{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}} {{short description|American architect (1931–1976)}} {{lead too long|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Avriel Shull | image = <!-- just the name, without the File: or Image: prefix or enclosing brackets --> | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Avriel Joy Christie | birth_date = February 9, 1931<ref name=Ancestry>{{cite web | title =Social Security Death Index | publisher = Ancestry.com Library Edition (library subscription needed) | location = Provo, UT | year = 2011 | url = http://www.ancestry.com | access-date =January 9, 2013}}</ref> | birth_place = Hamilton County, Indiana, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1976|03|06|1931|02|09}} | death_place = Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana, U.S. | death_cause = | resting_place = Crown Hill Cemetery, NICH 47-D<ref>{{cite web| title = Forgotten graves of notable Indianapolis people | publisher = IndyStar | location = Indianapolis, IN | year = 2015 | url = https://www.indystar.com/story/life/2015/05/20/forgotten-graves-notable-indianapolis-people/26928607/ | access-date = February 3, 2019}}</ref> | education = | occupation = Architectural designer/builder and interior decorator | years_active = 1950s–1976 | spouse = Richard K. Shull | children = 2 }} '''Avriel Shull''' (born '''Avriel Joy Christie'''; February 9, 1931 – March 6, 1976)<ref name=discrepancy>There is a discrepancy in her birth year. Newspaper obituaries list the year as 1933; however, other official documents identify her birth year as 1931. See {{cite journal | last =Zeigler | first =Connie | title ='Living Furiously': The Design Life of Avriel Shull | journal =Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History | volume =24 | issue =4 | pages =47, 54 and 55 | publisher =Indiana Historical Society | location =Indianapolis | date =Fall 2012 }}</ref> was an American architectural designer/builder and interior decorator whose career spanned from the 1950s until her death in 1976. She is best known for her mid-century modern architectural designs, which contradicted the traditional tastes of mid-century Indiana. Most of Shull's projects were single-family homes around Hamilton and Marion counties in central Indiana, most notably the homes in Christie's Thornhurst Addition in Carmel, Indiana. Shull also designed a number of custom homes in Indianapolis' suburbs, in other Indiana towns, and in other states. In the 1970s Shull began selling house plans in do-it-yourself home building periodicals, which were sold in the United States and Canada. Shull also designed apartment buildings and commercial/industrial properties. Her first major project outside of Indiana was a public library in Elkins, West Virginia. She also designed restaurants, including one in California and one in Carmel, Indiana.
Born Avriel Joy Christie in Hamilton County, Indiana, she graduated from Carmel High School and attended Butler University and the John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana. She left school before completing her degree in 1948 to launch her own commercial art business. In 1951 she married Richard K. Shull, an Indianapolis journalist who became a syndicated columnist and television critic. The couple had two daughters.
Shull is known for designing various homes in the Thornhurst Addition in Carmel, Indiana.<ref name="SHAARD">{{cite web |title=Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD) |url=https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/welcome.html |access-date=April 1, 2016 |publisher=Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology |format=Searchable database}} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web |author=Connie J. Ziegler |date=December 2008 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Thornhurst Addition |url=https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/26e62/N/Thornhurst_Addition_Hamilton_CO_Nom.pdf |access-date=April 1, 2016}} and Accompanying photographs.</ref>
Shull died in 1976 of complications from diabetes. Christie's Thornhurst Addition was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 for its mid-century modern architecture and as the work of a master builder.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> Ladywood Estates was subsequently added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. <ref> "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.</ref> The Avriel Shull architectural collection is housed at the Indiana Historical Society. Shull was a member of the National Association of Home Builders and the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis.
== Youth and education == Born on February 9, 1931, Avriel Joy Christie was the daughter of Donald E. and Genevieve Christie of Carmel, Hamilton County, Indiana.<ref name=Ancestry /><ref name=discrepancy /><ref name=Traces4955>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 49, 54 and 55.</ref><ref name=NewsRites>{{cite news | title =Memorial Rites Held For Avriel Shull | newspaper =Indianapolis News | location=Indianapolis, IN | page=8| date =March 8, 1976 }}</ref> At a young age, she became especially interested in clothing and interior design.<ref name=Zeigler49>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 49.</ref> After graduating from Carmel High School, she attended Butler University and the John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana.<ref name=Shoemaker>{{cite web | last = Shoemaker | first = Joe | title = Avriel Shull – A Woman Ahead of Her Time | publisher = MacDuff Realty Group | location = Indianapolis, IN | date = May 11, 2010 | url = http://www.macduffrealty.com/i-sell-modern/2010/5/11/avriel-shull-a-woman-ahead-of-her-time.html | access-date = March 19, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111211002214/http://www.macduffrealty.com/i-sell-modern/2010/5/11/avriel-shull-a-woman-ahead-of-her-time.html | archive-date = December 11, 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref> She left school without earning a college degree and started her own commercial art business, ''Avriel Art Associates'', in Indianapolis in 1948.<ref name=IHSguide>{{cite web | title = Avriel Shull Architectural Records, 1949–1999, Collection Guide | publisher = Indiana Historical Society | location = Indianapolis | date = August 16, 2005 | url = http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/collection-guides/avriel-shull-architectural-records-1949-1999.pdf | access-date = January 10, 2013 | archive-date = September 17, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120917091409/http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/collection-guides/avriel-shull-architectural-records-1949-1999.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name=Zeigler49 /><ref name=Shoemaker /><ref name=StarShull>{{cite news | title =Mrs. Richard K. Shull, Famed Architect, Dies | newspaper =Indianapolis Star | location =Indianapolis, IN | page=Section 1, p. 10|date =March 7, 1976 }}</ref> Within a few years, she had switched to architectural design.<ref name=StarShull />
== Career == Following her marriage to Indianapolis newspaperman Richard K. Shull in 1951, she shifted her focus to building design and construction projects.<ref name=Zeigler49 /> Even though she lacked formal architectural training, Shull launched ''Avriel'', her architectural design and construction firm in Carmel, Indiana, and specialized in modern-style home designs.<ref name=IHSguide /> Shull was a self taught architect. By 1954 she had designed and supervised the construction of her first home, a project that launched her career as an architectural designer and builder.<ref name=Shoemaker /><ref name="SHAARD" /> The "Golden Unicorn", a modern-style home in Carmel, was named after the unicorn installed on an exterior wall.<ref name=Zeigler49 />
Shull's first large-scale construction project was a suburban development on her parents' property, just west of what is now downtown Carmel, Indiana.<ref name="IHSSearch">{{cite web |title=A Family's Search for Avriel Shull |url=http://www.indianahistory.org/feature-details/a-familys-search-for-avriel-shull |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121128145317/http://www.indianahistory.org/feature-details/a-familys-search-for-avriel-shull |archive-date=November 28, 2012 |access-date=January 10, 2013 |publisher=Indiana Historical Society |location=Indianapolis}}</ref><ref>The large parcel of land is located on the northeast corner of College Avenue (now Guilford Avenue) and State Road 234 (now Main Street). See Indiana Historical Society, [http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/collection-guides/avriel-shull-architectural-records-1949-1999.pdf "Avriel Shull Architectural Records, 1949–1999, Collection Guide"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917091409/http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/collection-guides/avriel-shull-architectural-records-1949-1999.pdf |date=September 17, 2012 }} and Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 49.</ref><ref name="SHAARD" />In 1955 Shull's parents signed a certificate of survey for the first section of a new subdivision named Christie's Thornhurst Addition, unusual for its large concentration of Shull's strikingly-designed homes.<ref name=IHSguide /><ref name=Shoemaker /><ref name="SHAARD" /><ref name=Zeigler50>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 50.</ref><ref>Only seven homes not designed by Shull are part of the Thornhurst addition. See {{cite web |url=https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/files/hp-thornhurstaddition.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Thornhurst Addition |date=December 8, 2008 |author=Zeigler, Connie J. |publisher=National Park Service |location=Washington, D.C. |page=10 |access-date=January 11, 2013 |archive-date=August 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824002820/http://in.gov/dnr/historic/files/hp-thornhurstaddition.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Most post-World War II homes, especially in more conservative areas such as central Indiana, were revival-style or simple ranch homes.<ref name=Zeigler50 /> To attract homebuyers to Thornhurst, especially the growing number of U.S. military veterans and their families who were eligible for low-interest loans under the G.I. Bill, Shull designed modern homes to fit Federal Housing Administration guidelines. The FHA approved Shull's plans for the first three home designs for Thornhurst, which made them eligible for FHA financing.<ref name=Zeigler52>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 52.</ref>
In addition to the design work, Shull supervised construction, laying stone on many of the homes' exteriors herself; coordinated interior design; and assisted in furniture selection. Between 1956 and 1971 Shull designed and built twenty-one houses in Thornhurst.<ref name="SHAARD" /><ref name=IHSguide /><ref name=Zeigler49 /><ref name=ZeiglerAve>{{cite web | last =Zeigler | first =Connie | title ='Ave and Arky' were one well-known couple | publisher =Urban Times Online | date =September 4, 2011 | url =http://www.urbantimesonline.com/2011/08/%E2%80%98arky-and-ave%E2%80%99-were-one-well-known-couple/ | access-date =January 10, 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20121103200952/http://www.urbantimesonline.com/2011/08/%e2%80%98arky-and-ave%e2%80%99-were-one-well-known-couple/ | archive-date =November 3, 2012 | url-status =dead }}</ref><ref name="Shoemaker" /> In 1957 the original plat was revised with a second addition.<ref name=Zeigler49 /> Shull contrasted with other Indianapolis architects such as Evans Woolen with her additions at Thornhurst.<ref>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 50 and 52.</ref> The project helped establish ''Avriel'' as a brand that represented modern architectural style. Soon, Shull began to expand her client list and portfolio with other projects.<ref name=Zeigler53>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 53.</ref>
While Shull's focus on modern-style homes set her apart from other designer/builders, she was certainly not alone. Notable architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Joseph Eichler lead the way, influencing the work of others.<ref name=Zeigler50 /> Shull's designs shared some similarities with Eichler's California Contemporary homes: post-and-beam construction, which allowed for expansive, floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors; vertical siding; and decorative escutcheon plates on exterior doors.<ref name=Zeigler50 /> Shull's concept for a modern home design combined streamlined interiors with casual living spaces outdoors.<ref name=Zeigler50 /> Her interior sketches showed modern, informal living areas with easy-to-maintain furnishings.<ref name=Zeigler51>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 51.</ref>
Shull designed a few commercial and industrial properties, but most of her projects were single-family homes.<ref name=IHSguide /> In the 1960s and early 1970s, Shull-designed custom homes could be found in subdivisions around Hamilton and Marion counties, especially in upscale Indianapolis and Carmel suburban developments such as Springmill Estates, Williams Creek Heights, Somerset Hills, Devon Woods, Meridian Hills, Village Farms, Eden Estates and Williston Green.<ref name=IHSguide /> As Shull's reputation increased, so did the number of custom-built homes in other Indiana towns, such as Evansville, South Bend, and Brownsburg, and in other states.<ref name=IHSguide /><ref name=Shoemaker /> In the 1970s Shull began selling home design plans through Hudson Home Publications and other do-it-yourself home building periodicals, which were sold in the U.S. and Canada.<ref name=IHSguide />
Shull's apartment designs include Somerset Lakes at 73rd Street and Keystone Avenue and the Ladywood Estates apartment community at the intersection of Emerson Way and Ladywood Drive in Indianapolis.<ref name=IHSguide /> Indianapolis attorney Frederick J. Capp hired her to design the Ladywood Estates complex in 1965.<ref name=Shoemaker /><ref name=Zeigler53 /><ref>The apartment community has been converted into condominiums.</ref> Shull's mid-century modern design for this project included post-and-beam construction, expansive panels of windows, stone masonry, and varied roof shapes.<ref name=Zeigler54>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 54.</ref>
Shull's other notable designs for commercial and industrial buildings the REA Terminal at English Avenue in Indianapolis and the Keystone Square Shopping Center in Carmel.<ref name=IHSguide /> She also designed the Woodland Springs Christian Church and the Woodland Springs Clubhouse in Carmel.<ref name=Zeigler54 /> Her first major project outside of Indiana was a design for the Elkins Public Library, in Elkins, West Virginia.<ref name=IHSguide /> She also did designs for restaurants, including the Totem Pole Restaurant in Carmel and one in San Bernardino, California.<ref name=IHSguide /><ref name=Zeigler54 />
== Marriage and family == On April 7, 1951, she married Richard K. Shull, an Indianapolis ''Times'' columnist.<ref name=Shoemaker /><ref name=ZeiglerAve /><ref>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', table of contents</ref><ref>Their lavish wedding was covered in a multi-page spread in ''Life'' magazine in 1951, with a follow-up story on the couple a year later. See Zeigler, [http://www.urbantimesonline.com/2011/08/%E2%80%98arky-and-ave%E2%80%99-were-one-well-known-couple/ 'Ave and Arky'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321204948/http://www.urbantimesonline.com/2011/08/%E2%80%98arky-and-ave%E2%80%99-were-one-well-known-couple/ |date=March 21, 2012 }}, Urban Times Online, retrieved January 10, 2013.</ref> Richard Shull, who became Indianapolis's first TV critic, worked for the Indianapolis ''Times'' and later, the Indianapolis ''News''. His syndicated column, "Shull's Mailbag", ran in 260 newspapers. He was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in 2005 and died in 2007.<ref name=ZeiglerAve /> The couple, known to friends as "Ave and Arky", had two daughters, Bambi (1960) and September (1966).<ref name=IHSguide /><ref name=ZeiglerAve /> Shull ran her design and construction business out of the home she designed for her family on a 40-acre tract of land north of Carmel.<ref name=IHSguide /><ref name=StarShull /> She died on March 6, 1976, of complications from diabetes.<ref name=IHSguide /><ref name=Shoemaker /> Shull was a Christian Scientist; a member of the Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist.<ref name=IHSguide />
== Contributions == Shull left behind a number of modern-style homes. The Thornhurst Addition, which includes twenty-one of her designs, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and is noted for its mid-century modern architecture and the work of a master builder.<ref name=Zeigler55>Zeigler, "'Living Furiously'", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 55.</ref> Ladywood Estates was subsequently added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. <ref> "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.</ref> Shull was a member of the National Association of Home Builders and the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis.<ref name=IHSguide /> For more than twenty years, Shull designed and built modern single-family homes, apartment complexes, churches, shopping centers, libraries, and other commercial and industrial buildings that challenged traditional styles.<ref name=Shoemaker />
== Death == Shull died in 1976 of complications from diabetes.<ref name="nris" />
== References == {{reflist}}
== Further reading == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20180328164714/https://www.curbed.com/2017/8/7/16097588/avriel-shull-midcentury-modern-architect-indiana Avriel Shull: A self-made architect focused on livable midcentury design]
=== Sources === * {{cite web | title = A Family's Search for Avriel Shull | publisher = Indiana Historical Society | location = Indianapolis | url = http://www.indianahistory.org/feature-details/a-familys-search-for-avriel-shull | access-date = January 10, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121128145317/http://www.indianahistory.org/feature-details/a-familys-search-for-avriel-shull | archive-date = November 28, 2012 | url-status = dead }} * {{cite web | title = Avriel Shull Architectural Records, 1949–1999, Collection Guide | publisher = Indiana Historical Society | location = Indianapolis | date = August 16, 2005 | url = http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/collection-guides/avriel-shull-architectural-records-1949-1999.pdf | access-date = January 10, 2013 | archive-date = September 17, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120917091409/http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/collection-guides/avriel-shull-architectural-records-1949-1999.pdf | url-status = dead }} * {{cite news | title = Avriel Shull | newspaper =Indianapolis News | location =Indianapolis, IN | page = 10 | date =March 10, 1976 }} * {{cite news | title =Memorial Rites Held For Avriel Shull | newspaper =Indianapolis News | location=Indianapolis, IN | page = 8| date =March 8, 1976 }} * {{cite news | title =Mrs. Richard K. Shull, Famed Architect, Dies | newspaper =Indianapolis Star | location =Indianapolis, IN | page = Section 1, p. 10|date =March 7, 1976 }} * {{cite web | last = Shoemaker | first = Joe | title = Avriel Shull – A Woman Ahead of Her Time | publisher = MacDuff Realty Group | location = Indianapolis, IN | date = May 11, 2010 | url = http://www.macduffrealty.com/i-sell-modern/2010/5/11/avriel-shull-a-woman-ahead-of-her-time.html | access-date = March 19, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111211002214/http://www.macduffrealty.com/i-sell-modern/2010/5/11/avriel-shull-a-woman-ahead-of-her-time.html | archive-date = December 11, 2011 | url-status = dead }} * {{cite journal | last =Zeigler | first =Connie | title = 'Living Furiously': The Design Life of Avriel Shull | journal =Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History | volume =24 | issue =4 | pages =46–55 | publisher =Indiana Historical Society | location =Indianapolis | date =Fall 2012 }} * {{cite web |url=https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/files/hp-thornhurstaddition.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Thornhurst Addition |date=December 8, 2008 |author=Zeigler, Connie J. |publisher=National Park Service |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=January 11, 2013 |archive-date=August 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824002820/http://in.gov/dnr/historic/files/hp-thornhurstaddition.pdf |url-status=dead }} * {{cite journal | last =Zeigler | first =Connie | title = Thornhurst Addition: When Indiana Went Atomic | journal = Atomic Ranch | location = Portland, OR | date =Summer 2009 }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shull, Avriel}} Category:1931 births Category:1976 deaths Category:Butler University alumni Category:Herron School of Art and Design alumni Category:Modernist architects from the United States Category:People from Carmel, Indiana Category:20th-century American architects Category:American women architects Category:20th-century American women