Two Giant White Pine Trees Dominate South Arlington Avenue

     The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now. (Chinese Proverb)     

      Irvington has always been a leafy neighborhood. The founders of the community had an expectation that residents would plant trees. Some of those early trees still shade the narrow streets. Century-old maples, oaks, catalpas, and numerous other species can be found throughout the area. When Rodolfo (Rudy) and Christina Garza purchased the bungalow at 44 South Arlington Avenue in 1970, they noticed that the front yard was bereft of trees. While they did have a beautiful persimmon tree in the backyard, the couple wished for some shade or beauty along Arlington. In 1974, they traveled to visit a friend's property in Trafalgar, Indiana with the idea of digging up a few saplings for their Irvington property. Christina wanted dogwood trees, but they couldn't seem to locate any so they settled on two small white pine trees. They loaded the two evergreens atop their long Ford station wagon and drove home. Mr. Garza planted the pines and over the years the family marveled at the fast growth of the trees.

     Mrs. Garza particularly liked to use the branches and pinecones to decorate the home at Christmas. Over the years, their children enjoyed racing around the trees and in some cases jumping over them which is why one tree is shorter than the other.  As the trees matured, the utility company asked the Garzas to trim some of the lower branches so that the water meter could be read properly. By 2021, both trees were still standing at four and five-stories tall despite some harsh winter winds and strong summer storms. The half-a-century-old trees could live for another fifty to one hundred years. 

Rodolfo (Rudy) and Christina Garza purchased 44 South Arlington Avenue in 1970. Four years later they planted two white pine trees in the front yard. In 1979, they posed next to one of the pines. Behind the couple, you can see several homes in the 100 block of South Arlington Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Garza family)

Rodolfo (Rudy) Garza proudly posed next to one of his pine trees after a winter storm in 1980. Behind Mr. Garza, you can seen the wintry scene at the intersection of South Arlington and Julian Avenues. (photo courtesy of the Garza family)

Rodolfo (Rudy) Garza posed with daughters, Sonia Johnson and Regina Garza in 1979 next to one of the pine trees in their front yard at 44 South Arlington Avenue. Behind the family, you can see 17, 21, 27, 31, and 33 South Arlington Avenue. 17 South Arlington was later demolished for a CVS Pharmacy. (photo courtesy of the Garza family)

Regina Garza, the daughter of Rudy and Christina Garza, posed next to one of the pine trees in 1979 in her front yard at 44 South Arlington Avenue. Behind her, you can see 103, 107, 109, and 115 South Arlington Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Garza family)

In 2021, the white pine trees planted by the Garza family in 1974 now tower over the small bungalow at 44 South Arlington Avenue. (photo William Gulde)

I wish to thank Rudy and Christina Garza, Regina Garza Ruopoli, and Jon Oliger for photos and information regarding this post. 

South Arlington Avenue Intersection Then and Now

      Rodolfo (Rudy) and Christina Garza purchased the modest bungalow at 44 South Arlington Avenue in 1970 and remained for the next 47 years. The Garza family photos not only capture important moments in their lives, but the photographers also inadvertently documented structures along that street that are now lost to time. 

     South Arlington and Julian Avenues: In the first photograph, likely snapped in 1971, Regina Garza and her sister Sonia Johnson, stand on the sidewalk leading up to 44 South Arlington Avenue. Behind the girls, you can see members of the extended family walking along the street. The intersection visible in the photo is that of Julian and South Arlington Avenues. Along Julian you can see the large two-story garage that used to stand behind 103 South Arlington Avenue. The tall tree seen behind the girls, is gone and is now merely a stump in an empty lot in 2021. The photo reveals that Arlington used to be very narrow and that the 6000 block of Julian Avenue had no sidewalks at that point in history. 

Regina Garza and Sonia Johnson stand along the sidewalk leading up to 44 South Arlington Avenue in 1971. (Photo courtesy of the Garza family)

Lost Irvington--39 South Arlington Avenue:  Likely snapped in the winter of 1975, Sonia Johnson posed next to the pine tree planted by her father, Rudy Garza, in the front yard of their home at 44 South Arlington Avenue. Behind her, you can see a car driving south along pre-widened Arlington Avenue. The most visible home in the photo belonged to her Grandpa and Grandma Willett of 39 South Arlington. The small cottage was likely built in 1905, for Charles Wambold, a painter and "paper-hanger." Numerous families lived in residence over the years including the Armstrongs, Vannettes, the Reeds, the Coreys, Kelleys, and the Willetts. For many years, the house sat empty and appeared abandoned. It was demolished sometime after 2007. 

Sonia Johnson posed in her front yard at 44 South Arlington most likely in the winter of 1975. The pine tree next to her is four stories tall in 2021. (Photo courtesy of the Garza family) 

The Roaring Twenties Meets the 1980s:  Sisters, Sonia Johnson and Regina Garza, posed in their front yard at 44 South Arlington Avenue in the winter of 1980. The fashionable teens both attended IPS #57 and later Howe High School. Behind the young women, a garage belonging to the Willett family at 39 South Arlington is visible. A small news item in the Indianapolis Star reveals that Alfred L. Reed applied for a building permit to erect the garage in September of 1925. The structure has since been razed. 

Sonia Johnson and Regina Garza posed in front of 44 South Arlington Avenue in the winter of 1980.

 (photo courtesy of Garza family)

  

A Quiet Field:  Lots 10 and 11 of Tilford and Thrasher's Addition are both empty in 2021. Fireflies, bees, and many birds now call this plot of land "home." Little evidence of the house and the garage once located on the land still exist although some yarrow planted near the front of the cottage blooms without fail and landscape rock near the former garage still rests along the back alley. 

Taken from the front porch at 44 South Arlington Avenue on the morning of July 13, 2021. (William Gulde)

Sources: I wish to thank Regina Garza Ruopoli, Christina Garza, and Rodolfo Garza for the generous loan of their photos and for their stories of 44 South Arlington Avenue. I also wish to thank Jon Oliger for his memories of Arlington Avenue. Other sources on the history of the 39 South Arlington Avenue include:  Erection of 39 South Arlington--Indiana Tribune, April 22, 1905, 4; Information on families of 39 South Arlington--Polk's Indianapolis City Directories, and US Federal Census records for 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940. Erection of Garage--Indianapolis Star, September 25, 1925, 13.