Revisiting the Polk Milk Stables

Remember this building from the Monon Trail?

Here is what it looked like on Sunday:
The great old sign has been removed.  I did some investigative work and noticed that the sign has been dismantled and is sitting on pallets.  You can barely make out the “K” in Polk here.  It’s on the slab that is a bit lighter in color than the rest of the cinder blocks:
I imagine that this is just a restoration.  However, I still believe that it justifies the documentation work that Heidelberger Papers and I have done around the city.  If you see a cool, neglected place, it might not be the same tomorrow.

Comments 8

  • excellent post! i've always admired that building while walking along the monon… i do hope they're planning on restoring it… it seems ripe for re-use

  • Glad to hear the sign isn't 'gone'…You are exactly right about neglected places and how endangered they can be. Just about a week after I did this post, the building in the second shot was gone. This building wasen't exactly cool or in need of saving, but its does illustrate the point that things can be here today and gone tomorrow.

  • Damn IPS. So typical of them: neglect historic gems until they're not salvageable, then knock 'em down because they're in disrepair. Un-fricking-believable.

    On the other hand, there's a cool new modern house going up right at the NW corner of 16th & Monon.

  • I do like that place in your second picture, MH. Any place outside of downtown that is right up on the corner would be illegal to build today, unless you apply for an exception (can't remember the technical term at this time).

  • IPS is living up to their typical trend with the old Coca Cola bottling plant on Mass Ave…

  • Kevin: clear-sight triangle. The building can't infringe on a triangle defined by points 25 feet in from the intersection of the two rights of way.

    That means the building corner (excuse me while I get out my slide rule here…) would have to be 17'8-1/8" from the street corner on a 45-degree line and 12'6" in from each street.

  • I don't think it is restoration work.
    It looks like demolition work.
    I do think this could have been a great charming building for the northside had it been properly restored.
    One more historic building gone as we continue our tradition of apathy towards history.

  • Great info, thanks, I have been wondering what happened to that sign… now we know what happened to it, we'll see what becomes of it. That dairy stable and the building north of it on 16th would be so cool rehabbed into condos, great views, but wow, would take a LOT of $

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