Urban Indy » Archive for June 2010
IMA Art and Nature Park
I may be about the last blogger to report on the new IMA Art and Nature Park. IBJ has a good run-down of the national coverage the park has received. I visited this park by riding my bike down the Canal Towpath, which is an underrated asset of this city. Perhaps it will become better known with this new prominent public space. I started my tour off at the Visitor’s center, which is … Read entire article »
Filed under: Historical Posts
Cultural Trail: Walnut Street thoughts
Yesterday, I finally had a chance to walk the newest section of the Cultural Trail along Walnut Street. Unfortunately, I was without my camera, but visuals will be better if I wait until the unveiling of the Glick Peace Walk. The Walnut Street portion of the trail has a different feel than the completed Alabama Street portion. The street itself is narrow and lightly trafficked by vehicles. It’s closed to autos now, but there still won’t be many when it opens back up. This helps to give the pedestrian a feeling of safety and ownership of the space. This also makes it a fine choice for the Peace Walk, which is intended to be a thoughtful exhibit. The structures along the street are sparse, but relatively close … Read entire article »
Filed under: Historical Posts
Jefferson Apartments
Recently, the city unveiled a renovation of Jefferson Apartments on East 10th Street, which is intended to become a home ownership incubator. The picture of the finished building in the article (which I can no longer find) intrigued me, so I made a mental note to stop by to see for myself. Google Street View actually allows 2 different views of the property. This one was taken before any renovation took place: Same corner, under … Read entire article »
Filed under: Historical Posts
Generic Facades Masking our History
The remodel of the former H&H Mart on Washington Street for this redevelopment project has unveiled a simple, but intriguing, historic detail. I almost couldn’t wait to get a good look at it for myself after I found out about it: Here’s the McOuat building next door, also undergoing renovation: With the sudden glimpse of detail that the city had been deprived of, one has to wonder what is hiding behind our other stone coverings at … Read entire article »
Filed under: Historical Posts
Fountain Square was Buzzing on First Friday
Fountain Square’s business district has come quite a long way since my first visit less than a decade ago. There is much more to the neighborhood than restaurants, but they are a decent indicator of the change that has taken place there. If I recall correctly, here is a list of the restaurants that were around on that first visit: Santorini’s, in the building across from Fountain Square TheatreFountain Square DinerA place called Something DifferentPeppy’sJ.S. Reutz Café (which has re-opened on Prospect 7 years later)That 936 Bistro place where Siam Square is now That’s all I can think of at this moment, but I’m sure I’m missing something. Regardless, listing all of the eateries that are in Fountain Square presently is almost a silly idea. There seems to be a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Historical Posts
Want More Urban Revitalization? Encourage Bicycles
The Indianapolis downtown success story has been well-documented. However, one area where we have struggled is in revitalizing historic buildings with little or no off-street parking. The Illinois Building and Consolidated Building are over 10 stories tall, and have been empty for years. The stretch of East Washington Street one block east of Meridian is still largely underutilized, even with new first level tenants. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to believe that our town’s developers and investors look at these structures with a sense of dread and hopelessness due to the parking situation. It is likely that the parking situation for these places will not change. That means it’s time to get creative. Bicycles, obviously, take up much less space than cars. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Historical Posts
Highland Stacks Receives National Press
The Highland Stacks are 6 attractive modern townhomes located in Holy Cross Neighborhood built by Re-Development Group. They received the cover story of EcoHome Magazine (starting on page 18) for their project, which features a great deal of unique energy and resource saving amenities, including a roof made from recycled materials and siding made with reclaimed ash from power plants. One urban design quibble that should be mentioned is the first story garage with entry from the street. The townhomes do not have alley access. Otherwise, the project seems to fit the neighborhood successfully. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Historical Posts
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