Everett I. Brown was Indianapolis’ largest architectural and engineering firm in the late 20th and early 21st century. Founded in 1914 in Bluffton, Indiana, by architect Everett I. Brown, the company moved to Indianapolis shortly thereafter. In the 1940s and 1950s, the firm created the basic design for many of Indiana National Guard armories. By 1960, E. I. Brown had designed over 200 schools throughout Indiana and in Indianapolis was architect for North Central High School, the Marion County Juvenile Center, Warren Central High School, and 16 other school buildings.

Two men are studying plans while standing in front of a building under construction.
Fred W. Sommer of the Indianapolis Airport Authority and Norman Crum of Everett I. Brown Company inspect final plans for the new administration building at Weir Cook Municipal Airport, ca. 1960s Credit: Indiana Historical Society View Source

In 1973, under the stewardship of Brown’s sons, Eugene L. and Kenneth W. Brown, the firm designed the $11 million Braniff Place and Tucson Hotel in Tucson, Arizona, and planned the $25 million expansion at Weir Cook Airport (Indianapolis International Airport). By 1982, the company was the largest architectural and engineering firm in the city and 25th in billings nationally, with nine partners, five of whom were Browns. Pioneering in computer graphics, that year E. I. Brown contracted with the U.S. Army to provide computer-produced plans for standardized facilities at its bases.

In the late 1980s, the firm moved to its last headquarters at 950 North Meridian Street. By 1993, E. I. Brown had $13.9 million in revenues, 156 employees, and, under the leadership of managing partner Joseph S. Brown, counted the USA Funds complex, Conseco headquarters, and Indiana Vocational Technical College’s new technology building among its most important projects.

The partnership was dissolved on January 5, 2019.

Revised February 2021
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