Legacy of History
Historic locations provide an authentic feel to CREED OF GOLD
It was not until about halfway through principle photography that the crew thoroughly realized the wealth of locations that had been opened up to the film. Many of the locations for CREED OF GOLD were on the National Register of Historic Places. Being that the story is a contemporary extension of historical fiction, the rich historical sites were important for the atmosphere of each scene.
Director Daniel Knudsen recalled, “I especially realized this when we shot the 1920’s Russia train scene. We were shooting a historical scene in a building where history really happened.” Most of the Russia scenes were filmed at the Indianapolis Union Station, the first union station in the world. In 1861, Thomas Edison had worked there as a telegraph operator. Eventually he was fired for wasting his time with “useless experiments.”
Located at 33 Liberty Street in New York City, one of the most important but difficult locations would be the set for the Federal Reserve building. With a vault 80 feet beneath street level containing approximately 5,000 metric tons of gold bullion, the building is both extremely ornate and extremely secure. The Indiana State House opened up its doors to serve as a stand-in for the Federal Reserve building—and everyone agrees that it did it more than justice.
Built in 1888 by Indiana Governor Williams, two million dollars had been approved for the construction of the new state capital building. Rightly famed for his frugality, Governor Williams finished the project for only $1.8 million and returned the remaining $200,000 to the general fund. Producer Kathleen Knudsen observed, “It seemed appropriate that a film on fiscal responsibility should be filmed at a location most noteworthy for its frugality with taxpayer dollars.” Later in the film, the Indiana Government Building stood in as part of the FBI building.
Being in such a high security building during operating hours posed a list of challenges—most of them humorous. Production Designer Stacie Graber recalls, “Thankfully the security guards had gotten to know us over the past couple days. Our equipment boxes were too big to fit through the x-ray machines so they needed to keep asking ‘What is this? and ‘What is that?’”
Other notable historic sites included the Indiana War Memorial, built during the City Beautiful Movement and containing the ornate Pershing Auditorium, Taylor University, celebrating at 164 years being one of the oldest evangelical Christian colleges in America, and the Columbia Club, established in 1889 in the center of downtown Indianapolis on Monument Circle.
Nearly all of the scenes with the bankers were filmed at the Columbia Club due to its elegance and rich historical feel. It was generally a favorite among cast and crew. According to Executive Producer Mark Knudsen, “We had the gold mine of locations when the Columbia Club allowed us to film in their wonderful location. The rich history and the beautiful aesthetics of the Columbia Club really brought to life the look and feel of those scenes.”