Bernard Vonnegut, Sr.

Bernard Vonnegut I, WAA, FAIA, (August 8, 1855 – August 7, 1908) was an American lecturer and architect active in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century Indiana. He was a co-founder of the locally renowned Indianapolis architectural firm of Vonnegut and Bohn, and was active in a range of residential, religious, institutional, civic, and commercial commissions. He is the namesake and grandfather of scientist Bernard Vonnegut, father of the architect Kurt Vonnegut Sr., and grandfather of author Kurt Vonnegut.

Early life and education Bernard Vonnegut I was born on August 8, 1855, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Freethinker German-American parents Katarina Vonnegut (née Blank; 1828 – 1904), a homemaker, and Clemens Vonnegut (1824 – 1906), a powerful nineteenth-century German-American businessman in Indianapolis and founder of the Vonnegut Hardware Company.

Growing up in Indianapolis, he was described as the opposite of his father: artistic, extremely modest, retiring, unsociable, slightly introverted. "He had no intimates, and took but little part in social activities. He was never a happy...but was inclined to be reticent, shy, and somewhat contemptuous of his environment...and evidently unhappy in Indianapolis most of the time." He briefly worked for his father's firm but disliked it. Throughout his childhood, his artistic talent was noticed. Family lore relates that he had wanted to work as a theatrical designer after becoming stagestruck, "but learned that almost no one could make a living at that--so he became an architect instead." The couple had three children: Kurt (1884–1957), Alex (b. 1888), and Irma (b. 1890). Although not active in the Indianapolis community, he was a cultured man of the arts, reading the poetry of Heine and heavily favoring German culture. The family frequently lived abroad, and sent their young sons to the American School in Strasbourg.

He founded his own firm in 1883 in Indianapolis before establishing the architectural firm of Vonnegut & Bohn in 1888 with Arthur Bohn (b. 1861). The firm went on to create many landmarks in Indianapolis and greater Indiana, and a number have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

List of works attributed to him

Student Building (right, listed on the National Register of Historical Places), Indiana University Bloomington The First Chamber of Commerce of Indianapolis The Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus), 401 E. Michigan Street, German Renaissance Revival style building built in two phases—the east wing 1893–94, and the west wing, 1897–1898. Listed in 1973 on the National Register of Historic Places.(Design by Bernard Vonnegut I and Arthur Bohn) Photo of Athenæum William H. Block Company (Indianapolis) building (after 1910) (Design by Bernard Vonnegut I and Arthur Bohn) Photo in 1912, Photo in 1919, Photo in 1919, Photo in 1924, The John Herron Art Institute (Indianapolis, Indiana) (Design by Bernard Vonnegut I) Photo of Herron Art Institute The L. S. Ayres Store Building (Indianapolis, Indiana) (Design by Bernard Vonnegut I) The Fletcher Trust Building (Indianapolis, Indiana) The Students Building, Indiana University Bloomington (Design by Bernard Vonnegut I) Delaware Street Temple (Indianapolis, Indiana) (Design by Bernard Vonnegut I) Shortridge High School (Indianapolis, Indiana) (Design by Bernard Vonnegut I) The Federal Building (Vincennes, Indiana) (Design by Bernard Vonnegut I)