MULTIMEDIA

Egyptian architecture gallery

The White River is not the Nile, nor is Indianapolis comparable to ancient Thebes or Memphis.

But look closely at the Hoosier capital and you just might see a reigning pharaoh, a resting sphinx or a streaking Saluki, which was a fast hunting dog in ancient Egypt.

Not in the flesh, of course, but in the tall columns on either side of the stage in the Egyptian Room at the Murat Temple, or in the plaster castings inside the Architects and Builders Building on Pennsylvania Street.

Or in the stepped-back, ziggurat-style upper level of the Circle Tower on Monument Circle.

Simply put, there is more Egyptian-influenced architecture and design in the city than you might have realized. Most of it dates back to the 1920s, after the discovery of King Tutankhamen's intact tomb in Egypt.

"The British were excavating in Egypt at the time, and that had an influence, but then there was the Depression," said local architect James Kienle.

Characteristics of ancient Egyptian architecture, which should not be confused with much later Islamic architecture, include bas-relief (a sculpture in which the carved forms project only slightly from the background) and incised carvings in walls; receding walls or pilasters as they go up vertically; animal depictions, including birds, dogs and snakes, as well as half-human/half-animal sphinxes; and columns that sometimes resemble bundled stalks of papyrus.

The lotus flower is another popular design element. "It was considered to rise and fall with the sun, which was the center of the universe for so many cultures," said Gwendolen Raley, Heritage Tourism coordinator for Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, which is leading a tour of Egyptian architectural highlights in the city on Aug. 23.

Though Egyptian influence on American architecture did not last, it is considered a strong influence on Art Deco, a style that flourished in America through the 1930s.

In particular, the later fluted columns, bas-relief carvings, clean, streamlined lines and geometric figures associated with Art Deco all have roots in the land of the pharaohs.

Circle Tower

55 Monument Circle

Erected or completed: 1930.

Architects: Rubush & Hunter.

Why it's Egyptian: Intricate carvings in the frieze around the entrance and on the upper floors of the building are largely geometric and resemble ancient Egyptian images.

Also, the lobby is laden with bronze designs featuring many standard ancient Egyptian images, such as dogs and jackals.

Lastly, the upper floors are very much like a ziggurat, a series of set-backs characteristic of pyramids. Gwendolen Raley, Heritage Tourism coordinator for Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, says this style also served the practical purpose of letting more light fall on Monument Circle itself.

Murat Shrine Temple

510 N. New Jersey St.

Erected or completed: 1910.

Architects: Rubush and Hunter.

Why it's Egyptian: The outside of the building is not ancient Egyptian; it's simply a riff on Islamic architecture, including the faux minaret (tall spire), and it was built well before the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

But the Egyptian Room, a former meeting room and dance floor that now houses stage shows and other entertainment, is all about ancient Egypt.

The murals around the room are coated by a thick film of old cigarette smoke, according to Debbie Hennessey, director of events at The Murat Centre-Live Nation, which leases the space.

But beneath the smoke are colorful and faithful interpretations of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, including images of human conquest, mastery and subjugation.

Most impressive are two columns flanking the stage. Egyptian column shafts were often decorated with colorful depictions in painted, carved relief, and that is the case here.

The capitals are an open, flaring style with a suggestion of papyrus (a reed that grows in freshwater marshes along the Nile River), which was used to make the earliest Egyptian columns.

Walker Theatre Building

617 Indiana Ave.

Erected or completed: 1927.

Architects: W. Jungclaus and Rubush and Hunter.

Why it's Egyptian: The theater features a larger-than-human sphinx on either side of the main stage. A sphinx is a figure with the head of a human or other animal and the body of a lion. The most famous sphinx is a huge recumbent stone figure near the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Architects and Builders Building Also known as The American Building

333 N. Pennsylvania St.

Erected or completed: 1910, 1928.

Architects: Rubush and Hunter.

Why it's Egyptian: The Egyptian-themed reliefs will attract your attention first, but it's really the lobby that's most striking. Mostly plaster painted in gold tones; myriad figures show animal heads, birds and vaguely reedlike images in the walls and ceiling.

IMA exhibit

What: "To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures From the Brooklyn Museum."

When: Continues through Sept. 7.

Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road.

Description: "To Live Forever" explores the ancient Egyptian belief that death was an enemy that could be beaten through proper preparation, according to the museum. More than 100 objects, including statuary, coffins, jewelry and vessels, are on display.

Cost: $12; $10 for ages 65 and older and groups of 10 or more; $6 for ages 7-17 and college students; free for ages 6 and younger;.

Information: Call (317) 923-1331 or (317) 920-2660.

Fit for a Pharaoh

What: A motorcoach tour co-sponsored by Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana and the Indianapolis Museum of Art is another way to explore the Land of the Pharaohs locally.

When: From 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 23, tour guides will lead you to some examples of Egyptian-influenced architecture and design in Indianapolis. The bus boards at 8:45.a.m. at the IMA parking lot.

Cost: $60; members pay $50.

Registration: Call the IMA at (317) 923-1331, ext. 477.

- Stories by Abe Aamidor