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722 The best-known house on Lombard, 600, gets its acclaim from the famous oilman who lived there, Ray Ryan, allegedly murdered by the mob in October 1977. After working out at the 21st Century Health Club on Bellemeade Avenue, Ryan was killed when his Lincoln Mark V blew up when he started the ignition. The home, as it appeared when the Ryans purchased it in 1946, is pictured in the 2012 book, “Mob Murder of America’s Greatest Gambler,” by Herb Marynell and Steve Bagby. The French Provincial home was built in 1938 for E.F. Schnacke who was the president of the North Star Furniture Co. It has been expanded through the years but retains the original character. Next door, 654 Lombard is a busy home. Known as The May House, it was gifted to University of Evansville in 1980 by real estate developer Guthrie May, who lived in the house for more than 30 years. The home was built in 1940 for Robert Gray. Today it is the official residence of the University of Evansville president, and is often the site of university functions, including the freshman class ice cream social held each August.
758
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While Mitchell lived in the farmhouse on Lincoln Avenue, the first homes he built on Lombard were between Bellemeade and Washington avenues. Marchand’s notes indicate this bungalow, 722, was likely the first house in Bellemeade, built in August 1915 for Julius and Tillie Myer. He was a manager at the Home Federal Savings & Loan Association, established in 1914. Erected beside the earliest house on Lombard is one of the newest renovations, 758. In 2012, this home was a movie set — several scenes in former Newburgh, Ind., residents and brothers Michael and Eric Rosenbaum’s movie, “Back in the Day” were filmed in this attractive Tudor. (See stories about the movie in Evansville Living September/October 2012 and January/February 2014.) The beautifully manicured home at 808 Lombard was built in 1930 and is one of the larger homes on the street. It also is set further back from the street.
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