Living in Indiana Avenue- it's rhythm reborn

This is a place, they will tell you, to savor history, to put down roots – a place to grow up with and into.

Just ask Theresa Crawford (pictured to right). Nearly 20 years ago, the history buff saw an advertisement for a walking tour of the area. She and a friend were the only two to sign up and the decision proved fateful. As they strolled through the District’s Ransom Place neighborhood, Crawford spotted “this cute little cottage” – a circa 1890, three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-story Queen Anne-style residence.

The home was in disrepair, the neighborhood “almost blighted,” Crawford says. Still, something clicked. “I said, ‘I would really love to have that house,’” Crawford recalls.

Two years later, she moved in, the home having been newly renovated inside and out by Indiana Historic Landmarks. Now, the “40-something” Girls Inc. staffer remains contentedly entrenched in her cozy – and  long-since revitalized -- neighborhood. “Life,” Crawford says, “has a way of giving us what we want or need.”

Randy and Amy Jones would likely agree. Both have lived Downtown for more than two decades, and in the mid 1990s were searching for a home near IUPUI, where Randy was studying for his undergraduate degree. On weekends, the couple drove through Downtown neighborhoods, but couldn’t find the right house at the right price.

Until, that is, he happened across some new homes under construction in Ransom Place on his way home from classes. Intrigued, he stopped to talk to developers John Borel and Janice White of Borel Construction.

“The price was right, the amenities were right and it just all worked out,” says Randy, who now works for the AES Corporation, parent company for Indianapolis Power & Light, Company.

Fifteen years ago, Randy and Amy (now 42 and 40, respectively) moved into their 1996-Borel-built home, featuring three bedrooms, two baths and a basement. Today, they remain happily in residence, raising daughters Zoe, 13, and Sabrina, 11.

That choice surprises some of their acquaintances, much to the couple’s bemusement. “I’d like for people to understand that you can raise a family Downtown and it’s safe,” Randy stresses. “It’s a happy place to be. You don’t need to move out (to the suburbs) for a nice neighborhood and a nice set of neighbors. There are lots of Downtown neighborhoods that have that as well.”

Ammenities Galore
For both Crawford and the Jones family, Indiana Avenue offers plenty of such pleasantries. Nestled between the picturesque Indianapolis Canal Walk and the curves of the White River on Downtown’s west side, this District boasts a rich history of African American commerce and jazz music and a modern profile encompassing education, culture and entertainment.

The past plays a key role in present offerings. The Madame Walker Theatre Center – which pays homage to Madam C.J. Walker, a leading African American entrepreneur in the early 1900s and America’s first “self-made” female millionaire – hosts a variety of concerts, comedy performances, film series and other cultural events. Nearby, Freetown Village brings local African American history to life through interpretive theater presentations, story tellers and workshops.

The Jones family also appreciates the reopening of the IPS Crispus Attacks Museum, which honors Indiana’s first all-black high school as well as achievements by Hoosier African Americans in music, sports and more.

The presence of IUPUI greatly impacts the District as well, with offerings that reach far beyond the student and faculty base. Crawford takes advantage of the school library, while Zoe and Sabrina Jones regularly churn laps at the world-class Natatorium – which has hosted numerous national and world competitions -- as part of their Downtown swim teams.  Zoe also utilizes campus resources for school projects; an IUPUI professor recently agreed to be interviewed about the environment and hybrid cars.  The girls attend and enjoy IPS’ Center for Inquiry School.

The Jones family visits IUPUI’s Herron School of Art and Design to view art shows and exhibits. And in the summer, the university provides educational camps for kids.

“And all of this being essentially next door -- it’s huge,” Amy says. “It’s a great amenity.”

So too is the new Indianapolis Central Library, a favorite spot for both Crawford and the Jones family. And when the educational appetite has been sated, the culinary version can be satisfied. A number of restaurants are within easy reach.

Offerings in other Downtown Cultural Districts easily can be reached as well, including the boutiques and restaurants of Mass Ave (a favorite of Crawford’s) and the attractions of The Canal and White River State Park. (Zoe and Sabrina especially like visiting the Zoo and joining their parents and the family dog for summertime walks along the Canal.)

Those Districts will be even more closely connected through the multimillion-dollar Indianapolis Cultural Trail, eight urban miles of pedestrian and bike paths. When completed in early 2012, it will directly link Indiana Avenue with all other Cultural Districts, coming within one block of “every significant arts, cultural, heritage, sports and entertainment venue in greater Downtown,” according to Brian Payne, president of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Diverse
But perhaps best of all, say Indiana Avenue residents, the people in this District are as fascinating and diverse as its offerings.

“There’s a mixture of everyone,” Crawford says. “There are professional people, working class people, retirees, a few young families – everybody.”

The Jones family enjoys talking to longtime Ransom Place residents, such as lifelong resident (and Madame Walker Theatre Center board member) Tom Ridley, 89. “The stories he has of what Indiana Avenue used to be and what it is now, -- you could sit down with the man for hours,” Randy says.

Crawford loves the neighborhood block parties, as well as her annual Fourth of July ice cream social she hosts for nearby neighbors and friends. “Everyone’s friendly,” she says. “It’s not that people in the suburbs are not friendly; sometimes they just don’t have enough chance to interact.”

A Jones family friend calls such types “garage people.” Explains Randy, “They pull into the garage, and they go into the house, and you never see them again, until they pull out of their garage the next morning.”

For Ransom Place residents, that lifestyle is unimaginable – and it’s one reason why their District devotion remains so strong.

“The people are the anchor to this neighborhood,” Randy says. “We’ve got multiple generations of families -- one that’s four generations.” (The Theadford family celebrated that milestone with the birth of a new baby last year.) “That’s amazing. You don’t get that in the suburbs.”

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Visit www.discoverculturaldistricts.com to learn more about the six Cultural Districts.

Written July 2009; updated November 2011