Irvington Historic District

Infobox_nrhp | name =Irvington Historic District
nrhp_type =


caption = The Benton House, a symbol of Irvington
location= Indianapolis, IN
area =
built =1870
architect= Multiple
architecture= Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Bungalow/craftsman, Other
added = May 29, 1987
governing_body = Local
refnum=87001031 cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

Historic Irvington

Founded in 1870, Irvington was originally created as a suburban town of Indianapolis, Indiana. Irvington formed along winding roads of dirt and brick that reflected the Romantic landscape design era. The town was built as a quiet suburb where artists, politicians, military generals, academics, and heads of local industry resided. [http://www.intakeweekly.com/articles/1/027243-6781-160.html] In 1902 Irvington was annexed by Indianapolis. Although Irvington is now much a part of the city, it still maintains a quiet neighborhood atmosphere.

Irvington is located five miles east of downtown Indianapolis on the western edge of Warren Township. The neighborhood is situated on the historic national road US 40, also known locally as Washington Street. 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.

Butler University

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 [http://society.historicirvington.com/a_brief_history_of_irvington.htm] . All the Butler buildings have since been demolished except for the Bona Thompson Memorial Library. This historic structure is now open as a small art gallery and meeting place for the Irvington Historical Society.

Festivals and Events

Irvington is a very 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 see the inside of 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 most popular festival is the annual Historic Irvington Halloween Festival [http://www.halloweenfest.org] , which is one of the oldest in the city of Indianapolis. Once a year, East Washington Street is closed through downtown Irvington to hold the festival. This festival attracts many vendors and also gives local politicians the opportunity to campaign and meet with their constituency. Also, Irvington businesses, churches, and organizations construct booths so neighbors can learn more about them. The festival traditionally concludes with a Halloween parade.

The Arts

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. [http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DMD/IHPC/Districts/Historic/irvington.htm]

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.

Churches

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 (Our Lady of Lourdes). All of these denominations maintain beautiful historic houses of worship today. [http://society.historicirvington.com/a_brief_history_of_irvington.htm]

chools and Libraries

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 are both part of the Indianapolis Public Schools. Together, these schools offer public education for grades K-12. Irvington is also home to the Roman Catholic church school, Our Lady of Lourdes, and the Irvington Charter School.

Thomas Carr Howe Academy (Howe High School) was one of the most highly regarded public high schools in America in the 1950s. [http://www.intakeweekly.com/articles/1/027243-6781-160.html]

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 an Irvington resident, opened on East Washington Street. In 2001, the brand new, state-of-the-art Irvington Branch Library [http://www.imcpl.org/about/locations/irvington.html] 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 the Indianapolis Public Schools.

Irvington is also home to the Children's Guardian Home on University Ave. [http://www.guardianhome.org/index.htm]

Historic Structures

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. [http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DMD/IHPC/Districts/Historic/irvington.htm]

Washington Street is home to several historic business buildings including the old bank (now Jack and Jill's Antique Shop) and the Irving Theatre.

The Benton House

The Benton house (pictured at the top of this article) is a symbol of Irvington. Built in 1873, the home housed Allen R. Benton, a former president of Butler University in Irvington. The Irvington Historic Landmarks Foundation was formed in 1966 to oversee the purchase and restoration of the Benton House. It now serves as a meeting place for the foundation and can be rented for private parties. All proceeds from events go toward the maintenance of the Benton House and future renovations. In 1973 the home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Benton House is also listed as an Indiana Museum. It is the only house on the National Register on the Indianapolis East Side listed in the Historic Register that is available to the public. [http://www.thebentonhouse.org/history.htm]

tephenson Mansion

Perhaps the home with the most interesting history in Irvington is Graham-Stephenson Home. The home was listed on The National Register of Historic Places as the William H. H. Graham House in 1982. The home was built about 1895 for William H. H. Graham, who was associated with the Benjamin Harrison administration. It also served as a sorority home for Kappa Kappa Gamma students at Butler University in 1923. D.C. Stephenson acquired the home in 1923 and remodeled it to resemble a Civil War-era plantation home. D.C. Stephenson was the Grand Dragon (state leader) of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana and 22 other northern states. There were an estimated 400,000 Klan members in Indiana in 1925. D.C. Stephenson was a powerful political man who considered a run for governor of Indiana in 1924, as a Republican. In 1925, Stephenson was convicted for the abduction and murder of Madge Oberholtzer, an Irvington resident. Stephenson reportedly raped her aboard a train to Hammond, Indiana, in April 1925. Oberholtzer poisoned herself with bichloride of mercury tablets in Hammond. The tablets, when diluted in water made a powerful disinfectant. Taken as pills, they are corrosive, causing death. Instead of taking her for medical help, Stephenson took her to the mansions' carriage house overnight, while he plotted his next move. He took her home the following morning. She died a month later. Stephenson was later convicted of second degree murder, because he did not seek medical help for Madge. The conviction of Stephenson resulted in the deconstruction of the Klan in Indiana. In 1928, Stephenson created a stir when he released papers showing that politicians had promised to let Stephenson influence the government in exchange for Klan backing. Indianapolis Mayor Duvall went to jail, and Governor Jackson escaped prosecution, because the statute of limitations had run out. The Indianapolis Times won a Pulitzer Prize in 1928, for investigating the Klan and Stephenson. The Stephenson Mansion has since been the scene of other deaths and murders. The home is interesting to people who want to believe in "haunted" houses.

Parks

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. The park also includes two playgrounds, eight tennis courts, a baseball diamond, softball diamond, football field, picnic shelter, fitness trail, volleyball courts, and a hill perfect for sledding. Ellenberger Park hosts outdoor movie screenings in the summer. In recent years, the City of Indianapolis has begun constructing the Pleasant Run Trail greenway in segments. The trail currently runs 6.9 miles 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. Symphony concerts are often held on the circle throughout the summer season.

Businesses

Irvington has several local businesses, mostly located along East Washington Street. Restaurants (The Legend, [http://www.jockamopizza.com/ Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza] , La Hacienda), drug stores (Walgreens, CVS), auto shops, Doctor's offices, coffee houses (Dufour's, [http://www.lazydazecoffeehouse.com/ Lazy Daze] , Starbucks), a hair salon ( [http://www.snips-in.com/ Snips] ), a piercing studio ( [http://aestheticsbodymod.com Aesthetics] ), banks, antique shops, and several other small businesses dot downtown Irvington. The Irvington Plaza, located in east Irvington, has several businesses such as a Marsh Supermarket, furniture stores, barbershop, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, restaurants, and Flea Market.

The Irving Theatre

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. The theatre re-opened in 2005 as a hub for live music, films, art events, community events, and private events. The [http://www.lazydazecoffeehouse.com/ 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. [http://www.intakeweekly.com/articles/8/025669-8068-154.html]

Interesting Facts

*The Abraham Lincoln funeral train procession, which travled from Washington to Illinois, passed through what is now historic Irvington.

*The "D.C." Stephenson mansion located on University Avenue is reputed to be one of the most haunted houses in Indiana. [http://www.intakeweekly.com/articles/3/023421-7153-156.html]

*A haunted tour is hosted every year during Halloween, traveling to all of the different houses with a history of ghosts.

*78.1% of Irvington homes were built before 1960. [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/LOCAL180303/70213025&template=theme&theme=upclose_irvington]

Gallery

ee also

*North Irvington Gardens Historic District

References

External links

*Thomas Carr Howe Academy (Indianapolis)
*Hoosier Group

* [http://www.polis.iupui.edu/RUC/Neighborhoods/Irvington/IRVNGTNNARRATIVE.htm Irvington - Narrative]
* [http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DMD/IHPC/Districts/Historic/irvington.htm Historic Preservation - Irvington]
* [http://www.420.ips.k12.in.us Thomas Carr Howe Academy, Indianapolis Public Schools #420]
* [http://www.57.ips.k12.in.us George W. Julian School, Indianapolis Public Schools #57]
* [http://www.irvingtoncouncil.com Historic Irvington Community Council]
* [http://www.thebentonhouse.org The Benton House, Irvington, Indiana]
* [http://www.historicirvington.org Historic Irvington Neighborhood Plan]
* [http://www.historicirvington.com Historic Irvington]
* [http://society.historicirvington.com/index.htm Irvington Historical Society]
* [http://www.irvingtonart.org Irvington Guild of Artists]
* [http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DPR/Parks/List/Ellenberger+Park.htm Ellenberger Park]
* [http://www.imcpl.org/about/locations/irvington.html Irvington Branch Library]
* [http://www.theirving.com/ The Irving Theatre]
* [http://www.studioschoolgallery.com/ The Studio School and Gallery]
* [http://www.lazydazecoffeehouse.com/ Lazy Daze Coffee House]
* [http://www.snips-in.com/ Snips]
* [http://www.guardianhome.org/index.htm/ Childrens Guardian Home]
* [http://www.legendirvingtoncafe.com/ The Legend Cafe]
* [http://www.jockamopizza.com/ Jackamo Pizza]
* [http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/indianapolis/index.htm Indianapolis, a National Park Service "Discover Our Shared Heritage" Travel Itinerary]
*nrhp source1|IN|Marion|districts