Shelby Street: Underdog of the South Side

Two weeks ago, I blogged about the potential for College Avenue. The street on the South Side with the best potential for density is a much less-traveled street, Shelby. Shelby is South Side all of the way, literally. It starts just south of Washington Street, the zero point on our street grid on the east side. It then heads through Fountain Square, and is the address for the new Claus’. Next up, Garfield Park, which is a gorgeous throwback to a time when a park was more than just a few benches, trees, and grass. Along the way are numerous multi-use buildings and historic apartments. Like College Avenue, Shelby was a former streetcar route.

Next time I have a chance, I’ll feature Shelby Street in a photo blog. It deserves some positive attention.

Comments 6

  • Shelby Street is definitely not appreciated nearly enough. From where it ends at Southeastern all the way to about Troy Avenue is a nice stretch of urban density that in many ways, is equal to College Avenue.

  • I knew you'd be all over this one. Gimme a city with more Shelby Streets and less US 31's, please.

  • Shelby's pretty awesome, of course I live in Fountain², so I'm a bit biased.

  • I actually live on Shelby St., so I'm particularly biased.

    Nevertheless, the best NS street for urban revitalization on the south side in my opinion is East St.

  • I know people have been saying that Fountain Square "is about to explode with growth" for over a decade with little to show for it, but with the Cultural Trail coming, new renovations of the fountain itself, the newly proposed 5-story complex just across the interstate and a great offering of amazing restaurants – Siam Square! – I really think this time the Fountain Square hype is for real. If that becomes a reality, I look for the areas of Shelby Street surrounding FS to really benefit. Garfield Park is simply amazing to this day…that opera pagoda is just great.

    All that said, I once heard a realtor acquaintance talk about how the city was planning to revitalize the Pleasant Run Canal in a similar manner as the Downtown Canal. I can't imagine what that would look like, but has anyone heard something similar?

  • Geez, no, we don't need to turn Pleasant Run into a concrete ditch, except maybe through the old Citizens Coke site along Pleasant Run from English past Southeastern to Prospect.

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