;1800s The Art Association of Indianapolis, formerly the Indiana School of Art, was established in 1883. In 1895, John Herron bequeathed most of his fortune (almost $250,000) to the Association, which was headed by suffragette
May Wright Sewall. Herron, who had moved to Indianapolis about 15 years earlier, owned several rental properties on the near north side and a large farm in Franklin County, Indiana. His gift came as a complete surprise to Art Association of Indianapolis members. Herron stipulated that the money be used to build a museum and art school in his name. (Due to inflation, $250,000 in 1895 would be equivalent to about $7 million in 2014). . "John Herron Art Institute" is still visible on the building's façade in this image from 2010. ;1900s As a result of Herron's gift, the John Herron Art Institute was formed in 1902 to serve as an
art museum and an art school. The Institute's Herron Museum, an Italian
Renaissance Revival-style building, was designed by
Vonnegut and Bohn architects and located at 1701 North Pennsylvania Street in the present-day
Morton Place. The institute's main building was designed by
Paul Philippe Cret in 1929 and was the second facility in the nation designed specifically for art education. The first core faculty included Indiana
Impressionist painters of the
Hoosier Group:
T.C. Steele,
J. Ottis Adams,
William Forsyth,
Richard Gruelle, and
Otto Stark. The sculptor
Rudolph Schwarz was also in the first core faculty. ;1960s Fesler Hall, constructed in 1962, was a major addition to the John Herron Art Institute site along N. Pennsylvania St. It was Indianapolis architect
Evans Woollen III's first civic commission. The three-story academic building was a freestanding wing addition that connected via a covered walkway to the original, Cret-designed main building. Both of these structures are still standing. Woollen's addition was noted for its use of reinforced concrete and exposed columns, typical of
Brutalist architecture, and its deeply coffered ceilings. The project was funded through a bequest of
Caroline Marmon Fesler, a former board member and president of the Indianapolis Art Association. In 1967, the Herron School of Art became a school of
Indiana University. Two years later, it became part of IUPUI, located near downtown Indianapolis. In 1970, the
Indianapolis Museum of Art separated from the school, taking with it a majority of Herron's art collection. ;2000s The Herron School of Art and Design launched a capital campaign to raise funds for new buildings in 1999, and in 2000 a
ceramic arts facility was opened. In 2000, Herron School of Art and Design was among the earliest tenants to set up residency in the recently established
Harrison Center. In 2003,
The Herron Chronicle was published detailing the past 100 years of the school's history. In 2005,
Eskenazi Hall, the current home of the school, was completed. This facility tripled the amount of space available to Herron students and includes a library, a 240-seat auditorium, of gallery space, and several computer labs. Since 2006, Herron's original academic buildings have housed
Herron High School, a classical liberal arts charter high school. ==Degrees offered==