The Indianapolis Propylaeum

The Carriage House: the first home of the Children's Museum:

The Tea Room:

Mrs. Curry's Famous Rolls:

Soup of the Day- Lobster Bisque:

Chicken and Mushroom Crepes:

Hoosier Chicken Pot Pie:

Meeting room space:

Guest Rooms:

The third floor ballroom:

On the third floor, just to the left of the ballroom, is the Carole Lombard room:

Maybe she powdered her nose here!

Finally, after years of living in Indianapolis, we made it to the Propylaeum. For some reason, we had it stuck in our heads that the only event open to the public was their Tuesday Teas but actually, they serve lunch Monday- Friday from 11-2P. Reservations were recommended per their website so we made those the day before. This place just has all of the things we love; food, tea, history, architecture, and even a dash of old time Hollywood.

First, we really enjoyed our food. The tea room was cozy and beautiful. Mr. WYA! thought that it might be a little too precious for him but the men won't feel too overwhelmed by frilliness here. There is certainly something for everyone on the menu. We had to try the soup of the day because it was one of our favorites, Lobster Bisque. The broth was a little thinner than some we've had which was fine since it can be a heavy soup and we were having it before an entree. The lobster pieces were huge.

For our entrees, we ordered the Hoosier Chicken Pot Pie and the Chicken and Mushroom Crepes. The entrees come with a fresh green salad (try the tasty homemade poppyseed dressing) and Mrs. Curry's Famous Rolls. We don't know who Mrs. Curry is but, my goodness, she can make a roll. These are actually sweet rolls that remind us of the cinnamon rolls that Mrs. WYA!'s Mom makes. We don't know how the Tea Room sells any desserts when they start you off with these decadent treats. The crepes were covered with a Champagne sauce. The whole entree was very delicate and lighter than it might sound like. It was beautifully presented with a flower on top. We're suckers for aesthetics so we liked that.

The Hoosier Chicken Pot Pie might sound like a heavy lunch choice that would make an afternoon nap mandatory, but it wasn't at all. The crust was light and airy, and the temptation to oversalt something like chicken broth didn't occur to the chef. The veggies were firm and fresh. The whole thing came together as an Indiana classic that didn't leave you overfull.

As if that lovely meal wasn't enough, patrons are free to roam through the 3 floors of the historic building. There are many meeting rooms that can be rented and overnight rooms that can be used if anyone rents the space for an event (what a great place for a wedding reception). We loved wandering around and really loved the Carole Lombard room. As old Hollywood historians know, Fort Wayne native Ms. Lombard died when she was flying back from an Indianapolis War Bond Rally and her plane crashed. Her last night was spent in Indianapolis at the Claypool Hotel which was where the downtown Embassy Suites now stands. Some furnishings from that room, such as the dresser, were sold and are now in a room at the Propylaeum. How cool is that? We don't know why this information isn't prominently posted on their website for old Hollywood fanatics like ourselves. We also think they could have a nice event where they set up a movie screen in one of the meeting room areas and showed one of her movies. That's just a moneymaking idea from us to them.

Our server and the rest of the staff couldn't have been lovelier and our experience couldn't have been better at the Propylaeum. Hopefully, other Indianapolis area residents have not procrastinated going there as badly as we have. We won't wait so long for our next visit.