Home of Indy 500's second winner Joe Dawson up for sale for nearly $1 million
When Anthony Steele made a spur-of-the-moment investment deal, sitting in his car in front of a house he'd spotted for sale in November 2023, he had no idea he had just secured a major piece of Indianapolis racing history.
The seller was asking $190,000 for the Indiana home. Steele had $150,000 to give. The two settled on a sale price of $165,000.
"At that point, we had no knowledge that the house had belonged to Joe Dawson," Steele, a managing partner of Steele Investments, told IndyStar. "I don't think (the seller) had any knowledge either, because I don't think he would have sold it for that price."
These days, few may recognize the name Joe Dawson. He was known as the "Indiana Whirlwind" and an outright motor racing star in his day, winning the second-running of the Indianapolis 500 in 1912 at the age of 22. He remained the youngest winner of the race until a 22-year-old Troy Ruttman tied him in 1952.
His family house at 2828 N. Illinois St. was the first place Dawson headed after his 1912 victory. "Exhausted and blistered from shaking hands with excited fans, (Dawson) raced back to his family home to his nervous mom, exclaiming, 'Mother I've won!'" the IndyStar reported.
It was a time when "the only form of communication was the radio, telegrams and limited use of the telephone. As a result, Mrs. Dawson was unaware of the turn of events until dutiful son Joe made a beeline home to announce the news," IndyStar wrote.
Now, after a 15-month overhaul by Steele Investments and contractor Charles Skelton, the 115-year-old, 4,800-square-foot home is up for sale for $960,000. The renovation was a labor of love for Steele who wanted to preserve what he could.
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"So we went in there, gutted the house down to the studs and tried to put a new product together," he said, "while saving some of the memories and history of the house to its original form."
But the first few months Steele and his crew worked on the property, they still had no idea it had once been Dawson's family home, not until IndyStar photographer Michelle Pemberton and IMS president Doug Boles "just popped up one day while we were working," he said. That was February 2024.
Boles talked to Steele about Dawson's racing history and Boles purchased a large pocket door original to the winner's home to be used in his own family home.
"So from that point, my partner and I, we talked about it and so we went a little bit farther than what we originally intended on doing," Steele said.
Historical photos of the house include an image labeled "Joe's Den," which shows the original man cave belonging to Dawson, which featured built-in shelves for his hundreds of books, college flags, awards and trophies.
That led to Steele's favorite part of the home's re-creation, adding a bookshelf to Dawson's den and bringing it back to its original glory.
As for the new owners of the home, Steele said, there will be a surprise. "We don't really want to disclose it until we have a buyer," he said, "but I'm pretty sure they'll enjoy it."
Interested buyers of 2828 N. Illinois St. should contact Erin Anderson with Anderson Realty, (317) 353-4999 or erinandersonrealty@gmail.com.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Historic home of Indy 500 winner Joe Dawson for sale for nearly $1M
