By David Heighway, Hamilton County Historian
Donald Graham in Indy Star from March 27, 1932
Donald Graham is mostly forgotten now, but in his day, he was one of the state’s more notable architects. He designed libraries, theaters, and other buildings around Indiana. Locally, he should be remembered for having created several iconic Noblesville buildings.
His father was a well-known Hamilton County doctor, and his brother also became a doctor. However, his family was known for their musical ability. His father sang with local quartets, and his sisters bother performed as singers. They were also briefly music teachers at Noblesville High School. Donald himself played violin. These artistic roots may have influenced his work on theaters later.
After graduating from Noblesville High School in 1903, he attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a degree in architecture in 1907. His first job was working for the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad designing buildings. He married in 1910, and his best man was artist and classmate Worth Brehm. In 1911, he received the Francis J. Plym Traveling Fellowship and went to Europe to study architecture, taking his wife and daughter. There was a family story that they were supposed to return in April 1912 and would have been on the Titanic if there hadn’t been a clerical error by the American Embassy. They did return in June 1912.
Masonic Temple in Noblesville published in The American Architect from January 17, 1917
After his return home, Graham established an architecture firm, and one of his first commissions was remodeling the house at 1384 Conner Street in Noblesville which was owned by the Crawford family. 1914 was a very busy year as he was commissioned to design the Richwine Building and the Masonic Temple in Noblesville. He was a member of the Freemasons and would do at least two other Masonic buildings. That year, he also designed the Stutz Building in Indianapolis which later became a notable arts center. The blueprints for that project are at the Indiana Historical Society. Around this time, he partnered with Norman H. Hill, and the company designed libraries and apartments, as well as the first of several theatre buildings. The partnership broke up in 1916.
In 1917, Graham designed the Federal Hill School building in Noblesville. 1917 also was the start of US involvement in World War I. In 1914, the Indianapolis News had used Graham’s photographs of the cathedral at Rheims in an article about its destruction in the war. Graham joined the US Army Engineer Corps and designed hospitals in France.
Highland Golf Course clubhouse published in Indy Star from June 26, 1921
After the war ended, Graham returned to Indianapolis and partnered with other architects to form the architectural firm of Bass, Knowlton & Graham. They designed private homes for wealthy people. They also designed the Cole Motor Car Company, the Indianapolis Athletic Club Building, and the Highland Golf Course clubhouse.
Graham went out on his own again in 1922. His first significant job was the 17-story Medical Arts Building which still stands today at 445 North Pennsylvania Street. He started doing more theaters in 1926. He did the Tivoli Theatre in Richmond (1926), the Rivoli Theatre in Muncie (1927), the Granada Theatre in Fountain Square (1928), the State Theatre in Anderson (1929), the Paramount Theatre in Marion (1929), and the Paramount Theatre in Hammond (1929). He designed another important Hamilton County building in 1926 which was the shelter house at Forest Park. It has been remodeled, but the carved stone on the fireplace with the date can still be seen.
After being in a severe auto accident in 1930, Graham seems to not have done as much architectural design work. The available information mostly discusses his work in organizing the Society of Indiana Architects. He was given a major job designing the buildings for the Crane Naval Ammunition Depot in southern Indiana during World War II. He drew up plans for the Prentice Presbyterian Church just before his death in 1951. He is buried in Crownland Cemetery in the Graham family plot.
See photographs, drawings, and blueprints of the buildings mentioned above: