Posted in: Historic Miscellania New Life at Central State Part III: The 1899 Building

The 1899 Building, formerly the Men’s Dining Hall for Central State Hospital. (Photo: 1899indy.com) When last RWAV headed west, we visited Central State Hospital’s Administration Building in the middle of its restoration and transformation into “Central...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania The Scot Butler House and the Office in the Round

The former Board of Church Extension Building or “office in the round” at 110 South Downey Avenue. Photo: courtesy  Irvington Historical Society This edition of A Room with a View is going to be a...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Riverside Pumping Station

Citizen’s Water Co. Riverside Pumping House at 1201 Waterway Boulevard – Photo by Ryan Hamlett Looking north from West 10th Street by the IUPUI/Eskenazi Health campus, a lonesome, grand municipal building peers back from the...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Indiana City Brewery (Home Brewing Company Bottling Building)

In case you missed it the first time we published it… Early last year, our own Joan Hostetler featured the Home Brewing Company for a February 2013  “Indianapolis: Then and Now” feature. Today in A Room with a...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania The Indianapolis Chain and Stamping Co.

Photo courtesy of Diamond Chain Co. There is a building on Indianapolis’ near southwest side that is easily forgettable as one drives into downtown on Kentucky Ave. Yet, the story behind this century old factory...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Return to the Mysterious Tombstones at Kessler and Keystone

This past August, we ran a feature on the tiny cemetery at the southeast corner of Kessler Boulevard and Keystone Avenue. Its purpose and origins had been something that had intrigued me for ages, though I...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Frances Farmer Will Find Her Peace in Fishers

A newly discovered Frances Farmer in 1935 The internet. In 1994, almost none of us had heard of it, even fewer of us had reason to use it. Twenty years later, it’s how we communicate,...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania The House of Blue Lights

Once upon a time, it was a rite of passage for Indianapolis teenagers to park their cars at the end of a long, wooded drive off of Fall Creek Road on the northeast side. They traversed...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Reminders of Indy’s Transit Past

As summer road construction season comes to its seasonal decline, workers downtown have been diligently ripping Delaware Street into shreds, producing waist-deep holes through which they can repair the city’s subterranean infrastructure. In one such...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania The Lyric Theater

Just as the popularity of Netflix and Redboxes have yielded thousands of vacant storefronts across the county once occupied by Blockbuster Video stores, television’s popularity led to the near extinction of the double purpose stage/movie...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania The Graham-Stephenson House

The Graham-Stephenson House in Irivington – Photo by Ryan Hamlett As the nights grow crisp and cool, the coming fall always reminds me of my childhood in Irvington. Though the October festivities at Connor Prairie...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Lake Reginald Sullivan

Lake Reginald Sullivan on Indy’s near northwest side. – Photo by Ryan Hamlett There is little evidence to remind us of Indianapolis’ swampy beginnings here as we approach our 200th year of existence. The forests...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Heslar Naval Armory

Heslar Naval Armory – Photo by Ryan Hamlett Who knew such a beautiful and strangely located building on Indianapolis’ near northwest side could have played a pivotal role in defeating Hitler’s goosesteping hate-mongers? What was...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Oliver Johnson’s Woods

Oliver Johnson’s Farmhouse (photo by Ryan Hamlett) While doing research for last week’s article about the remnants of the Bacon Cemetery at Kessler and Keystone, I was scanning through Google Maps to get a bird’s...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Indiana City Brewery (Home Brewing Company Bottling Building)

Three original Home Brewing Company bottles in the Indiana City Brewery tasting room. – Photo by Ryan Hamlett Earlier this year, our own Joan Hostetler featured the Home Brewing Company for a Feburary “Indianapolis: Then and Now”...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Landmark for Peace Memorial, MLK Park

The Landmark for Peace Memorial at Martin Luther King Jr. Park – Photo by Ryan Hamlett While HistoricIndianapolis.com is by no means a platform from which to editorialize on current events whether they be they...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Stout Army Air Field

Stormy skies look to keep aircraft long since missing from this 1940’s hangar along Holt Road grounded. – Photo by Ryan Hamlett Heading west into stormy skies this past weekend, I set off to discover...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Pan Am Plaza

Over 26 years ago, Indianapolis was making huge strides in changing its struggling, rust-belt image out of that of a dusty blip in fly-over country into a mecca for amateur and professional sports. The national...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Albert R. Worm Building

Albert R. Worm Building at 1223 West Oliver Avenue – Photo by Ryan Hamlett A day after the Nationwide OTR Recycling plant at 220 S. Belmont pelted downtown and the near southwest side with toxic...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Wilbur Shaw Memorial Hill

Practicing for the Big Race – Photo by Ryan Hamlett The name Wilbur Shaw is synonymous with auto racing in Indianapolis. The three time 500 winner (’37,’39 & ’40) Shelbyville native was the last Hoosier...

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