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A house built more than a century ago and purchased by Eli Lilly about 70 years ago will be renovated and expanded into an event venue at Conner Prairie.
Upon renovation, a house once owned by Eli Lilly will be a new venue called The Bluffs at Conner Prairie. (Artistic rendering provided)
The outdoor museum on Allisonville Road near 131st Street will complete the $3 million construction at the Chinese House by Jan. 31. The riverside event venue to be called The Bluffs at Conner Prairie will hold 250 people, according to a news release.
The investment is part of a partnership with the Ritz Charles, a Carmel event venue. Ritz Charles will provide food and beverage services for events at The Bluffs.
The original house was built around 1907 by the Atkins family of Indianapolis on land originally owned by William Conner. Indianapolis businessman Eugene Haslet Darrach purchased the house and property in 1915. Lilly, then president of Eli Lilly and Co. pharmaceuticals, purchased the home in the late 1940s to use as a family retreat. Lilly decorated the house in its current Chinese style.