A BIG $100,000 Vision in 1914: How 229 West Berry Helped Expand Downtown Fort Wayne

Today, we are visiting 229 West Berry Street, home to a striking piece of early 20th-century Fort Wayne history.

In 1911, a local manufacturer Forest G. Gauntt purchased the southeast corner lot at Berry and Webster for $26,000 with plans to construct a modern 'flat building factory' for Gauntt Manufacturing Company. But plans changed and the concept for the kind of building to erect here was being reconsidered.

The site previously held one of Fort Wayne's oldest homes, dating back to the 1830s. It was a 12-room frame house and was last owned by E.L. Chittenden, a former city clerk.

Advertisements were placed in 1913 to have the house moved or removed but was razed in 1913 to make way for Gauntt’s vision. Gauntt and Indiana Engineering & Construction began building the ambitious 5-story office building for $100,000—a major investment in 1914!

Construction started in April 1914, and by January 1915, at only 3 stories tall, it was already being praised as one of the most modern and completely equipped office buildings in northern Indiana. It featured marble and glass finishes, water to each office, and a grand vestibule leading to an elevator.

Gauntt's building also featured 3 storefronts on Berry Street, and every office on the upper levels, including the interior suites, benefited from abundant natural light via a courtyard.

229 West Berry was also the farthest new office building from Calhoun Street’s central commercial district. It pushed the boundaries of the downtown business district further west along Berry, which up to that point was mostly residential.

The building gained notoriety for only allowing "professional men' and 'medical practitioners' as tenants. While various medical professionals leased space well into the 70s, the initial concept didn't last long as shoe stores, dressmakers, publishers, and training schools quickly moved in by 1916.

It became a highly sought-after location in those first few years. Wildwood Company, a publishing and construction tenant, is quoted as having moved there because of the “high grade of tenants, excellent services furnished by Mr. Gauntt, and the location.”

In 1918, Charles Niezer purchased the building for $135,000. That same year, Anthony Wayne Institute moved in, praising the new building's terrazzo floors, mahogany woodwork, well-ventilated rooms, and proximity to the business district and one of the city's best residential neighborhoods.

The Medical Protective Company purchased the building in 1919 and completed construction of the 4th and 5th floors in 1920, calling it the Medical Arts Building.

After that, it had many names as various insurance companies and colleges owned and occupied the building into the late-1900s. Some may recall it as the Medical Protective Co. Building, Midwestern United Life Insurance Building, or Commercial College Building.

As Downtown Fort Wayne saw a decrease in popularity in the 70s, vacancy increased and was fully vacant well into the 80s. That is until 1986 when the building was rebranded as the Financial Independence Center.

Since then, 229 West Berry has been occupied by more typical office users, replacing the once popular medical professionals. And more than a century later, 229 West Berry stands as a reminder of our city's early vision to expand modern business.

Today, there is one suite available for lease, and Sturges Property Group proudly manages this building as well. Contact Andrew Eckert or John Caffray to learn more about leasing office space. 260 424 8448

Article is written by Kendall Heiser and Amy Schuldt of Sturges Property Group.

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