Jungclaus-Campbell Company

The Jungclaus-Campbell Company is the oldest general contractor in Indianapolis and one of the oldest in the nation. It has built many of the city’s historic buildings, including the Circle Tower, Columbia Club, and Indiana Theatre.

William P. Jungclaus, the son of a sea captain, became a seaman at the age of 14 years old. After seven years, he settled in the United States. With the help of his uncle, prominent architect Diedrich A. Bohlen, William soon began his own company. The company, which was founded in the back of a wagon, was incorporated in 1875  by Jungclaus and John A. Schumacher. The partnership, which lasted 20 years, dissolved in 1895.

Jungclaus died in 1924, and his son Henry took control of the company. When Henry died in 1935, Fred W. Jungclaus acquired full interest in the company. In 1980, the firm became the Jungclaus-Campbell Company Inc., in recognition of a shift in ownership to the fourth generation of the family.

Jungclaus still tackles a wide variety of projects throughout the state. The list of the company’s clients includes such corporate giants as Praxair, Allison Transmission, General Motors Corporation, and Toyota.

Jungclaus has been involved in the renovation of Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie and expanding the radiation oncology unit of Indiana University Hospital. The company also has done work for Indiana University, Wabash College, and Purdue University. Jungclaus also engages in historic preservation and renovation, including the Madam Walker Legacy Center, which celebrates the legacy of African American entrepreneur Madam C. J. Walker; Athenaeum, the historic German cultural and social center; and the Soldiers and Sailors’ Monument. The company’s office has been located at 825 Massachusetts Avenue since 1895.