Bernard Vonnegut photograph, 1884

Bernard Vonnegut (1855-1908) was a German-American architect who joined with Arthur Bohn in 1888 to form the architectural firm of Vonnegut & Bohn. Some of the famous buildings they designed in Indianapolis are the Herron Art Institute, Shortridge High School, and the Athenaeum (formerly called The German House or "Das Deutsche Haus"). Bernard Vonnegut also taught drafting and descriptive geometry to students at the Industrial Training School, a public trade school that was started by the Freethinkers. Bernard Vonnegut's father was Clemens Vonnegut, Sr., the founder of the Vonnegut Hardware Company and one of the most powerful German businessmen in Indianapolis in the 1800s.

Access Aids:

Athenaeum Turners Records, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.