H. Kay Nicewanner collection

DESIGNATION:

11-

SIZE:

COLLECTION DATES:

1915-1971

PROVENANCE:

RESTRICTIONS:

None

FINDING AIDS:

Inventory (PDF), catalog cards, and ARCAT

Biographical Sketch

H(oward) Kay Nicewanner, 1885-1973, learned the construction business from his father, Charles Edward Nicewanner, who was also a building contractor. The family moved to Muncie from Springfield, Ohio about 1890 or 1892.  H. Kay joined his father's business as an apprentice about 1905, at the age of 20.  Subsequently, from about 1917 to 1921, the business was known as C. E. Nicewanner & Son, Contractors and Builders.

H. Kay began his own business as H. Kay Nicewanner, Building Contractor, in 1921.  This was a sole proprietorship, though Nicewanner was a member of and did work for Muncie Home Builders, an association of local building contractors.  Nicewanner conducted business from his home, first at 330 E. Centennial Ave. until ca. 1926, then at 601 Wheeling Ave. to ca. 1952, and finally at 3807 E. Jackson St. He retired from active practice in 1952, but he continued to do occasional work into the 1960s.

Scope and Content

Architectural records from the office of H. Kay Nicewanner, Muncie contractor and developer, ca. 1915-1971.  Approx. 401 items in 40 catalog entries, arranged chronologically.

The collection includes drawings and related documents for 38 building projects in East Central Indiana, mostly in Muncie, ca. 1915-1951; also a business ledger, 1921-1963, and a few miscellaneous business records, 1920-1971.  Nicewanner was contractor for many or all of the buildings represented and several of were designed by him.  Others whose work is represented include C. H. Houck, Macy G. Thompson, Cuno Kibele, Muncie Home Builders, Houck & Smenner, William Horatio Day (New York), Herbert F. Smenner, Isidor M. Cohen (Gary), Houck & Hamilton, Graham & Knowlton, Smenner & Carlson, Ernst Landscape, Hamilton & Graham, and C. W. Garrard.

Cataloging of this collection was completed in 1990 with the aid of a grant from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, administered by the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, Indiana Department of Natural Resources.