Urban Indy

The Riley Area Development website has a large collection of photos from Mass Ave dating from the late 1980s-to-1990, when it was just starting its rebirth. They are good to revisit from time to time to reset your mental frame about what is possible in a relatively short period of time. My favorite is the photo of the short-lived “Apartment Bridge” over East Street. Brutalist architecture that only a dictator could love. … Read entire article »

The Indy Star has laid out a decent defense of continual funding for the possibly doomed commuter bus lines. The main point of the article is that the region needs to fund permanent lines. Permanence is absolutely critical, whether it be a Light Rail line or Bus Rapid Transit. One way to give riders a sense of permanence would by to transform the current park-and-ride lots in to Transit Oriented Development. Then the stations could at least contain a funding mechanism through taxes. It would be a shame to see this reasonably successful venture fall by the wayside because we lack the vision and will to pull this off correctly. … Read entire article »

A couple of neat buildings are at this intersection. The southwest corner: Southeast Corner:Back to the Southwest. This building was being refurbished, but for now only the neat facade stands: Detail on the southwest corner building: Northwest Corner:A little farther afield, the newly remodled Walsingham building on 16th and Delaware: The northeast corner is a parking lot. … Read entire article »

Each year, it amazes me how some of the best events that the city has to offer fall on the same 2 weekends every year: one in the Spring, and one in the Fall. I don’t know if these events should be spread out more throughout the year, but I do know that it can be difficult to prioritize, and there’s been a few times where I had previous arrangements and had to take a big red X to my imaginary calendar. Still, if I am in town, it’s almost fun to try to do as much as possible. Here’s a quick list. If there’s anything else you know about that I’ve missed, feel free to mention them and I’ll try to add them. Irish Fest … Read entire article »

Local Art blog On the Cusp has posted a press release from Big Car Gallery regarding a new grant they have procured. They plan on using the funds to spotlight Indy neighborhoods through a community arts series titled Made For Each Other. Be sure to check out all of the photo galleries and the slide show on a community center known as Miracle Place on the Near East Side. … Read entire article »

The Urbanophile’s guest post on Recreational Hinterlands has inspired me to take a bit of a detour from my usual posts on urban structures and transit . This post reminded me that I had not spent much time in the woods this year. And, as usual, one place in particular calls my name: Shades State Park. Shades is unique for many reasons. It is barely an hour from Indianapolis, yet you can walk on trail after trail in almost complete solitude. There are many different trails through the narrow ravines, so that you can descend towards Sugar Creek in one valley, and ascend back to the park entrance in an adjacent valley. And then you could do that again, and again. Along the way you … Read entire article »

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a post on a corner building. This is located on the southeast corner of Brookside Parkway and Olney. I’ve been disc golfing quite a bit lately, and this building stands out in a mostly residential area. There’s a barber shop/convenience store located in this building, and I’m glad to see some activity in it. The building for Brookside Park on the north side of the street. The southwest … Read entire article »

Hoosier Beer Geek has written about the new venture for Upland Beer, located at the corner of 49th and College. The blog mentions that Upland wants to be a part of an up-and-coming neighborhood, and to be away from the Broad Ripple party scene. I’d imagine that the rent for the space is quite a bit cheaper, as well. Also, chef Greg Hardesty is looking to add a new restaurant on the opposite corner. At 46th street, a long neglected building on the northeast corner is getting a facelift from an unlikely source: an Indonesian Restaurant. I visited the restaurant last weekend and talked to the owner, who hopes to open up soon. He mentioned that he was paying 1/3 of the rent compared to … Read entire article »

One of the cool parts about waiting for the bus downtown is that the stop is located along a stretch of Delaware Avenue with varied, interesting buildings. My favorite is this one: At first look, it’s repeats a pattern. However, there are many subtle differences within the facade. It’s basically a “spot the differences” game. … Read entire article »