The 2013 St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild’s Decorators’ Show House and Gardens at 3050 North Meridian Street will once again allow the public to tour a classic Indianapolis home with proceeds benefiting Wishard/Eskenazi Health Services. Interior designers and landscapers have been hard at work since February restoring and renovating the historic Schnull-Rauch house located just north of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Daily tours are open to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The event runs from April 27th to May 12th (closed Mondays). Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.showhouseindy.org for $20 or $18 for guests 65 and older. Pre-Sale tickets can be purchased at select Marsh supermarkets for $18 through April 26th. Special group rates are also offered. In addition to the daily tours, there are many special events to enjoy. Free parking is available in the Children’s Museum parking garage and designated surface lots.
The historic Schnull-Rauch house was competed in April 1904 by Gustav and Matilda Mayer Schnull. Renowned architect and Gustav’s brother-in-law, Bernard Vonnegut (Kurt’s grandfather), designed the home. The home was designed in the Romanesque style with medieval features, such as the large round tower and crenellated porch. Throughout the home you will see his personal trademarks, including the heraldic shield carved in the woodwork and on stone arches. The home still features the original stained glass windows, hardware, elaborate mantles, hand-carved woodwork, and intricate inlaid floors and lighting.
In 1937, Gertrude Schnull-Rauch and her husband John G. Rauch Sr. purchased the home from her father’s estate. The Rauch’s made a few changes to the home including the addition of a master bath and four marble mantles from New Orleans. They installed black and white marble flooring in the billiards room which was reclaimed from the 1936 demolition of the Grand Hotel. In 1979, the home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1979, John G. Rauch, Jr. donated the home to the Junior League of Indianapolis for use as their headquarters and offices for non-profit organizations. In 2008, the Junior League sold the house and the property to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
For more than 100 years the Saint Margaret’s Hospital Guild has provided funds for the programs and services of Wishard/Eskenazi Health Services. From its beginning in 1907 the Guild has raised nearly $11 million to support the work of Wishard/Eskenazi Health. This generous philanthropic support has benefited patients directly through programs and services such as: pediatrics, the Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center, radiology, St. Margaret’s Diagnostic Breast Center, newborn and special care nurseries, the Midtown Community Mental Health Center, Wishard Ambulance Services and mobile mammography services. The Guild has also been a key supporter and strong voice for the construction of the new Sidney & Lois Eskenazi hospital and Eskenazi Health campus scheduled to be complete in December 2013. Through the Decorators’ Show House and Gardens and many other initiatives, the dedicated and compassionate members of the St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild work tirelessly and enthusiastically for the benefit of patients and the mission of Wishard/Eskenazi Health. We are thrilled to collaborate with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis on the 2013 Show House.
