Background
Cadle Tabernacle (1921-1968) was a church built in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1921 by E. Howard
Cadle, and named in honor of his mother, Loretta “Etta” Cadle. The building was built at the
intersection of New Jersey and Ohio Streets across from Indianapolis City Hall. The building
served as a center for evangelical programs and broadcasts on the Cincinnati, Ohio radio station
WLW in the 1930s. With a seating capacity of 10,000 with a choir loft capacity of 1400, it was
billed as the largest religious building in the world at the time.
Cadle’s radio program, "The Nation’s Family Prayer Period", reached an estimated 30 million people
between 1931-1950s. Throughout its broadcasting history, coverage ranged across the
Midwestern United States, Mexico, and Canada via 16” inch electrical transcriptions and shortwave radio stations. Monday through
Saturday programs were 15 minutes long, and Sunday
programs were 30 minutes long.