Who Lived Here? An Otolaryngologist and His Family Along Irvington Avenue

Dr. Daniel Shimer Adams and Ruth Brown Adams moved into the large house at 59 North Irvington Avenue in 1924. The 48-year-old ear, nose, and throat doctor worked downtown and had lived in a few other neighborhood homes before finally settling down on Irvington Avenue. The couple were married in Wanamaker in southeastern Marion County in the spring of 1910. They dwelled in that region of the county during the early years of their marriage, but eventually moved to homes along both Audubon Road and East Washington Street. Dr. Adams was the grandson of William and Susan Shimer, who were prominent farmers along Brookville Road in southern Irvington. Mrs. Adams was an active club woman and frequently hosted the Irvington Chautauqua Reading Club at 59 Irvington Avenue.  Society snippets from the Indianapolis Star revealed that she was also quite active with the Butler University Alumni Association. The couple had two children, George E. and Mary E.  The family dwelled in the large house throughout the Great Depression and moved from Irvington in 1941. Dr. Adams lived until 1964 and Mrs. Adams passed away in 1976.

Sometime in 1926 Dr. Adams sat for this photograph, which he submitted to the publisher of Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis.

59 North Irvington in 2015: This late-nineteenth-century home was converted into apartments in 1946.