William P. Jungclaus

(Feb. 22, 1849-Oct. 30, 1924). William P. Jungclaus immigrated to the United States in 1870. He was born in a small village near Hamburg, Germany. His mother’s family were seafarers, and his father was a sea captain who spent 75 percent of the year on a ship. Following in his family’s footsteps, Jungclaus was working at sea by the age of 14.

During his time as a sailor, Jungclaus traveled all over the world and was even imprisoned multiple times. He decided to resign from sea life in 1870 while docked on the east coast of the United States and began doing carpentry. It was at this time that he met Marie S. Schumacher (born 1850 in Germany, died 1934) who he would later marry on September 27, 1872, in New York.

Jungclaus first came to Indianapolis in 1871 and worked as a carpenter. He and Marie settled in the city, eventually residing at 4061 North Meridian Street. They had five children: Henrietta (1874-1893), Frederick (1875-1962), Dorothea (1877-1951), Henry (1879-1935), and Marie (1883-1937).

Guided by his uncle, prominent architect Diedrich A. Bohlen, William turned to contracting. He joined with John A. Schumacher to start a new building construction company, Jungclaus & Schumacher. The company was incorporated in 1876, and their partnership lasted until 1895. After the partnership dissolved, William continued on with his two sons, renaming the company the William P. Jungclaus Company.

Jungclaus’s company was responsible for constructing many of the big churches, hotels, public buildings, and office buildings in Indianapolis such as the Guaranty Building and the Old National Centre (previously the Murat Temple). Outside of Jungclaus’s work, he was a member of several organizations including the Indianapolis Chamber Of Commerce, Elks Lodge, Pentalpha Lodge, F. and A. M., Scottish Rite, Shrine, and Academy of Music.

Jungclaus died on October 30, 1924, and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery. At the time of his death, he was still serving as president of his company, which had become one of the top building contractors in the Midwest.

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