Indiana Avenue - Misplaced Pages

Historic and cultural district in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

United States historic place


Indiana Avenue Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district

Clockwise from top left: Madam Walker Legacy Center, Crispus Attucks High School, Bethel A.M.E. Church, and Lockefield Gardens
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Location	500 block of Indiana Ave. between North St., Central Canal, Michigan, and West Sts., Indianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates	39°46′29″N 86°9′57″W / 39.77472°N 86.16583°W / 39.77472; -86.16583
Area	3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built	1869-1935
Architectural style	Italianate
NRHP reference No.	87000912
Added to NRHP	June 12, 1987

Indiana Avenue is a historic area in downtown and is one of seven designated cultural districts in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana Avenue was, during its glory days, an African American cultural center of the area. The Indiana Avenue Historic District within the area was designated a United States national historic district in 1987.

History

In 1870, 974 African Americans (one third of the city's African American population) called Indiana Avenue home. This represented a shift in racial demographics away from the mostly working class poor population of Irish and German immigrants that lived around Indiana Avenue during the early years of Indianapolis. As the African American population increased, black entrepreneurs opened businesses on practically every corner. Bethel A.M.E. Church, the oldest African American congregation in Indianapolis, was organized in 1836. African American owned businesses opened on the Avenue by at least by 1865, including a grocery store owned by Samuel G. Smothers and a "peddler shop" owned by William Franklin. The Indianapolis Leader, the first black owned newspaper in Indianapolis, catered to the interests of the growing African American population and featured advertisements for Indiana Avenue businesses. The Leader began publishing in the 1870s.

The avenue continued to culturally develop, in much the same way as the Harlem Renaissance. Due to the nature of segregation and Jim Crow laws, several streets developed similarly in other cities, including Beale Street in Memphis and 12th and Vine in Kansas City according to the book, Indiana Avenue: Black Entertainment Boulevard by C. Nickerson Bolden. Like Indiana Avenue, these streets were called Black Entertainment Boulevards, or stops along the Chitlin' Circuit because of the large concentration of black-oriented clubs, businesses and entertainment venues.

Many prominent historical figures have their roots on Indiana Avenue: Madam C.J. Walker, jazz greats including Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Coe, Noble Sissle, Erroll "Groundhog" Grandy and Wes Montgomery. Mary Ellen Cable was one of the most important African American educators in Indianapolis. Coupled with her work as an educator, she organized and served as the first president of Indiana's NAACP chapter.

Madam Walker Theatre

Main article: Madam Walker Legacy Center

Madam Walker's daughter helped build the Madam Walker Theatre, which opened on the Avenue in 1927 and quickly became known as the "Crown Jewel of the Avenue".

Decline

As segregation laws began to change in the late 1950s, the African American middle class began leaving the once-bustling Indiana Avenue corridor for greater opportunities in northwestern Marion County, settling in Pike and Washington Townships. By 1965, the plight of the community left the Madam Walker Building closed to abandonment, removing a vital economic anchor for the area. The Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company remained in the ailing building. By the early 1970s, Indiana Avenue was suffering from severe urban blight.

Historic district and revival

By the 1980s, instead of the city attempting renewal or regeneration, much of the area was demolished and replaced by office buildings or townhouses. In 1987, the area, containing eleven historic buildings, was declared a United States national historic district. The district was developed between about 1869 and 1935, and includes representative examples of Italianate style architecture. The Madam Walker Building, one of the historic buildings, was restored and reopened to the public in 1988 with a focus on the performing arts.

Through the financial support of the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission, formed by Mayor Bart Peterson in 2002, community stakeholders are planning the regeneration of the area. On March 28, 2007, the name of Indiana Avenue north of 10th Street and south of 16th Street was restored, after having been called Stadium Drive since 1932.

References

"National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
Hale, Michelle (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 729–732. ISBN 0253312221.
^ National Park Service (June 19, 1987), Weekly announcement of National Register of Historic Places actions (PDF), pp. 62-63, archived (PDF) from the original on October 10, 2017, retrieved May 6, 2018.
Hale, Michelle (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 729–730. ISBN 0253312221.
Hale, Michelle (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 318–319. ISBN 0253312221.
Hale, Michelle (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. p. 730. ISBN 0253312221.
"Discovering Indiana Avenue". Archived from the original on November 19, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
Hale, Michelle (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. p. 730. ISBN 0253312221.
Baker, David (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. p. 841. ISBN 0253312221.
"IUPUI Diversity Assets" (PDF). National Park Service. November 2, 2006.
"Indiana Humanities.org". Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
"Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved August 1, 2016. Note: This includes F. Eric Utz; Suzanne T. Rollins; William Gulde (August 1986). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Indiana Avenue Historic District" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2016. and Accompanying photographs
"Inside Indiana Business". March 28, 2007.

External links

Media related to Indiana Avenue (Indianapolis) at Wikimedia Commons

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis, Indiana
Districts	Brendonwood Camp Edwin F. Glenn Central Court Chatham–Arch Cottage Home Cumberland Emerson Avenue Addition Fletcher Place Forest Hills Fort Benjamin Harrison (Boundary Increase) Garfield Drive Golden Hill Haughville Herron–Morton Place Holy Rosary–Danish Church Homecroft Indiana Avenue Indianapolis Union Station Wholesale District Irvington Irvington Terrace Laurel and Prospect Lockerbie Square (Boundary Increase) Massachusetts Avenue Meridian Park New Augusta North Meridian Street North Pennsylvania Street Northside North Irvington Gardens Old Northside Oliver Johnson's Woods P.R. Mallory Company Factory Ransom Place Riverside Drive St. Joseph Neighborhood St.Philip Neri Parish Shortridge–Meridian Street Apartments State and Prospect Town of Crows Nest Virginia Avenue Washington Park Washington Street–Monument Circle Watson Park Woodruff Place
Houses	Allison Mansion Anderson–Thompson House Askren House Apple House Bals–Wocher House Bates–Hendricks House Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Benton House Byram–Middleton House Campbell Mansion Cole House & 1925 Cole Brouette No. 70611 Cotton–Ropkey House Flanner House Homes Fletcher House Glossbrenner Mansion Graham House Hanna–Ochler–Elder House Haverstick Farmstead Hill House Hollingsworth House Horner–Terrill House Hubbard House Jamieson–Bennett House Johnson–Denny House Julian–Clark House Kuhn House Levey Mansion Lustron House Mattison House Meier House Millikan House Moore House Morris–Butler House Nicholson–Rand House Oldfields Pierson–Griffiths House The Propylaeum (Schmidt House) Prosser House Recker House Riley House Schnull–Rauch House Sommer House Stewart Mansion Stumpf House Thompson House Tobey-Normington House Tomlinson House Wheeler–Stokely Mansion
Downtown Apartments and Flats	Alameda Alexandra Ambassador Baker Blacherne Burton Cathcart Chadwick Colonial Dartmouth Delaware Court Delaware Flats Devonshire Emelie Glencoe Grover Harriett Lodge Martens Massachusetts Mayleeno McKay Myrtle Fern Oxford Pennsylvania Plaza Rink Savoy Shelton Sid-Mar Spink Sylvania St. Clair Vienna Wil-Fra-Mar Wilson Wyndham
Other Apartments	Balmoral Court The Buckingham Coulter Flats Esplanade Apartments Gaseteria, Inc. The Gramse Linwood Colonial Apartments Lockefield Garden Apartments Manchester Apartments Marcy Village Apartments Pearson Terrace Saint James Court The Seville Vera and the Olga
Lodgings	Aston Inn Heier's Hotel Hotel Washington Marott Hotel Sheffield Inn Spink Arms Hotel YWCA Blue Triangle Residence Hall
Schools and Libraries	Administration Building, Indiana Central University Arthur Jordan Memorial Hall Central Library Crispus Attucks High School East Washington Library Hawthorne Branch Library IPS 13 IPS 33 IPS 36 IPS 58 IPS 66 IPS 82 IPS 84 IPS 97 Indiana School for the Deaf Indiana State Library Riverside Branch Library Old Southport High School Spades Park Library Shortridge High School
Government	Federal Building Indiana Statehouse Indianapolis Fire Headquarters and Municipal Garage Indianapolis Veterans Administration Hospital Old Indianapolis City Hall Old Pathology Building U.S. Arsenal (Arsenal Technical High School) U.S. Courthouse and Post Office
Commercial	Architects and Builders Building L.S. Ayres Annex Warehouse City Market Fame Laundry Fidelity Trust Building Hammond Block Indianapolis News Building Jackson Buildings Kahn Tailoring Company Building Lombard Building Majestic Building Marott's Shoes Building Merchants National Bank and Annex Morrison Block Reserve Loan Life Insurance Company Rink's Womens Apparel Store Selig's Dry Goods Company Building Taylor Carpet Company Building Tee Pee Restaurant Test Building H. P. Wasson and Company Building William Buschmann Block
Industrial	Cole Motor Car Company Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant Gibson Company Building H. Lauter Company Complex Indianapolis Chair Manufacturing Company H. C. S. Motor Car Company Indiana Oxygen Company Stutz Motor Car Company West Washington Street Pumping Station Wheeler–Schebler Carburetor Company
Transportation	Fort Harrison Terminal Station Indianapolis Union Station Marion County Bridge 0501F Michigan Road Toll House P.C.C. & St. L. Railroad Freight Depot Stout Field Administration Building and Hangar
Art and Theater	Circle Theater Foster Hall Indiana Theatre Madam C. J. Walker Building Rivoli Theater
Sport and Recreation	Broad Ripple Park Carousel Bush Stadium Highland Golf and Country Club Butler Fieldhouse Hillcrest Country club Indianapolis Motor Speedway Woodstock Country Club
Religious	Bethel A.M.E. Church Beth-El Zedeck Temple Big Run Baptist Church and Cemetery Christ Church Cathedral Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church Our Savior Lutheran Church Roberts Park Methodist Episcopal Church St. John's Church and Rectory St. Mary's Catholic Church St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church
Private and Civic Groups	Athenaeum Christamore House Colored Knights of Pythias Castle Hall Columbia Club General German Protestant Orphans Home Independent Turnverein Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs Indianapolis Athletic Club Indianapolis Masonic Temple Maennerchor Building Oriental Lodge No. 500 Scottish Rite Cathedral South Side Turnverein Hall University Club
Outdoor Spaces	Archeological Sites 12Ma648 and 12Ma649 Caleb Blood Smith Historic Site Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill National Cemetery Indiana World War Memorial Plaza Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System McCormick Cabin Site Military Park Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park State Soldiers and Sailors Monument University Park
National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis Entries in italics have been removed from the registry

v t e Indianapolis Cultural Trail
Cultural districts	Canal and White River State Park Fountain Square Indiana Avenue Market East Mass Ave Wholesale
Parks	American Legion Mall Hudnut Commons Military Park Richard G. Lugar Plaza The Idle White River State Park
Public art	Ann Dancing Care/Don't Care Chatham Passage E Pluribus Unum Glick Peace Walk Looking Through Windows Moving Forward Poet's Place Prairie Modules 1 & 2 Swarm Street Talking Wall
Related	Gene B. Glick Indiana Pacers Bikeshare
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