By ABBY MACI RECKARD
On Sept. 7, 1872, the members of First Trinity Danish Evangelical Church opened the doors of their newly erected sanctuary at 701 E. McCarty Street. The congregation had been meeting in homes and steadily growing, as more and more Danes immigrated to Indianapolis from the small Danish islands of Falster and Møen.
For over 150 years, this little brick church in Fletcher Place was home to two congregations – the original Danish Lutheran Church (widely accepted as the first Danish church in America), which was here until 1955, followed by an Apostolic congregation which remained here until 2022.
On June 3, the church started the newest chapter in its 154-year history, when its newly renovated doors opened as Lille Bønne Community Living Room. Lille Bønne is equal parts European-style cafe and active community space, featuring coffee, tea, beer, and wine; light meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and a steady lineup of art and yoga classes, family-style meals, community events, and more.
Two of Lille Bønne’s owners, this writer and Will Lonneman, are also its neighbors. And here’s where I’ll break the third wall, dear readers.
I’ve passed this building nearly every day for the last 13 years that I’ve lived in Fletcher Place and Fountain Square – admiring its quiet, understated beauty and curious about the people inside it. When the church went on the market in 2023, I kept hoping it would become something good for the neighborhood, good for my young family and me, and ideally, something cute.
And I’ve always been of the temperament that if you think something should exist, you should go ahead and make it yourself. So in July 2023, I managed to convince my husband, Mark; my neighbor/friend/realtor, Will Lonnemann; and two long-time friends and colleagues – Kristin Baxter-Howell and Phil Golobish – to help me buy this little church on the corner and start a cafe and community space.
And buy the church we did. We kicked off the process the only way we could – with massive support from our neighbors. The Fletcher Place Neighborhood Association wrote a glowing letter of support for our zoning petition. Neighbors helped us clean out the church of old choir robes and Easter baskets and hymnals. We kept the pews.
Our neighbors, friends, and our dear sweet families helped us crowdfund to the tune of $18,000 for the startup funds we needed for renovations before we obtained financing.
We were able to spend the last three years deepening our connection to our neighbors, learning about what people want and need in a community third space, and refining every detail about Lille Bønne’s interior.
Inspired by the church’s stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings, and the cafes and colors of Denmark – the homeland of the laborers who built the church in the 1860s – we designed the space to be bright and airy, full of warm wood tones and pops of cheerful color.
Photo one: Lille Bønne (“little bean” in Danish) is the result of the lengthy renovation. Much of the new space is re-purposed, including the community table, which is two former pews inverted and placed back-to-back.
Photo two: The “before” of the former church interior.
Photo Three: The “before’ of the historic church exterior.
Indianapolis furniture designer and builder, Bohall Design and Fabrication, masterfully crafted the cafe bar, community table, and stained-glass sliding doors from the old growth Indiana Poplar that was used to build the church pews in 1872. Local contractor, Stenz, took great care to protect and restore all of the building’s historic elements and make her look as good as the day she was born.
The three original exterior doors can still be found inside. Light fixtures from multiple eras of the church’s history have been reinstalled. Even the communion rail is now used as the mezzanine railing.
And after two years of planning and building and thrifting, and so much literal blood, sweat, and tears, Lille Bønne is finally open and ready to serve.
Our friend, neighbor and chef, Pete Blum of Front Row Catering, has crafted a menu inspired by Danish classics such as egg salad and smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches on rye), and his chicken salad on a Leviathan croissant is 10/10.
Ariel Hedrickson, consummate hospitality pro of J’adore Pastry, Epicurean, and Mokao, has brought a level of quality to our cafe that matches the care we put into restoring the building. She’s brought in world-class wines, beers, and aperitifs, and opportunities for collaboration with so many community partners and organizations.
We have a great team behind the counter, full of coffee pros, artists, and an actual real-life therapist
It’s pretty clear that my favorite thing about Lille Bønne is the people. The people who helped build it and all the new people I’ve met in the handful of days since we’ve been open. n
Lille Bønne is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.
