On May 13, 1946, three kids stopped playing at 862 North Bosart Avenue and posed for a photographer who might have been a family member or neighbor. Otto D. and Mary Schrum had only recently moved from the Little Flower neighborhood and into the Emerson Heights residence with their six children. Mr. Schrum earned a steady living as railway mail clerk for the U.S. Post Office.
Indianapolis is filled with American Foursquare homes like this one. The boxy house could easily fit on narrow urban lots. Several families had already lived in this Bosart Avenue home. An ad in 1936 in the Indianapolis Star for 862 North Bosart Avenue described it as:
Attractive home with three large cross ventilated bedrooms, long living room and dining room; bright and cheerful kitchen with cabinets and breakfast room. Full basement, lovely lot. 2-car garage.
Part of the Arts and Crafts movement, Foursquares usually had a hipped roof with a dormer or two in the attic. They are also characterized with long front porches, a perfect place to gather on warm spring days like the kids did in the photo below.
The Schrum family resided in the house for decades. The Irvington Historical Society obtained the photo from EBay and added it to their photography archive.
 |
| Kids posed on the porch at the Otto and Mary Schrum residence at 862 North Bosart Avenue on May 13, 1946. |
The Indiana Album has more Schrum family photos. To see those images click on the link below:
Sources: Obituary for Otto D. Schrum--Indianapolis News, June 21, 1961, p. 24; Obit for Mary Schrum--Indianapolis News, October 24, 1984, p. 50; Ad for sale--Indianapolis Star, May 31, 1936, p. 40: 1950 Federal Census and Polk's Indianapolis City Directories 1925-1989.
Nice photo. I see there's a tree in front of the house now.
ReplyDeleteTrue! Planted sometime after 1946!
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting story Bill. I lived in a house much like that on Lowell Street east of Arlington in 1953 to 1957.. At the time I lived there, it had been made into a two family house with an upstairs dwelling and downstairs dwelling, but since that time I found out from you that it has been changed to a one family house again, which was how it was originally built. I went by the house on Lowell a few weeks ago when I was back in Indianapolis and was happy to see it still looked pretty good for its age.!
ReplyDelete