Antiques

845 W. Main: Did you know that this building was originally a local grocery store and meat market? When this building was constructed, there were more than 25 grocery stores in downtown Madison. Up until 1947, this building functioned as some type of grocer. Since then, several different stores have resided within 845 W. Main, and it will soon be welcoming a new business in its space this year!

409 W. Main: This set of buildings is known to be some of the oldest on Main Street and are believed to have been built around 1840. This building has been home to many churches throughout its life, with the first recorded one being the Trinity ME Church. Beginning in 1927, 409 W. Main sat vacant for many years and was traded off between various businesses. In 2020, all three buildings were sold to Suggett-Schmidt Rental Properties Management, and J. Twist Living has been here since 2020.

322 West St.: This building has had the same function since 1867! Since then, 322 West Street has always been some form of a local tavern. The building has the second oldest liquor license in Indiana. Ownership has changed hands multiple times throughout the years, but the legacy of 322 West has always been maintained. Molly and John Jones purchased Shipley's Tavern in 2020, so they now run this Madison establishment.

310 Broadway: When it was built in 1860, the building was utilized as a livery stable, which stored horses and carriages. As transportation evolved, it later became a garage and transfer station, which was an early form of a moving company. The building had several different uses afterward including milk bottling, a tire business, plastics manufacturing, and more. Today, Ronald and Suzanne Hollinger own 310 Broadway and have turned it into two apartments and plan for a third loft space.

111 E. Second: Just like the previous building, 111 E. Second Street also functioned as a livery stable up until 1935. The Try Me Bottling Works then moved in to the building in 1939. Later, the Madison Courier purchased the building in the early 1970s to store newsprint. It is the second oldest newspaper in the state of Indiana.

301 W. Main: Throughout the life of this building, it has held many different businesses. It is known today as Mad Paddle Brewing Co. owned by Jerry Wade. Before Mad Paddle, 301 W. Main was a flour mill, a seller of wholesale produce, and a feed store and hatchery, and that was all before 1981! The building then held an art gallery, a drawing club, and community events before being purchased in 2018 by Mr. Wade.

217-219 E. Main: This building was constructed between 1871 and 1872. Its French Second Empire style allows it to stand out here in Madison. The building was originally used by the Masonic Lodge, and they held their meetings upstairs. The first floor was rented out to various businesses over time. The building was restored in the early 2000s by John and Donn Campbell. WOW! What a Find Upscale Consignment and Muddy Fork Antiques have both been in the building since 2015.

Credits and Sources

Personal assistance was provided by Camile Fife at the Jefferson County Public Library and Ron Roaks at the Jefferson County History Center.

1. Harry Lemon Photo collection, Jefferson County History Center and the Jefferson County Public Library

2. Madison City Directories 1850-2018, Jefferson County History Center and the Jefferson County Public Library

3. Madison City Recorder of Deeds, Molly Ivans, City Tax Records

4. Madison local Newspapers Digital Access

5. Roundabout Articles Newspaper Digital Access

6. Jefferson County History Center notes on individual buildings

7. Jefferson County Library notes on individual buildings.

3 photos Courtesy of Bob Haggerty

We can’t wait to see you downtown!

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