Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Shadeland Avenue Construction--1959



The construction of Shadeland Avenue in the late 1950s changed Irvington after its completion. Businesses that operated in the neighborhood for years, moved out to the new byway. The construction of the Eastgate Mall also lured many other Irvington shop owners away from the community. Thankfully, part of East Washington Street in Irvington is experiencing a renaissance with new restaurants, gift shops, a brewery, a bookstore, coffee shops, and numerous other businesses in 2012.

In today's posts you can see Shadeland Avenue under construction in 1959. In the top photo, the photographer is facing north towards Washington Street, but he is standing on the future English Avenue interchange. If you look closely, you can see the water tower near Edmondson and East Washington Street. In the bottom picture, you will see that engineers had not completed the road south of English Avenue. Notice the peaceful woodlands and pasture land. Fifteen-year-old Bill Ferling took these shots in 1959.

No comments:

Post a Comment