Blog post by Randi Richardson
For twelve years Charles Gilbert Shaw had his photo studio at 100 ½ W. Sixth Street and lived with his wife, Coralie, a few blocks away at 211 E. Sixth. In the spring of 1937, Walter Allen purchased Shaw’s home and moved the Allen Funeral Home, established in 1917, from 212 S. Walnut into Shaw’s vacated residence. A full-page ad in the 1938-39 Bloomington City Directory shows the funeral home, as shown above, in its new location.
For more than 25 years, the Allen Funeral Home remained on the northeast corner of Sixth and Washington across the street from the public library that now houses the Monroe County History Center. Sometime between 1964 and 1966, the business moved into a brand new building on East Third Street not far from the then new and very popular College Mall. The vacated property at 211 E. Sixth was converted for use as the courthouse annex.
Later yet, the original structure was expanded, modified, gated and painted white. It became known as the Allen Court apartment complex. If you look carefully at the photo below, you can see the bones of the old building under the rather elegant-looking façade at the entrance of the complex. The appearance of the existing structure is very different from that of any other apartment complex in Bloomington.
We are lucky to have had this historic property so well preserved!
