HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
An 1897 Bloomington Victorian mansion where restaurant workers once reported children in period clothing and inexplicable glass-shattering — now a quiet law office.
220 N Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47404
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Private law office — exterior viewing only; no public interior access
Access
Limited Access
Sidewalk access on Walnut Street for exterior viewing
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1897 · Victorian residential architecture · Monroe County haunted-history tradition · Bloomington landmark structure
The Portico House on North Walnut Street in Bloomington was constructed in 1897, earning a local reputation as the finest residence in the city at the time of its completion. The Victorian structure takes its informal name from its distinctive covered porch — its most architecturally prominent feature.
For much of the twentieth century the property served as a private residence without notable incident. At some point the building transitioned to commercial use as a restaurant, a period that local accounts identify as the window during which paranormal reports emerged from staff. Monroe County's haunted-history tradition, documented by the Visit Bloomington convention bureau, notes that restaurant workers reported glasses breaking without cause and children dressed in 1800s-period clothing visible on the interior staircase — phenomena that residents during the strictly residential periods did not document.
The building subsequently passed to professional occupants and currently houses a law firm. It is not open to the public, though its well-preserved Victorian exterior remains visible from the sidewalk on Walnut Street.
Sources
The paranormal tradition at the Portico House is notably tied to its commercial phase as a restaurant rather than to any particular historical event. Staff during the restaurant years reported two recurring phenomena: glasses and stemware breaking without apparent cause or physical contact, and the appearance of children dressed in clothing consistent with the 1880s–1890s on the building's interior staircase.
Accounts documented by the Visit Bloomington visitor bureau note that no such activity was reported by the residential occupants before or after the restaurant period, which places the phenomena in an unusual category — seemingly correlated with high-activity commercial occupancy rather than a fixed supernatural presence.
The Indiana Daily Student's 2024 survey of Bloomington haunted sites includes the Portico House among notable Monroe County locations. The building now operates as the Greene & Schultz law office with no public interior access, and no active paranormal investigations are on record.
The Portico House is now a private law firm with no public interior access. Visitors can view the 1897 Victorian exterior and its distinctive portico from the sidewalk as part of a self-guided Bloomington haunted-history walk.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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