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Do not fill this in! {{Infobox building | name = Cadle Tabernacle | image = Cadle Tabernacle, Indianapolis, Indiana (64704).jpg | image_size = | image_alt = <!-- or | alt = --> | image_caption = An artist's rendering of the Cadle Tabernacle | map_type = | map_alt = | map_caption = | map_size = | map_dot_label = | map_dot_mark = | relief = | status = demolished | topped_out = | building_type = | architectural_style = [[Mission Revival architecture|Spanish Mission]] | classification = | location = | address = | location_city = [[Indianapolis, Indiana]] | location_country = United States | coordinates = {{coord|39|46|12|N|86|09|04|W|display=inline,title}} | namesake = Loretta "Etta" Cadle | groundbreaking_date = | start_date = Summer 1921 | est_completion = | completion_date = | opened_date = | inauguration_date = October 9, 1921 | closing_date = | demolition_date = 1968 | cost = $305,000 | client = | owner = | landlord = | affiliation = | structural_system = | material = | size = | floor_count = | floor_area = | grounds_area = | architect = | architecture_firm = | developer = [[E. Howard Cadle]] | engineer = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | civil_engineer = | other_designers = | quantity_surveyor = | main_contractor = | awards = | designations = | known_for = | references = | footnotes = | seating_type = | seating_capacity = 10,000 plus 1,400 choir }} The '''Cadle Tabernacle''' was a church established in [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]], in 1921 by its founder, [[E. Howard Cadle]]. Named in honor of Cadle's mother, Loretta "Etta" Cadle, the building served as a center for evangelical programs and broadcasts on the [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]], radio station [[WLW]] in the 1930s, reaching listeners throughout the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] and parts of the [[Southern United States|South]]. The building's seating capacity of 10,000 made it the largest of its kind in the [[United States]] when it was built. Cadle Tabernacle was demolished in 1968 and the site was used for other purposes. == Early years == Following his conversion to [[Christianity]] and overcoming alcohol and gambling addiction,<ref name=":0">{{cite journal| author=Zeigler, Connie| title =Cadle Tabernacle: Indiana's Home of Fire and Brimestone | journal =Urban Times | page=1 | location =Indianapolis, Indiana | date =March 2008}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite journal| title =RetroIndy: Cadle Tabernacle | journal =Indianapolis Star | location =Indianapolis, Indiana | date=August 28, 2013}}</ref> [[E. Howard Cadle]], an Indiana businessman who owned a chain of shoe repair shops and worked as a car salesman, had a strong desire to evangelize. After studying the large crowds that traveling evangelists attracted, he decided to construct a building in Indianapolis for their use.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Zeigler, p. 2.</ref> Cadle took note of the upcoming revival tour by [[Rodney "Gipsy" Smith]] and his choir in Indianapolis, a widely publicized event in the spring of 1921.<ref>{{cite journal| author=Anderson, Theo| title =Back Home Again (and Again) in Indiana: E. Howard Cadle, Christian Populism, and the Resilience of American Fundamentalism | journal =Indiana Magazine of History | volume =102 | page=311 | date =December 1, 2006}}</ref> He met with Smith to discuss the choir's future meeting plans as the revival ended. These initially included monthly meetings and interval concerts.<ref name=":3">Anderson, p. 312.</ref> On May 20, 1921, a month after his meeting with Smith, Cadle expanded his initial goal of sponsoring meetings to establishing a permanent structure whose estimated cost was $75,000. The plans for the building included seating for 10,000 and 1,000 choir seats,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> though the final number of seats for the choir was 1,400.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">{{cite book | author=Melton, Gordon | title =Religious Leaders of America | publisher =Gale Group | year =1999 | page=98 }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{cite journal| author=Hunter, Al| title =Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Indianapolis, Part 1 | journal =The Weekly View | date =December 13, 2013}}</ref> The tabernacle's seating capacity made it the largest in the United States.<ref name=":1" /> Construction on the building began in the summer of 1921 with workers rushing to complete it in time for the dedication services later that fall. The final construction cost was $305,000<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6">Anderson, p. 315.</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis|last=Bodenhammer|first=David J.|last2=Barrows|first2=Robert G.|last3=Vanderstel|first3=Gordon|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=1994|location=Bloomington|page=379}}</ref> ($4.3 million adjusted for inflation), significantly higher than the initial estimate. Gypsy Smith and his choir returned for the dedication services on October 9, 1921. The tabernacle was filled to capacity and an estimated 10,000 more turned away. During the dedication program, Cadle also addressed the gathering, explaining how his mother prayed for his conversion, praising the choir, and unveiling life-size portraits of himself and his mother, hung on either side of the choir loft.<ref name=":6" /> Cadle named the new building in honor of his mother, Loretta "Etta" Cadle.<ref name=":1" /> == Controversies == The initial plan for the Cadle Tabernacle was to allow Gypsy Smith's revival choir to organize on a permanent basis. This led to controversy, which was well publicized in newspapers at the time. The [[Methodism|Methodists]], a large and influential section of Indianapolis's [[Protestantism|Protestant]] base, feared it would interfere with their ministry plans. Other ministries, such as the [[Unitarianism|Unitarians]], felt that the tabernacle hurt Christian unity by splitting religious groups in Indianapolis. Cadle denied these accusations and others that claimed he created the Cadle Tabernacle for self-serving motives.<ref>Anderson, pp. 313 and 314.</ref> Additional issues arose when Indianapolis Mayor [[Charles W. Jewett (Indiana politician)|Charles Jewett]] misunderstood the building's purpose as dedicated to the city of Indianapolis, allowing it to be used for municipal functions. The misunderstanding occurred after Cadle promised to use the building for public uses but not to donate it to Indianapolis.<ref name=":6" /> In November 1921, Cadle and the tabernacle's board disputed control of the tabernacle's evangelistic program. The board gained final authority, but Cadle disagreed with the decision. The dispute led [[Bob Jones Sr.|Bob Jones]], who planned to meet at the tabernacle, to cancel his plans.<ref name=":8">Anderson, p. 316.</ref> A month later, in December 1921, Cadle announced his plans to turn the tabernacle into a multi-use convention center,<ref name=":8" /> at a time when the largest public auditorium in Indianapolis seated 3,500. [[Samuel L. Shank]], the newly elected mayor of Indianapolis, proposed buying the tabernacle building, but Cadle refused. Mayor Shank pointed out that legal action might be taken against the tabernacle and its tax exemption as a religious institution cancelled if it held secular events. He never pursued this, however.<ref>Anderson, p. 317.</ref> Another issue occurred in April 1923 when a group of [[Ku Klux Klan]] members gave $600 and a letter of appreciation to visiting evangelist E.J. Bulgin and the Cadle Tabernacle Evangelistic Association.<ref>Anderson, pp.317-18.</ref> This led ''Tolerance'', a Chicago-based anti-Klan newspaper, to claim that the Klan funded E. Howard Cadle.<ref name=":9">Anderson, p. 318.</ref> After a dispute with the board, who encouraged him to leave the tabernacle,<ref name=":9" /> Cadle sold his financial interest to the building in June 1923 to an organization that promised to continue its religious program before moving to [[Florida]].<ref>Anderson, p. 319.</ref> The details of the disagreement between Cadle and the tabernacle's board are unclear. They were accused of targeting Cadle for taking money from the offering, an unsubstantiated claim.<ref name=":9" /> It is possible that Cadle may have had financial problems too.<ref name=":1" /> After Cadle left Indiana, the tabernacle sponsored various events, including boxing matches (one of which Cadle protested in October 1928) and [[dance marathon]]s.<ref name=":10">{{cite journal |author=Slutz, Theodore |date=Winter 2005|title=How He Came Back E. Howard Cadle and the Cadle Tabernacle|journal=Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History |publisher=Indiana Historical Society|location=Indianapolis |volume=17|issue=1|page=20}}</ref> On May 12, 1924, the Klan met at the tabernacle under Grand Dragon [[D. C. Stephenson]] to declare the [[Indiana Klan|Hoosier Klan]] was independent from the Klan's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, due to disagreements over the organization's operations.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hoosier Faiths|last=Rudolph|first=L.C.|publisher=Lilly Endowment, Inc.|year=1995|location=United States|pages=571}}</ref> Outside of these events, during much of the 1920s the tabernacle fell into disuse. Ownership eventually reverted to the bank until Cadle returned to Indianapolis in 1931. With a fundraising event and media support,<ref name=":11">Anderson, p. 320.</ref> he raised enough money to reopen the tabernacle in October 1931, ten years after its initial opening.<ref name=":12">Anderson p. 321.</ref> == Radio revival == After the Cadle Tabernacle reopened in 1931, Cadle began doing radio broadcasts from the tabernacle,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> although they were initially aired only locally. In 1932, Cadle secured a deal with [[WLW]], a radio station based in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]]. The station's new high-wattage signals, capable of transmitting at 500,000-watts by 1934, could reach [[Canada]] and parts of [[Central America]] under ideal conditions.<ref name=":12" /> However, most of the station's listeners lived in the [[Midwest]] and upper [[Southern United States|South]], where the station enjoyed its best reception.<ref name=":13">Slutz, p. 17.</ref> The station's high-power broadcasts led to an increased listener base compared to its previous 50,000-watt broadcasts and WLW reported receiving five times its typical amount of mail six months after the wattage increase.<ref name=":12" /> WLW was also the first station in the United States approved to broadcast at the higher wattage.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Used Same Key as Wilson |journal=Pittsburgh Press |date=May 17, 1934 |page=6 }}</ref> WLW broadcast Cadle's program, "The Nation's Family Prayer Period", every morning for a decade.<ref name=":12" /> The program featured singing by his wife, Ola Cadle, or a guest performer. His son, Buford Cadle, introduced and closed the broadcasts, which ran from 6:00 to 6:15 a.m, Monday to Saturday, and from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Topics often included how Cadle went from being an alcoholic to the founder of the world's largest interdenominational institution.<ref name=":14">Anderson, p. 322.</ref> In 1934, the Cadle Tabernacle received an average of 24,000 letters a month, requiring twenty staff members to process. By 1939, the volume of letters had decreased to an estimated 4,000 a week and the program's estimated listening range was thirty million.<ref name=":14" /> Listeners used his broadcast as part of their devotional period, with some considering Cadle a close friend.<ref>Anderson, p. 324.</ref> Cadle also broadened the reach of his broadcast so more rural areas could listen, giving out free radios. An estimated 330 to 600 rural mountain churches (about 60,000 people) tuned into his show in southern Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio.<ref name=":13" /><ref>Anderson, p. 327.</ref> In the late 1930s, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] required WLW to reduce its broadcast wattage from 500,000 to 50,000 watts. After this change, Cadle began broadcasting his program on the [[Mutual Broadcasting System]], a nationwide radio network, beginning in the early 1940s.<ref>Slutz, p. 25.</ref> == Decline and new uses== After Cadle's death in 1942, his wife, Ola Cadle, took over as president and director of the tabernacle, while the couple's children, Buford Cadle, Helen Cadle, and Virginia Ann Cadle, ran the evangelism business. [[B. R. Lakin]], a Baptist preacher and evangelist, took over Cadle's position as senior pastor and continued to broadcast his program.<ref name=":4" /> In 1952 the Cadle family began to air a short-lived television program hosted in the tabernacle.<ref name=":2" /> After Ola Cadle's death in 1955, the tabernacle was rented to a range of groups, including the annual [[Indiana State Teachers Association]] conferences and [[Shortridge High School]] graduations.<ref name=":2" /> [[Martin Luther King Jr.|Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.]] also spoke at the tabernacle on December 12, 1958.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /> By the late 1960s, the tabernacle was in need of repairs. A historian visiting the property in 1967 noted the dirty walls and creaky floors. A buyer also became interested in purchasing the land.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":13" /> On November 1, 1968, the decision was made to demolish the tabernacle, accomplished before the end of the year. The vacant property was used as a parking lot for the [[Regions Tower (Indianapolis)|Indiana National Bank Tower]], which was under construction at the time.<ref name=":1" /> Later, the parking lot was replaced with a housing development.<ref name=":2" /> == Description == The Cadle Tabernacle was built in 1921 in downtown Indianapolis at the northwest corner of New Jersey and Ohio Streets, a block east of the [[Old Indianapolis City Hall]]. Its final cost was $305,000<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> ($4.3 million adjusted for inflation). The tabernacle had 19 entrances, 226 windows, and a floor of crushed limestone.<ref name=":10" /> Its seating for 10,000 and a 1,400-person choir made it the largest of its kind in the United States.<ref name=GS42-43>{{cite book | author=Gugin, Linda C., and James E. St. Clair, eds. | title =Indiana's 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State | publisher =Indiana Historical Society Press| year =2015 | location =Indianapolis | pages =42β43 | isbn =978-0-87195-387-2}}</ref> The [[Mission Revival architecture|Spanish-Mission]] style building, which covered a quarter of a city block, had whitewashed walls and a red tiled roof.<ref name=GS42-43/> Its Ohio Street facade was influenced by the [[Battle of the Alamo|Alamo]].<ref name=":0" /> Constructed mainly from stucco,<ref name=":0" /> the interior was painted ivory and its steel roof supports were painted green. The tabernacle's stage could be reconfigured for pageants and other events.<ref name=":6" /> The tabernacle building was demolished in the late 1960s; the vacant lot was used as a parking lot.<ref name=GS42-43/> == Legacy == The Cadle Tabernacle functioned as a meeting hall and a multi-disciplinary religious institution, especially from its heights between 1921 and 1955. It also played a major role in the evangelical community of the Midwest and upper South when E. Howard Cadle was an active evangelist. Cadle and other notable evangelists, including [[Billy Sunday]] and [[Oral Roberts]], preached at the site.<ref name=":1" /> Dr. Martin Luther King Jr gave an address there in 1958.<ref name=":5" /> The building's decline in the 1960s and its demolition in 1968 left the site largely forgotten. == References == {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://cdm16797.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/dc012/id/13428 Cadle Tabernacle], Bass Photo Company Collection, Indiana Historical Society {{authority control}} [[Category:Churches in Indianapolis]] [[Category:Churches completed in 1921]] [[Category:Former churches in Indiana]] [[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1968]] [[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Indiana]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. 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