Lockefield Gardens
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| Lockefield Garden Apartments | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Built/Founded: | 1935 |
| Architect: | Russ,William E.; Harrison,Merritt |
| Architectural style(s): | International Style |
| Added to NRHP: | February 28, 1983 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 83000133 |
| Governing body: | Local |
Lockefield Gardens was the first public housing built in Indianapolis. Built during the years of 1935 to 1938, it was built exclusively for low income blacks in Indianapolis. The complex was closed in 1976, and a number of structures were demolished in the early 1980s. Today, the only original structures remaining are those along Blake Street.
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[edit] History
Due to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, the Public Works Administration started funding fifty low-cost public housing projects in twenty states from what were previously slum areas. Indianapolis was chosen to have one of these renovations; it would be the first major public housing within Indiana's capital city. This land originally had 363 residences, of which only one was seen as "habitable". Another goal of the project was to provide temporary construction jobs in the area, 9,000 in total. This was done despite the wishes of Indiana congressmen, as they feared that private enterprises would be hurt by federal projects such as this.[2] [3]
Three million dollars was spent on the Lockefield Gardens project, which opened in February of 1938. Twenty-two acres along Indiana Avenue were chosen to become 748 separate housing units, under the direction of the Russ and Harrison architecture firm, built by N. P. Severin Company of Chicago, based on European prototypes. The twenty-four buildings which made up the complex ranged from two to four stories. "Corner", "strip", and "tee" models used by the Public Works Administration in other projects were used here. Among the amenities of this housing were a central mall, four playgrounds (with thirteen smaller play areas), a school (William D. McCoy Public School #24), and a small shopping arcade. It featured plenty of ventilation, abundant natural sunlight, and pleasant views of the area. Rents ranged from $20.80 to $30.10 a month. Lionel Artis was chosen as the original apartment housing manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1969, a span of over thirty years. After construction, it was considered one of the best of the New Deal housing projects. The spacial, wide-open areas of Lockefield Gardens were an oddity; other New Deal housing projects were cramped.[4] [5] [6]
When it originally opened, Lockefield Gardens was racially segregated, but it allowed blacks something they rarely had: a community-oriented residence. Lockefield Gardens became the nucleus of black community located immediately northwest of downtown Indianapolis. In the 1950s, the guilt of some whites on a national level led to many blacks moving to what were residential areas mostly habited by whites. Due to income restrictions and more prosperous blacks leaving for the white residences, Lockefield Gardens began its decline. A redevelopment plan in the 1970s was hoped to revitalize the district, but federal judge S. Hugh Dillin thought it would lead to continued segregation of an educational and residential level. As a result, the apartments closed in 1976.[7] [8] [9]
In 1980 it was decided that part of the Lockefield Gardens area would be used for the expansion of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), a campus of both the Indiana University and Purdue University systems. In 1983, after demolitions, only seven of the original twenty-four buildings remained, all along Blake Street, despite protests by Indianapolis preservationists. Even still, that it the remaining structures were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Eleven new buildings were made, and the seven original buildings were renovated. The new total housing units of the complex was 493, with 199 of this total being within the original seven structures.[10] [11]
[edit] Today
The area now serves as an apartment complex on the IUPUI university campus, although urban professionals are invited to live there as well.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ Bodenhamer, David. The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (Indiana University Press, 1994) pg.926, 927
- ^ M 0786 LOCKEFIELD GARDEN APARTMENTS (INDIANAPOLIS, IND.) RECORDS, 1935-1954
- ^ Bodenhamer 927
- ^ M 0786 LOCKEFIELD GARDEN APARTMENTS (INDIANAPOLIS, IND.) RECORDS, 1935-1954
- ^ Lockefield Gardens
- ^ Bodenhamer 927
- ^ M 0786 LOCKEFIELD GARDEN APARTMENTS (INDIANAPOLIS, IND.) RECORDS, 1935-1954
- ^ Lockefield Gardens
- ^ Bodenhamer 927
- ^ Lockefield Gardens
- ^ :: Properties > Indiana > Indianapolis > Lockefield Gardens
[edit] External links
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