Marcy Village Apartments

Marcy Village Apartments
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location	4440-4567 Marcy Ln. and 1401 E. 46th St., Indianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates	39°50′19″N 86°8′4″W / 39.83861°N 86.13444°W / 39.83861; -86.13444Coordinates: 39°50′19″N 86°8′4″W / 39.83861°N 86.13444°W / 39.83861; -86.13444
Area	24 acres (9.7 ha)
Built	1939
Architectural style	Colonial Revival
Governing body	Private
NRHP Reference #	04000202[1]
Added to NRHP	March 24, 2004

Marcy Village Apartments is a historic community located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Built in 1939, the 25-acre (10 ha), 19-building apartment community compose a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 2004.^[2] Ground for the development was broken the week of March 20, 1939, and work was started on a full-time basis with Everett A. Carson of Indianapolis as the builder. Architects, Granger & Bollenbacher of Chicago, created the Colonial Revival apartment community for owners at the time, Marcy Realty Corporation.

History

On October 10, 1938, a project hearing was held before the Board of Zoning Appeals on a petition for variance to permit construction to start within two weeks on the $1,680,000 multi-apartment project to be located in northeast Indianapolis. Samuel B. Sutphin of New Augusta, owner of the 25-acre site for the proposed project, filed the petition with the zoning board.

Purchase of the site by the Marcy Realty Corporation depended upon favorable action by the zoning board. The multi apartment project first was planned by its sponsors on a tract at 59th street and the Monon Railroad but was abandoned when nearby property owners protested. The new site was bounded on the north by 46th street between College and Keystone Ave in Indianapolis, just north of the Indiana State School for the Deaf. Development of the project took 500 workmen nearly eight months to construct.

The Marcy Village large-scale housing project was the first Federal Housing Administration project of its type completed in Indiana.^[3]

The buildings are appropriately distributed over the twenty-five-acre tract and the Federal Housing Administration complimented the sponsors for the excellent construction and arrangement represented in the several buildings. Experts representing the FHA co-operated with the sponsors in respect to land planning, architecture, materials, and equipment and it was their belief that the Marcy Village project would be highly successful, both from the standpoint of economic soundness and excellent housing at reasonable cost for a large number of Indianapolis families. The FHA had a sense of pride in the fact that the government co-operated with the sponsors and lender in giving to Indianapolis what was believed to be one of the outstanding large scale housing operations in the country.

Marcy Village, which represents an expenditure of approximately $1,690,000 was an accomplishment under section 207of the National Housing Act of 1934. Under that section, acceptable sponsors may borrow from some private lending institution approved by the government any amount up to $5,000,000, at an interest rate not to exceed 4%, for terms to be approved by the administer and which in some instances run as long as thirty three years, for the construction of apartment buildings or groups of single-family buildings.^[4] At the time, Marcy Village was the ninety project completed in Indiana under that plan, though Marcy Village was the largest of its type in Indiana and a leader in the Mid-West.

Colonial architecture dominated the design of the nineteen buildings of the project. Additionally to the apartments, there were modern shops consisting of five storerooms, which were occupied by a drug store, grocery, barber shop, beauty shop, and dentists' and doctors offices, for the convenience of tenants.

General contractor

General contractor for the project was Everett A. Carson, Indianapolis-based general contractor, and father of Dr. Wayne Carson, surgeon and sponsor. E. A. Carson built many structures in and near Indianapolis, including the front for SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral on North Meridian Street, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church and parochial school building, and several academic buildings for Indiana University.

Construction and grounds

The Marcy Village project was designed with every thought to the well-being of home lovers who desired apartment building conveniences away from the noise and smoke of congested areas. The 25-acres contain 19 colonial-type structures, each two stories in height. In all, there are 277 well-arranged apartment units.

The buildings are 80 to 150 feet apart and the apartments are one and two-bedrooms with daylight kitchens and cross-ventilation. The buildings are fully insulated, fireproof, and soundproof. There are large separate entrances and wide, roomy stairways. Full basements are under all buildings with adequate laundry facilities, storage spaces, and originally had five heating plants equipped with stokers, and an incinerator in every building. In recent years, the heating plants were removed and incinerators made non-operational to accommodate modern standards of living.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped. At the time of construction, tennis and badminton courts, shuffleboard, and a putting green were all offered as amenities. Each building was also equipped with a social room in the basements for children to congregate during the winter months.

Originally, on-site garages were planned to face each other, thus removing unsightly views to open garage doors. However, once construction was completed, the plan for garages evolved into carports with open fronts. The view from the back of each building will be as attractive as the front.

Apartment features

Each apartment has ample wall space in the individual rooms which invites varied and artistic picture and furniture arrangement. There are large living rooms and commodious bedrooms with cross-ventilation, sound proofed, and with generous-sized windows.

Efficiency is the keynote of the kitchens, which originally were all-electric, but have been converted to accommodate a gas range. Each apartment offers a range, refrigerator with ice maker, microwave, dishwasher, and oak cabinets.

Brick, tile, concrete, copper and an array of lasting material went to make up the nineteen buildings. The structures are fireproof, insulated, and soundproof.

Bathrooms are complete with ceramic tile, pedestal sink, and tub and shower. Perhaps the most distinguished asset of Marcy Village is the beautifully finished original hardwood floors.

At the time of construction, General Contractor, Everett Carson, emphasized the fact that the project would be practically free of smoke or smog. The nineteen colonial buildings, he said, will be heated by eight central heating plants equipped with modern stokers, thus eliminating the smoke nuisance caused by hand-fires heating plants.

References