the academy with new presentation skills for a variety of settings. The program is open to girls ages 11–17. Humanities: the Madam Walker Theatre Center's programming for the humanities is designed to encourage participation at all ages. Writer's Symposium Series, an ongoing program of the Center designed to familiarize participants with the written word and its place in American culture. The program presents a series of dialogues based in and around the works of local, regional and national authors. Walker Film Series, a series of films designed to bring visibility to national and international film and video with an emphasis on African and African-American and other ethnic minority filmmakers. Tours & Living History: The Heritage Center serves as a display space and repository for information regarding C.J. Walker's life and legacy', as well as the lives of African-Americans who have contributed to American culture. This street-level space offers tours, lectures and small heritage programs presented by local living history theatre Freetown Village. Other uses The center also provides facilities for Freetown Village and Iibada Dance Company. It serves as a rental facility for other arts, social, civic and business organizations to host their programs and activities. The theatre is used for pageants, musicals, concerts, lecturers, auditions and rehearsals, motion picture and video screenings, ceremonial awards presentations and other community events. Description The building's ornamentation is loosely based on African motifs, many of which were blended into a "more standard Art Deco geometric ornamentation." Some sources describe the Walker Theatre as one of the few remaining African-Art Deco buildings in the United States. A'Lelia Walker commissioned the local architectural firm of Rubush & Hunter to design the 48,000 square foot Walker Building to honor her mother in 1927. The Wm. P. Jungclaus Company constructed the building on a triangular lot at the intersection of North Street, West Street (Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard), and Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis at a cost of $350,000. The Walker Company financed its construction with first and second mortgages. The triangular-shaped building included a theater and ballroom in addition to the Walker Company manufacturing facilities and offices, a Walker beauty school/salon, a drugstore, a restaurant/coffee shop, and office rental spaces. Exterior The four-story, Art Deco-style building is constructed with reinforced concrete, yellow brick-faced walls, an asphalt roof, and a concrete foundation. The triangular-shaped building has two main facades along Indiana Avenue and West Street (Dr. Martin