 Bernard Vonnegut, grandfather of author Kurt Vonnegut, and Arthur Bohn designed Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus) in 1893 as a home for German societies in Indianapolis to gather.Both were American-born sons of German immigrants, a culture that had a strong influence in the area around this time.Following these many years of good fortune and commercial growth, this area and all of Downtown fell into economic decline following World War II once Indianapolis lost its importance as a railroad hub.