The building at 104 East Main Street serves as an aboveground archaeological site chronicling the evolution of Plainfield. Built in two stages, it began as a private home during the Civil War and later expanded to include a shop. It spent most of the 20th century as a hotel—though it continued to house businesses—before transitioning back to commercial use. Through every transformation, it remained a fixture in the town’s core.
Origins: The Wood and Fawcett Family Legacy
John P. Wood, a Maryland native and Conservative Quaker, moved to Plainfield in 1858 with his wife Susannah, daughter Elizabeth, and son-in-law William Fawcett. That year, Wood purchased the lot at 104 East Main Street. Around 1864, he built the eastern half of the structure still standing today. In 1868, he sold the western half of the lot to Fawcett, who added the west section around 1870. According to the Indianapolis Journal, William Fawcett opened Plainfield’s first general store in the western portion, selling Quaker clothing and hats imported from England.
Following the deaths of the Wood family members—John (1884), Susannah (1885), and Elizabeth (1888)—the entire property passed to William Fawcett. In 1891, the Keeley Institute (see Chapter 40) leased the east half. By 1898, the institute moved to 201 West Main Street, and a jewelry and notions store took its place.
Rise of the Commercial Hotel
In 1901, William Fawcett sold the building to John W. and Sarah McClain. The McClains did not use the property for personal business, instead renting it out. That year, Isaac Holton, a well-known hotelier, opened the Commercial Hotel, merging both halves of the building into one enterprise. A Hendricks County souvenir publication hailed it as “the finest that [had] ever been opened in Plainfield.”
Early Tenants:
- Dr. Clarkson B. Thomas operated a medical office
- A photography gallery was run by Mr. Beck along the Vine Street side
Renovations & Name Changes: From Hendrix to Van Buren Hotel
By 1915, modernization was needed. Tenants were vacated, and the newly remodeled hotel reopened as the Hendrix Hotel under Nellie Vial, whose husband worked as head gardener at the Indiana Boys’ School.
In 1925, a fire nearly destroyed the hotel, then run by Minnie Richardson. Just a year later, Florence Franklin (formerly of the Busy Bee Café) took over with her husband, Marshal Charles Franklin, and rebranded the hotel as the Van Buren Hotel. They opened the Van Buren Café on the west side and brought in Retta Atwood as manager.
Retail Spaces, Rooming Houses & Confusing Addresses
During the 1920s and 1930s, the building juggled hotel functions with a variety of shops:
- Harry Doty’s Shoe Shop (1929)
- Van Buren Cleaners
- L.J. Hopkins Jewelry (moved from 104 West Main Street—often causing confusion)
- Pure Tone Radio Shop
- G.G. Cumberworth Real Estate
- R.G. Averitt & Ralph Swearingen Insurance
- J. Sherry Jones Jewelry (took over from Hopkins in 1932)
In 1929, trees that had stood in front of the building for over 50 years were removed, “no longer objects of beauty,” according to the Plainfield Messenger.
A Parade of Owners and Colorful Tenants
Hotel Ownership Timeline:
- George and Lulu Roth (1928–1932)
- Minnie Richardson (again, 1932–1933)
- James & Mrs. Collins (1933–1941)
- Harry French (1941–1946)
- Ora D. Ogle (1946)
- C.H. Battin (1946–1948, managed by William & Goldy Maners)
- Lawrence & Goldy Fields (1948–1956)
Notable residents included:
James Paxton Voorhees, a sculptor and author best known for his Thomas Jefferson bust at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
The Plainfield Post Office moved into the west side in 1935, remaining until 1958. The building’s signature cutaway corner entrance likely dates to this period.
Decline of the Hotel & Rise of Commercial Use
In the 1950s, the Van Buren Hotel struggled to compete with newer motels. By 1950, only 14 rooms remained. As Plainfield’s post-war growth boomed, more tenants filled the storefronts than the hotel rooms.
- Hotel manager Lawrence Fields died in 1956;
- Owner Sarah McClain passed away in 1954 at age 90.
- Arthur Gray took over, dying in 1964.
- Virgil Hurin bought the building, offering it at public auction in 1969.
- In 1971, Roy and Wanda Maners, owners of the House of Sound Dance Club, acquired it.
- David and Deborah Williams bought it in 2001.
- Patrick Keller and Crestpoint Real Estate acquired the building in 2022.
Haircare, Antiques, and Modern Tenants
Starting in the 1970s, focus shifted to shops and salons:
- Robert Hall Insurance (1950s)
- Indiana Bell (briefly in 1957)
- Van Buren Antiques and Realty (late 1960s)
- D & J Barber Shop and Golden Touch Beauty Shop (1970s)
- Headquarters Barber Shop (opened 1974, still iconic)
- Juanita’s Beauty Shop (1990s–2000s)
For a more detailed history of this building, be sure to check out Sarah Wright’s book, 50 Historic Buildings of Plainfield, Indiana, available for check-out or purchase.
