CROSSRIDES HISTORICAL INFO SHEET CITY MARKET

Tomlinson Hall, circa 1886-1958, sat west of City Market. Stephen Tomlinson left money in his will for the construction of a building for the use of citizens and city authorities. The rst oor housed businesses and some activity from the adjoining City Market. The upper oor held a theater. The hall served as a shelter for victims of the 1913 ood. The arch remaining on the outdoor plaza was discovered and reinstalled during a 1970s renovation of City Market. Underground tunnels remain from the original structure.

VONNEGUT LIBRARY

Turn of the last century apartment buildings re ect the growth of Indianapolis related to industrialization. Single men and women moved to the city to ll jobs in factories and o ces and apartments became a popular alternative to boarding houses. At that time, an apartment contained two or three rooms and no kitchen. The Emelie, built in 1902, had commercial space on the rst oor and apartments on the second and third oors.

HERRON SCHOOL OF ART

Businessman John Herron donated money to the Art Association of Indianapolis in 1895 to establish an art museum and art school. Originally located on Talbott Street, the school eventually constructed a building at 16th and Pennsylvania in 1929. In 1966, the Art Association separated the art school from the art museum. The museum became the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the art school became associated with Indiana University in 1967. This location formerly residential, became the art schools home, Eskenazi Hall, in 2005.

RIVERSIDE PARK

George Kessler described Riverside Park as the large country park- a retreat from the city with restful, peaceful drives and a variety of activities that appealed to a large segment of the population. Founded in 1898 as an amusement park, it continued to grow with the Coney Island craze. Attractions included rides, a roller skating rink, a dance han live animals, and a replica of a working our mill. The park owners adopted a Whites Only policy in the 1920s. In the early 1960s, integrationists picketed the park in protest of the discriminatory practice. The deteriorated park closed in 1970.

CENTRAL CANAL

The construction of the Central Canal began in 1836 as part of the Mammoth Internal Improvements Bill, with the hope of transforming the White River waterway into a main thoroughfare of Indiana commerce. With only nine miles completed, the project went bankrupt. The Indianapolis Water Company used the canal to provide water to the city. Originally connected to the Central Canol Towpath between Broad Ripple and Riverside Park (the upper portion), a dam was created to dry up the portion between 19th and llh Streets to prevent ooding around Interstate 65. In 1985, the lower portion or Canal Walk was rebuilt with a concrete lining.

INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART

Originally a group of farms outside the city limits of Indianapolis, Hugh McKennon Landon purchased the land to build his home and to develop the town of Woodstock. The estate was designed and built between 1909 and 1913. J.K. Lilly, Jr. and his wife Ruth purchased Old elds in 1932. Josiah K. Lilly Ill donated the site to the IMA in 1966, the same year that the museum separated from the Herron School of Art.

INDIANA STATE FAIRGROUNDS

The rst Indiana State Fair was held in 1852 on the grounds of Military Park. The fair moved to its current location in 1892. The fair arose as a way for farmers to come together, exchange ideas, experience new farming techniques and show their products.

KING PARK
Formerly a residential part of the surrounding neighborhood, this site became a city park in 1961. On April4, 1968 Robert F. Kennedy planned a campaign speech for his presidential bid when he received the news that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been shot and killed. Through his speech in this predominantly black neighborhood, Kennedy empathized with the crowd and implored them not to react with violence. The reaction of local black leadership and Kennedys words have been credited for the tranquility in Indianapolis where other cities experienced violence.

ARTS COUNCIL/ 934 PENN.

In 1916, Albert Metzger commissioned this building and construction was done by Brandt Brothers. The architecture re ects the Rubish and Hunter style of other Indianapolis buildings. Originally an auto showroom, Rollerland roller skating rink operated in the structure from 1941 until the late 1970s.

photos: Indiana Historical Society text: Rose Wernike