Layers Removed---Past Revealed along Julian Avenue

It was time for the city of Indianapolis to resurface the 5700 block of Julian Avenue as it had been in bad shape.  Under the layers of asphalt, the beautiful brick street that served the neighborhood started to appear.  Most of Irvington's streets used to be brick so the fact that workers uncovered this material is not surprising.  What might surprise some residents is the fact that this section of Julian Avenue used to have a streetcar track! Streetcars used to come down South Audubon Road to the commercial corridor in the 200 block.  Since there was only one track, the cars would have to back up on the same line. Conductors would then back onto Julian Avenue so they could turn around and return to East Washington Street.  If you look closely, you can see the ghosts of this former small section of track on Julian Avenue.  Irvington residents should walk over and view the street quickly as new asphalt will soon cover this piece of history for another fifty to one hundred years.  The Irvington Historical Society has a photo of a streetcar on Julian Avenue (1914) on display in the Bona Thompson Building.

A streetcar track was laid on Julian Avenue so that the streetcars could turn around and head back up to East Washington Street.  This photo was taken on May 4, 2013.