The first owners of the property were Addison Smith, a Monroe County prosecuting attorney and land agent, along with his wife Nancy. This was well before any construction on the house began.

The property was sold to James Whitcomb, a Kentucky lawyer who moved to Bloomington in 1826. He served as a Monroe County prosecuting attorney from 1826-1829. Whitcomb was a member of the Indiana Senate in 1830, received an appointment from President Andrew Jackson to serve as commissioner of the general land office in Washington D.C. in 1836, won the Indiana Gubernatorial Election in 1841, and became a member of the U.S. Senate beginning in 1849.

Whitcomb divided the land in half, keeping the southern half for himself and selling the northern half to William and Laura Batterman.

William and Laura Batterman sold the northern part of the land to Lewis Bollman, who was one of Indiana University’s first graduates.

Whitcomb sold the southern half to a couple who only occupied the property for two months before selling it to William and Elizabeth Millen, Sr.

William and Elizabeth Millen, Sr. made substantial improvements to the property. This included the construction of the rear wing and the I-House, which stands today as the southern face of the L-Shape mansion.

Former New Yorker, Aaron Chase, purchased the building and added what is now the main building, creating the L-Shape design that exists today. Chase passed away in 1864.

The Chase family moved out of the residence. The house stood vacant for the next nine years, as the value of the property dropped by thousands of dollars.

The Chase family sold the home to John McCalla. The following year, McCalla renovated the home combining Greek Revival and Italianate styles, raising the property value by nearly four times.

This design style appeared in many Bloomington homes that were built after the Civil War and is now a unique style in the area.

The McCalla family resided in the home for the next twenty-three years.

John McCalla deeded the home to his daughter, Mary and her husband Charles Harris. They kept the property for the next five years.

Professor Charles and Mary Harris sold the home to Redick McKee Wylie and his wife Madeline Thompson.

Wylie was the second youngest son of Doctor Andrew Wylie, who was Indiana University’s first president.

Madeline was widowed in 1904, but continued to reside at the residence with her daughter until 1924.

Arthur Day, proprietor of Day Funeral Home, purchased the home.

In 1928, Arthur married his fiancé, Mary, and they began living in an apartment on the second floor of the home.

The next year, they opened the first floor of the home as a funeral chapel. The funeral chapel was open until 1934, when the Great Depression years began creating a strain for the couple and their two funeral businesses.

By 1936, the couple had moved their residence to their other funeral home.

Arthur Day passed away, causing Mary to sell the funeral businesses and properties.

James N. Topolgus Sr. purchased the building from Mary to use as his physician’s office + surgical center.

Dr. Topolgus and his family immigrated to the United States for independence during the Turkish War. His family settled in Gary, Indiana. Later, Dr. Topolgus moved to Bloomington to attend Indiana University and was one of the first to graduate from the School of Medicine’s newly established Obstetrics and Gynecological Department.

In Bloomington, he met and married Catherine Poolistan, a member of another Greek family in the area. Shortly after the birth of his son, James Jr., Topolgus was drafted into the Second World War as a surgeon. Once he returned, he gave the building its current name, the Topolgus Building.

Topolgus performed general surgery and saw OB/GYN and general practice patients on the first floor while the second floor was used as a home for one of Catherine’s brothers.

James N. Topolgus Jr. joined his father’s medical practice. Once James N. Topolgus Sr. retired, his son continued to use the building as his medical office up until the early 1990s, when he moved to a new surgery center.

James N. Topolgus Jr. moved his business to a new medical center.

Over the next several years, the building had a variety of business tenants including White Orchid Flowers and Elegant Options Antiques.

The building became Topo’s 403, an upscale Greek and Mediterranean restaurant through 2018.

The building was rebranded as a private events venue, Topo’s 403, through 2020.

The building was purchased the with intentions to reopen the facility as a meeting and event venue.

The Ivy officially reopened as a meeting and event venue. We are so excited to host your event!