The History Center in downtown Fort Wayne has added a recent historic touch to the building exterior. New awnings decorate all sides of the building, restoring it to its appearance at the turn of the century.

When the newly restored Shields Room was renovated in 2010, History Center staff discovered a scrap of thick, blue and tan striped material in the ceiling above the room, possibly carried there to be material for a bird’s nest. After some research, History Center staff discovered that the fabric matched the awnings in an image of the Old City Hall Building, c. 1900.

In response to this discovery, the awnings of the present day History Center have now been replaced to replicate the originals, restoring the building’s appearance as closely as possible to the building as it would have been seen in the reference photo.

These new awnings have been funded in part by the City of Fort Wayne’s Façade Grant program.