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Irvington Historic District
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Ritter Avenue in the Irvington Historic District
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| Location: | Roughly bounded by Ellenberger Pk., Pleasant Run Creek, Arligton Ave., B & 0 RR tracks, and Emerson Ave., Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Area: | 545 acres (221 ha) |
| Built: | 1870 |
| Architect: | Multiple |
| Architectural style: | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Bungalow/Craftsman, American Four Square |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: | 87001031[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | May 29, 1987 |
The neighborhood of Irvington overlaps Irvington Historic District, a historic district in Indianapolis, Indiana. Both are in Indianapolis, Indiana. The historic district is a 545-acre (221 ha) area that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. That year, the district included 2,373 contributing buildings, 5 other contributing structures, and 2 contributing sites.
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Founded in 1870 by Sylvester Johnson and Jacob Julian, Irvington was originally created as a suburban town of Indianapolis. It formed along winding roads of dirt and brick that reflected landscape design in the Romantic era. The town was built as a quiet suburb where artists, politicians, military generals, academics, and heads of local industry resided.[2] In 1902 Irvington was annexed by Indianapolis.
Irvington is located five miles (8 km) east of downtown Indianapolis on the western edge of Warren Township. The neighborhood is situated on Washington Street, which is the route of the historic National Road, a National Scenic Byway. US 40 was formerly routed along the road. Through the early 1900s, a commuter rail/trolley system ran from Irvington to downtown Indianapolis along US 40.
Currently, Irvington is the largest locally protected historic district in Indianapolis - Marion County. The district includes roughly 2,800 buildings and about 1,600 parcels of land.
From 1875-1928, Irvington was the home of Butler University. Butler transformed Irvington into a college community. The campus grew in the southwest corner of Irvington, between the Pennsylvania Railroad and the B&O Railroad tracks. Buildings at the campus eventually included the Main Building (1875), Science Building (1892), Women’s Dorm (1880s), Bona Thompson Memorial Library (1903, today known as Bona Thompson Memorial Center), and a WWI era gymnasium. The Christian Women’s Board of Missions built a Missionary Training School in 1909 adjacent to the campus. By the 1910s, the university had over one thousand students.[3] All the Butler buildings have since been demolished except for the Bona Thompson Memorial Library and the President's Home (which is now Irvington United Methodist Church, locally called the "Church on the Circle"). Built in 1903, the Bona Thompson Memorial Center is the current home of the Irvington Historical Society. It houses the Irvington Historical Society's art collection and historical documents. The Society's art collection can be viewed in the rehabed gallery space. Also on display are various art shows, including a yearly juried show. Events from meetings to weddings and receptions are held at the Center.
Irvington is a family-friendly neighborhood. Throughout the year, several festivals are held in the community that allow friends and neighbors to come together and learn more about Irvington.
For over 10 years, the Irvington Historical Society has hosted an ice cream social at the Bona Thompson Memorial Library. Free ice cream, displayed art, and music attract neighbors to the event so they can learn more about the history of Irvington and tour the library.
The Irvington Garden Club presents annual events to show local gardens, homes, and art. The Irvington Home Tour also allows the public to tour several historic homes.
Our Lady of Lourdes holds an annual carnival on their property to raise money for the church. The carnival features rides, games, and neighborhood information.
The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival is a non-profit event founded in 1947 by the Historic Irvington Community Council in an effort to bring together residents, neighborhood organizations, and businesses in Irvington for a celebration of heritage and community. The festival is currently the nation's oldest and largest Halloween festival.
The festival encompasses the week leading up to October 31st, culminating in a street festival on the final Saturday. East Washington Street is closed through downtown Irvington to hold the street festival. Events include a 5 mile run, a pageant, musicians, contests, Halloween-themed movies, storytelling, ghost tours, live theater, roller derby, a haunted puppet show and dozens of other events.
Irvington was the birthplace and home to the only historic art movement in Central Indiana named for a specific place, the Irvington Group. In the early 1900s, this group of artists lived, met, practiced and exhibited art in Irvington. Today, many of the artists homes and studios remain standing throughout the community.[4]
The Irving Theatre has recently re-opened as a concert venue for bands. The theatre has held events that have attracted over 700 patrons.
The Irvington Lodge, Bona Thompson Memorial Library, and The Studio School & Gallery are public venues where arts are currently taught and displayed throughout the Irvington neighborhood.
Church congregations came with the new families. One of the oldest is an African-American congregation, Irvington Baptist Church. Formed in 1887, it is one of the oldest African-American congregations in Marion County. Additional churches like Downey Avenue Christian Church first met in the Butler University Main Building, and later built a church in the 1890s. Presbyterians gathered to form a church in the early 1900s, as the Methodists had done in the decades before. Catholics petitioned for a parish in 1909, which became Our Lady of Lourdes. All of these denominations maintain beautiful historic houses of worship today. [1]
Irvington is home to local schools and a branch of the Indianapolis – Marion County Public Library. Thomas Carr Howe Academy and George Washington Julian elementary school #57 are both part of the Indianapolis Public Schools. There are also two Charter schools. Irvington Community School[5] is for grades K-8,and the other is the Irvington Preparatory Academy, serving grades 9-12. Together, these schools offer public education for grades K-12. Irvington is also home to the Roman Catholic school Our Lady of Lourdes, available for grades K-8.
Irvington has a long history of libraries. In 1903 the Bona Thompson Library was open to Butler students and the public. Since then, a local Irvington library has always been open to residents in different locations ranging from homes to particular structures. In 1956, the Hilton U. Brown Library, named in honor of the Irvington resident, opened on East Washington Street. In 2001, a brand new, state-of-the-art Irvington Branch Library[6] of the Indianapolis – Marion County Public Library opened at 5625 East Washington Street. The former Brown Library building is now used for early education by Indianapolis Public Schools.
Irvington was also home to the Children's Guardian Home on University Avenue[7], before being converted to a new high school for the Irvington Preparatory Academy.
Irvington is both architecturally and culturally significant to Indianapolis – Marion County. The area contains excellent examples of every major American architectural style from 1870–1950, including Italianate, French Second Empire, Victorian Gothic, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival. However, Irvington is perhaps best known for its fine collection of Arts & Crafts architecture, including the only known example of a Gustav Stickley designed house in Indiana.[4]
Washington Street is home to several historic business buildings including the old bank (now Jack and Jill's Antique Shop) and the Irving Theatre.
see also: Benton House and Stephenson Mansion
Ellenberger Park (est. 1903, one time known as Jameson Park) is located in northern Irvington. Landscape architect and urban planner George Kessler developed this park and Pleasant Run Parkway in the early 1900s. In 1930, the park added a pool, and in 1962 an ice rink was installed, which was later closed in 2009. The park also includes two playgrounds, eight tennis courts, a baseball diamond, softball diamond, football field, fitness trail, beach volleyball court, and a hill perfect for winter sports such as sledding and snowboarding. Ellenberger Park hosts outdoor movie screenings in the summer. In recent years, the City of Indianapolis has finished constructing the Pleasant Run Trail greenway. The trail currently runs 6.9 miles (11.1 km) and connects Ellenberger Park with Garfield Park, the oldest park in the city (est. 1873, renamed in 1881), on the old Southside of Indianapolis; significant northern and southern expansions are planned for the trail.
At the center of Irvington is a small circular park surrounded by a round-about street intersection. The park includes a fountain, a bust of Washington Irving, and personalized brick paths. Band concerts are often held on the circle throughout the summer season.
There are many businesses in Irvington, including: eateries (The Legend Cafe, Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza) and Dufour's, drug stores (Walgreens, CVS), auto shops, doctor's offices, coffee houses (Dufour's, Lazy Daze, Starbucks), hair salons (Snips, GENEVA Hair Studio), a piercing studio (Aesthetics), banks, antique shops, gift shops (Homespun: Modern Homeade), and several other small businesses. The Irvington Plaza, located in east Irvington, has several businesses such as: a Marsh Supermarket, furniture stores, barbershop, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, La Hacienda and Flea Market.
Built in 1913, the Irving Theatre was originally used for a nickelodeon. In 1926, the theatre went under major renovations; adding six rental units, a second story, and lengthening the theatre. Throughout the decades, the theatre's uses differed until it closed in the mid-1990s. It sat unoccupied until 2005, when it was reopened, and has been looking for funds to be renovated since then. The theatre is a hub for live music, films, and art, community, and private events. The Lazy Daze Coffee House is located on the east end of the structure and three apartment units are on the second floor.
The Irving is one of the city's largest all-ages music venues. With a capacity of over 700 people, the theatre hopes to attract bands that would otherwise pass on an Indianapolis visit. [2]
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