Bittle's Tourist Court East of Irvington Along the National Road

With the advent of the automobile and the paving of state and federal highways, thousands of Americans began to travel across the country. Many of them pulled into roadside cabins on their way through the state of Indiana. A recent Smithsonian magazine article, penned by Andrew Wood, noted that entrepreneurs constructed many of these sites along busy routes with 1964 as the peak year with 61,000 tourist camps or courts in the United States. Travelers merely had to pull into the court and they could park next to their cabin. The demise of the roadside inn came with the construction of the interstate system along with the rise of the corporate hotel chain. Many mom and pop places like Bittle's Court at 7628 East Washington Street did not survive those movements.

Located two miles east of Irvington along the National Road, Bittle's Court opened sometime in the mid or late 1930s. James E. and Cora Bittle built the cabins near a tourist trailer camp along the busy National Road. Mr. Bittle's obituary indicates that he might have opened the court as early as 1935. An ad in a 1938 Indianapolis Star, touted Bittle's Cabin-Trailer Court, Sandwich, candies, soft drinks. 

The tourist camp was a family affair as Mr. Bittle sons, Keith and James, Jr., eventually operated the site. In an obituary, reporter Bess Watson described James E. Bittle, Sr. as an "active man" and a "smart dresser" who had a "dynamic personality." He died in 1955 at the age of 89.

In 1953, Henry Wood, a journalist for the Indianapolis Star Magazine, interviewed Keith Bittle for a story on the roadside attraction. Mr. Bittle told the reporter many stories that had occurred on the site including the birth of a few babies, the desertion of a bride, and of a suicide by a local nurse. He also noted that many young honeymooners paid a visit to Bittle's Court.  In 1939, bandits arrived in the middle of the night and forced the manager at gun point to open the cash register. The thieves fled the scene with twelve more dollars.  In 1961, the FBI tracked down a woman from Erie, Pennsylvania to the court. She had rented a car for the day in that town but kept it for several months and put nearly 8,000 miles on the car!

Th 7500-7800 block of East Washington Street saw a lot of development in the 1940s. Next door to the Bittle Court, at 7712 E. Washington Street, investors opened a bowling alley designed by R.C. Lennox and J. C. Matthews. Across the street, Frank Andrews opened the Golden Pheasant Restaurant in 1946. (see link)

Much of the area changed dramatically when the federal government decided to build a segment of Interstate 465 in eastern Marion County in 1965.  The Bittles sold their property to the federal government. A public notice placed in the Indianapolis Star on December 31, 1964, described each structure to be removed.  Tourist court consisting of brick veneer house, garage, stucco apartment building, frame apartment building, concrete block boiler building, and 22 frame tourist cabins. Formerly known as Bittle's Tourist Court... 

Aerial photo of Bittle's Court at 7628 East Washington Street along with the Pritchett-Hunt-O'Grady Bowling Alley at 7712 East Washington Street c1947. Across the street, you can see the recently constructed Golden Pheasant Restaurant. (postcard courtesy of Don Flick) 

Rear of the postcard for Bittle's Tourist Court at 7628 East Washington Street (Postcard courtesy of Don Flick)

Bittle's Tourist Cabins at 7623 East Washington Street (formerly 7608 East Washington Street) c1940 (postcard courtesy of Evan Finch and the Indiana Album) 

I wish to thank Don Flick for the use of the postcard and for the information for this post.

Sources: Bess Watson, "James Bittle Opened First Motel Here," Indianapolis News, July 8, 1955, 18; "James W. Bittle Dies; Former Owner of Motel," Indianapolis Star, May 18, 1972, 37; Henry Wood, "Anything Can Happen," Indianapolis Star Magazine, February 22, 1953, 6-7; Andrew Wood, "Rise and Fall of the Great American Motel," Smithsonian Magazine, June 30, 2017; "Kidnapped, Robbed By Masked Bandits," Indianapolis Star, November 20, 1939, 13; "Woman Held in Theft," Indianapolis News, September 18, 1961, 1; "Public Notices," Indianapolis Star, December 31, 1964, 28.

Building for Sale East of Irvington--1958

After World War II, many families began to move further east of Irvington and into the rural parts of Warren Township. Entrepreneurs developed housing subdivisions while others built Eastgate Shopping Mall and other commercial endeavors along East Washington Street.

In 1946, Frank E. Adams opened the Golden Pheasant Restaurant at 7803 East Washington Street. Mr. Andrews already owned a restaurant at 1606 North Illinois Street so he might have overextended himself as he soon ran into financial trouble. Although the restaurant was located just a few miles east of Irvington, it was largely still out in the country. Within a year, Mr. Andrews ran into another road block when he applied for a liquor license as he wanted to open the Flamingo Bar in the basement of the new structure, but residents of Warren Township fought him due to the proximity of a school that used to sit along East Washington Street and Franklin Road. By 1948, he was out of business and out of money.

In 1948, Marvin L. Jones purchased the site and opened Jones Restaurant and Drive-In. Local east side organizations frequently rented out rooms in the facility for banquets or meetings. The restaurant remained opened for ten years. Mr. Jones placed the building and grounds on the market in December of 1958. Postcards of 7803 East Washington Street were mailed out to several realtors including Van's Realty Company located at 1333 North College Avenue. Potential buyers just needed to ring up Fleetwood 6-5544 to get information.

In 1959, the site became home to a Rambler automobile dealership which last until the 1970s when the entire property was redeveloped for what would become Service Merchandise. There is a building on the site of the former Art Modern structure, but it is unclear if any of the original structure remains.

In December of 1958, cards advertising the sale of 7803 East Washington Street were sent out to various realtors in the city of Indianapolis. (card courtesy of Glory June Greiff) 

Van's Realty Co. received the card advertising the sale of 7803 East Washington Street in December of 1958. (card courtesy of Glory June Greiff) 

Frank Andrews opened the Golden Pheasant Restaurant at 7803 East Washington Street in December of 1946. (courtesy of Indianapolis Star)

The Golden Pheasant Restaurant at 7803 East Washington Street, operated by Frank Andrews, reflected the racial codes of the day. African-Americans who wanted a job at the restaurant could only apply for certain positions. (courtesy of Indianapolis Star)

In 1948, Marvin Jones opened Jones Restaurant and Drive-In at 7803 East Washington Street and remained in business for ten years. (courtesy of Indianapolis Star)

In 1959, the property became the site of Rambler auto dealership. (courtesy of Indianapolis Star)

Bill Grawemeyer operated the Rambler auto dealership at 7803 East Washington Street in 1959. Mr. Graweyer's map is not quite accurate, but he wanted to show how close the business was to the new Eastgate Mall. (courtesy of Indianapolis Star)

Ramblers were for sale at 7803 East Washington Street in 1959. (courtesy of Indianapolis Star)

A Warren Township School, formerly located at 7935 East Washington Street, can be seen in this newspaper photo from 1959. (courtesy of Indianapolis Star)

Sources: "Club Drops Liquor Plea," Indianapolis Star, November 11, 1947, 10; "Restaurant Owner Broke, Suit Says," November 15, 1947, 15; "Jones Interests Plan Restaurant," Indianapolis Star, April 29, 1948, 4;

South Arlington Avenue--1965

On Friday, June 4, 1965, a member of the Indianapolis Police Department arrived in Irvington to document some of the larger potholes around the neighborhood and found a sizable crater at the intersection of South Arlington and Beechwood Avenues.  The photographer snapped the image before the street was widened as residents on the eastern side of Arlington Avenue used to have more of a front yard. So who might have been home on that sunny day?  Likely no one as most of the folks along that block had full-time jobs.

The front porch, visible in the foreground of the photo, is that of 429 South Arlington Avenue on the southeast corner of Arlington and Beechwood Avenues. Bernice H. Bunner, the widow of Gale Bunner, lived in that house and was most likely at her job at a Sears Department Store where she was an office worker. Next door at 431 South Arlington Avenue, lived Ralph and Florence Brokenhamer. They were a busy couple as they ran the Dog N Suds Drive-In at 6020 Brookville Road. Mr. Brokenhamer made headlines in the Indianapolis News in 1961 when he found a wallet containing $1000 at his drive-in. He called the police and they successfully found the grateful owner.

Living in the bungalow at 437 South Arlington Avenue, was James F. and Sherron Skaggs. Were they home when the photo was snapped? Mr. Skaggs was most likely at work where he was the assistant manager for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. Louis T. and Marguerite Mertz resided next door at 439 South Arlington Avenue. Mr. Mertz managed the Anchor Inn Restaurant at 1616 North Arlington Avenue while his wife worked in the office at St. Francis Hospital.

In the only two-story home visible in the photo, resided Aaron and Eura York and their family at 443 South Arlington Avenue.  Mr. York at the time worked as a distributer for the Schilling Chilling Company. He worked in the heating and cooling industry for decades.  The only other home that can be seen this image is that of 451 South Arlington Avenue as the small house at 447 South Arlington had not yet been built. Arthur L. and Naomi P. Burns lived in the bungalow at 451 South Arlington. Mr. Burns served as an accountant for the Real Silk Company located on Massachusetts Avenue.

400 block of South Arlington Avenue on June 4, 1965 (photo courtesy of Patrick Pearsey)

400 block of South Arlington Avenue on April 7, 2020

I wish to thank Patrick Pearsey, who chronicles the history of the Indianapolis Police Department. 

Sources: Polk's Indianapolis City Directory, 1965; "Drive-in Owner Finds $1000.06," Indianapolis News, June 3, 1961, 13.