Irvington at 150: Street Names A-D

 Anyone researching their historic home in Irvington must understand that some of the street names in the neighborhood have been changed two and three times. To complicate matters even further, addresses have also been changed. Local historian, Larry Muncie, has done much of the groundwork on the history of street names. In one of his books, Irvington: Three Windows on Irvington History (1989), Mr. Muncie even provides maps to help understand the changes. 

Irvington was a separate town from 1870 until it was annexed by the city of Indianapolis in 1902. There appears to have been two major corrections on street names in the area. The first came in 1898 when the town board tried to clear up the confusion for some of the names. The next major correction occurred in 1903 when an engineer working for the city of Indianapolis recommended that several street names be changed due to similar or exact names within the city of Indianapolis. There were other years when names changed, but those two were the most important. 

After Butler University moved into the neighborhood, developers made an effort to name some of the streets after prominent writers or scholars. They also named several of the avenues after early families. In some cases, we do not know the origin of the name but we can speculate. In the following series, we will attempt to clarify the origin of the neighborhood's street names. If you have additional information on street names, please let us know! 

Arlington Avenue: Formerly called Line Street, the earliest known use of "Arlington Avenue" appears in an April 8, 1896 Indianapolis News article, (9) about a rail line in Irvington. Two years later, the Irvington Town Board formerly adopted the name. The presumption is that the street is named after Arlington Cemetery in Virginia; however, there is no evidence for this fact yet. Arlington Avenue (Line) is one of the original streets of Irvington. 

Atherton Drive: When investors redeveloped Butler University's Irvington campus into a housing addition in the mid-1940s, they added Atherton Drive. They named the circular street after John H. Atherton, the long-time Secretary-Treasure for Butler University. Mr. Atherton raised millions of dollars for the school over the years and was instrumental in securing the Fairview site for the campus; thus spelling the doom for the Irvington location. 

John J. Atherton (courtesy of Indianapolis News, March 22, 1944)

Audubon Road: When the founders of Irvington placed covenants upon the residents, they decreed that no birds could be shot within the town limits. So, in 1903, when the neighborhood had to change the name of Central Avenue, they chose to rename it after John James Audubon, the famous naturalist and birder.  To complicate the matter even further, Audubon Road north of Lowell Avenue used to be called Maxwell Street. That small section was also renamed in 1903 after the birder. Audubon Road (Central) is one of the original streets of Irvington. 

Portrait of the naturalist, John James Audubon in 1826 (public domain)

Auvergne Avenue: James Downey and Charles Brouse had grand ideas when they platted their addition to Irvington in the far southwestern part of the neighborhood in the mid-1870s. They envisioned beautiful villas on large lots. While at least a handful of imposing homes were constructed, their vision was compromised by the economic depression that lingered through the 1870s. They named one of their winding streets, Auvergne Avenue, after the region in France. Most of the residences along the small street were largely constructed after World War II but at least one nineteenth-century home still remains at 740 Auvergne Avenue. 

James Downey and Charles Brouse named one of their platted streets after the Auvergne region in France. (public domain)

Bancroft Street: While this street is often associated with the Emerson Heights neighborhood, it actually has its origins in Irvington. The street has had three separate names. The link north of the Pennsylvania Railroad and south of Howe High School used to be called Brook Street. Another link between University Avenue and Brookville Road was formerly known as Parker Street. The Irvington Town Board changed those two names in 1898 to Bancroft. Later in 1903, the city of Indianapolis changed Pleasant Street just north of Washington Street to Bancroft as well. Although unconfirmed, the street was likely named after the American historian George Bancroft. (1800-1891)

Bankers Lane:  The small street that connects East Washington Street to Pleasant Run Parkway South Drive first appeared in the Indianapolis City Directory in 1941. Named for Frances and Anna Banker, who resided at 4711 East Washington Street next to the lane, the street became well known because of the streamlined Art-Deco apartments built along it in 1943. Mr. Banker earned a comfortable living as the president of the Brooklyn Brick Company. He also owned an extensive property in South Dakota. 

A photo from his obituary published in the Indianapolis News, November 26, 1945

Photo published in her obituary in the Indianapolis Star, October 1, 1944.

Beechwood Avenue: One of Irvington's original streets, the southern avenue was likely named for the large numbers of beech trees that still existed when Julian and Johnson platted the town. East of Arlington Avenue, the street used to be known as Center Street.

Berry Avenue: One of Irvington's shortest streets, Berry Avenue, was formerly called Perry Street until 1903. The old name had to be changed after the city of Indianapolis annexed the town. The origin of the name is unknown at this time.

Bolton Avenue: Formerly called Maple Avenue, the city of Indianapolis changed the name to Bolton Avenue after the poet Sarah T. Bolton in 1903. Although largely forgotten today, Mrs. Bolton was a popular poet in Indiana in the nineteenth century. Her most famous poem was "Paddle Your Own Canoe." A nearby park in Beech Grove is also named for her as she owned land there. 

City officials wanted to change the name from Maple to Tarkington Avenue, but local residents objected due to the length of the writer's name so they compromised on renaming the street after the Indiana poet, Sarah T. Bolton. (public domain)

Bonna Avenue: The tragic story of Bona Thompson is now quite frequently told in Irvington. The young Butler graduate went on a European tour with her mother, but became ill and died of typhoid fever. Her grief-stricken parents donated the money and the land for the Bona Thompson Library at Butler's Irvington campus in 1902.  When city officials needed to change the name of Railroad Street in 1906 they blundered and misspelled the new street name as Bonna instead of Bona. For more than a century, no one has bothered to change the incorrect spelling of Miss Thompson's name. 

Bosart Avenue: The Bosart family, who resided in the large brick home formerly belonging to the Wallace family at 4704 East Washington Street, owned the land on what would become Bosart Avenue. As both the city of Indianapolis and Irvington started to expand, the Bosart land became highly valuable in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 

Ruth Bosart (1858-1943)

Timothy Bosart (1844-1900) (photos courtesy of the Bosart family via Ancestry.com) 

Brookville Road: The old highway known as Brookville Road predates Irvington by many years and is named for the city in southeastern Indiana. Later federal highway officials gave it the number U.S. 52. 

Burgess Avenue: Due to the fact that it meanders, town founders seemed to confused as to where Burgess Avenue terminated. Josephus Collet named the original Burgess Avenue in his addition after the Reverend Otis A. Burgess, the president of Butler University in the 1870s. His street started east of Emerson Avenue (then National) and then snaked south of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad all the way to Ritter Avenue. Then, in 1898, local officials decided to rename Grand Avenue in between University and Ritter as Burgess as well. That section of Burgess Avenue (then Grand) was part of the original plat. 

The Reverend Otis Burgess was responsible for moving Butler University (then North Western Christian University) to Irvington in 1875. Developer Joseph Collet named a street after him. 

Butler Avenue: North Western Christian University moved to Irvington in 1875. They changed their name to Butler University in 1877. The nearby street just east of campus was also named Butler Avenue. In 1898, town officials changed a small section of Lake Street from Washington Street to the Pennsylvania Railroad as Butler Avenue as well. 

Campbell Avenue: John W. Chambers platted four additions near Lowell Avenue in the early 1870s. By the end of the decade, he faced legal trouble like many land speculators after the Panic of 1873. It was Chambers who named a small street north of Lowell Avenue (then Walnut Street) and south of Michigan Street (then Chambers Street) as Campbell. It is unknown at this time why Campbell was chosen as the name although Mr. Chambers did name other streets in his subdivisions after fellow investors. 

Addendum: Steve Barnett, the director of the Irvington Historical Society, notes that the street might have been named for Dr. John Campbell (1831-1917), who operated an early drug store in the neighborhood. The Campbells moved to Colorado in 1881. 

Catherwood Avenue: Formerly known as Warren Street from Washington to the Pennsylvania Railroad and then as Parkman and Jennison Streets south of the rail line, the city of Indianapolis consolidated all of the names into Catherwood Avenue in 1903. The street was named for the writer Mary C. Catherwood, a writer who briefly lived in Indianapolis in late nineteenth century.  Although her work is forgotten today, her books were widely read in Indianapolis. 

The nineteenth-century regional writer, Mary C. Catherwood (1847-1902), briefly lived in Indianapolis. She was known for her attempt to capture Midwestern regional dialects in her work. (public domain) 

Clyde Avenue: James Downey and Charles Brouse, local developers, envisioned a beautiful community south and west of Irvington. Two of the streets in that development were called Louise (no longer exists) and Clyde. Louise Street was most likely named after the daughter of Charles Brouse. It is not known at this time who Clyde might have been related to as neither Downey nor Brouse seem to have anyone by that name in their families. The addition later became part of Irvington. 

DeQuincy Street: While DeQuincy Street is most commonly associated with the Emerson Heights neighborhood just west of Irvington, the street has its origins in Irvington just north of Washington Street. Originally called Quincy Street, the town board added the "De" in 1898. 

Dewey Avenue: On April 30, 1898, Admiral George Dewey at the Manilla Bay in the Philippines told his subordinate, "You may fire when ready..." Six hours later, the United States Navy defeated the Spanish Navy in that now famous battle as part of the Spanish-American War. Thousands of miles away in the town of Irvington, Indiana leaders in that community sought new names for some of the streets. One of the avenues they wanted to rename was East Street, a very undeveloped meandering path between University and Arlington Avenues. It is believed that when they learned of the victory, local officials renamed the street as Dewey Avenue in 1898. Second Street east of Arlington Avenue in Elizabeth Cain's addition was also renamed for the Admiral. 

Very few streets in Irvington are named for military leaders, but after Admiral George Dewey led the victory against the Spanish in the Philippines, the neighborhood honored him with a street name in 1898. Numerous other municipalities across the country did as well including New York City. (public domain)

Downey Avenue:  Jacob Julian, one of the founders of Irvington, asked his son-in-law, James Downey to join him in the investment. Mr. Downey became one of the chief promoters for the new town. He and his wife Mary also built two of the earliest homes in the neighborhood. Their second residence, a large brick Second-Empire villa was located on the southeastern corner of University (then called Spratt) and Downey Avenue. The Downeys did not remain in Irvington for very long as they moved to the western United States. Despite at least one attempt to rename it, the street name has never been changed. 

An ad placed by James E. Downey for Irvington in the January 19, 1871 edition of the Indianapolis News

Sources: Larry Muncie, Three Windows on Irvington History, 1989; "Changes in Street Names," Indianapolis Journal, January 18, 1903, 3; "Irvington's New Names," Indianapolis News, November 3, 1898, 7; Interview with Steve Barnett, Director of the Irvington Historical Society, November 15, 2020. "Would Change Names of 149 Streets in City," Indianapolis News, December 18, 1916, 8. 

I would like to thank both Larry Muncie and Steve Barnett for their assistance with the research for this post.