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. 

Orlando Little Designed Irvington Home

Wilbur and Julia Cooper Doran had been living in Irvington since their marriage in 1934. They resided along both Burgess and Campbell Avenues. As their family grew, the couple knew that they wanted a bigger house. In the 1940s, the Dorans lived in a small two-bedroom house at 737 North Campbell Avenue with three small children. Mr. Doran earned a comfortable salary as a chemist for the Eli Lilly Company so they had options. After World War II ended, veterans flooded home and houses were hard to find. Many folks began to build ranch houses in new subdivisions in the far parts of the county, but the Dorans were not interested in leaving Irvington. By the late 1940s, there were few available lots in Irvington, but around the corner from their home they noticed an old apple orchard on a single lot in the 5700 block of Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive and purchased it.

5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in 2019 (photo courtesy of Alicia Schwering) 

Sometime in 1949, the Dorans commissioned an architect named Orlando B. Little to design their new home. Miriam Doran Lash, the daughter of Wilbur and Julia Doran, remembers sitting in Mr. Little's office and playing with the model of the house that he had prepared for the family. While more research is needed on this interesting architect, it is known that some of his religious and state-owned structures are still around today. In the 1920s, he designed the barracks for the Indiana Boys School in Plainfield. In 1931, he received the commission to draw up the plans for structures at the Indiana School for the Feeble Minded in Butlerville, Indiana. It is also known that he designed the West Michigan Methodist Episcopal Church at 2132 West Michigan Street in 1924 and the Ray Street Nazarene Church at 1242 West Ray Street in 1952 in Indianapolis.

Orlando B. Little, an architect, designed 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. (photo Indianapolis News, January 21, 1958, 9)

Orlando B. Little designed the West Michigan Street Methodist Episcopal Church in 1924. It still stands at 2132 West Michigan Street in Indianapolis in 2019. 

Orlando B. Little also designed the Ray Street Nazarene Church in 1952. It still stands at 1242 West Ray Street in Indianapolis in 2019. 

Wilbur and Julia Cooper Doran purchased this lot at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in 1949. They hired Orlando B. Little to design a home for them on the site. (historic photo courtesy of Miriam Lash, Jennifer Lash, and Alicia Schwering) 

In the autumn of 1950, the Dorans moved into their brand new house at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. The two-story brick home was ample for their family. With a long living room with a fireplace in the middle of it, the Dorans would have plenty of room to host gatherings in their residence. Mrs. Doran was very active in various clubs and associations and held several meetings in her home. For instance, on February 4, 1952, she invited the local chapter of the American Association of University Women to gather in her home. The purpose of the meeting was to examine the local school system. Several women spoke at the event including Olma Bruck, a former Indianapolis School Board Member.

While Mrs. Doran stayed home to raise their three children, Mr. Doran was a very busy person at Eli Lilly.  He was an important research chemist who not only authored articles on barbiturates for the American Chemical Society, but his research on hypnotics led to a patent for Seconal. A publication put out by Eli Lilly revealed that Mr. Doran actually obtained several patents on hypnotics. He was considered one of the leading authorities in the world on barbituric-acid chemistry.

For the Doran children, the new home was a perfect place in which to find areas to play. Across the street, the boys used a small field next to Pleasant Run for all kinds of ball games. The stream itself was also an inviting place for the children to explore nature.

David Lash, the son-in-law of Wilbur and Julia Doran, attempted to dig out the family driveway at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive c 1965.  (photo courtesy of Miriam Lash and Alicia Schwering)

Family dinner, January 1954:  Wilbur, Miriam, Julia, and James Doran gathered for a meal in their dining room at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive.  Philip Doran likely took the photo. 

The Doran family dog reclined next the fireplace at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive in 1967. (photo courtesy of Miriam Lash and Alicia Schwering) 

Julia Cooper Doran, who had deep roots in Irvington, posed next to her Christmas tree c1966 (photo courtesy of Miriam Lash and Alicia Schwering)

Happy Day: Miriam Doran married David Lash of 47 North Layman Avenue at the Irvington Methodist Church on August 6, 1965. After the wedding, the Dorans hosted a reception. In this photo, the newlyweds departed out a back door of her childhood home at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. Judy and Barbara Doran can also be seen in the image. (photo courtesy of Miriam Lash and Alicia Schwering)

House for sale c1982: The Dorans had lived in their home for over 30 years when they put it on the market. Harold Papiska was the next resident of the house. (photo courtesy of Miriam Lash and Alicia Schwering)

Today, the home at 5770 East Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive looks much the same as it did in 1950. The pin oak planted by Mr. Doran in the front yard now towers over the house. The Dorans sold the dwelling in the early 1980s. Later residents altered a few things on the back of the house, but the residence is largely as Mr. Little designed it.

Sources:  About Orlando Little:  "Orlando Little, Architect, Dies," Indianapolis News, January 21, 1958, 9; "Notice to Bidders," Indianapolis Star, October 21, 1925; "West Michigan M.E. Church Work Started," Indianapolis Star, September 8, 1924, 17; "Sealed Proposals," Indianapolis Star, May 21, 1931, 8; "New Ray Street Nazarene Church to be Dedicated," Indianapolis Star, April 21, 1954, 8; The Doran family:  "AAUW Study Groups Schedule 6 Meetings," Indianapolis Star, February 3, 1952, 65; "Lash-Doran," Indianapolis Star, January 6, 1965, 98; "Irvington Mother's Club," Indianapolis Star, January 12, 1964, 73. Clipping from Eli Lilly Company Promotional, "Wilbur Doran Scores Scientific 1st in Synthesizing New Anesthetic," Undated. (collection of Miriam Lash)

I am indebted to Miriam Doran Lash for her stories and information about the photos. I would also like to thank Alicia Schwering who introduced me to the Doran/Lash family. Jennifer Lash, the daughter of Miriam and David Lash has also assisted with the post. Thank you to all three of these ladies!

Bertram Day--A Poet and Businessman in Irvington

Bertram C. Day, a prominent businessman, and his wife, Alice Temple Day, moved into Irvington in 1905. The couple hailed from Tecumseh, Michigan and had only been married for two years. Mr. Day's talent in the business world of Indianapolis quickly materialized in both the insurance and real estate realms. The couple first rented a double at 5446 University Avenue and then at 245 South Audubon Road. By 1910, they lived in one of the most beautiful homes in Irvington, a lovely arts and craft dwelling at 251 South Audubon Road.  At the age of 35, Mr. Day purchased a large tract of land for an undisclosed price at North Audubon Road along the Pleasant Run Creek from the Beveridge family in 1916. The property came with four houses. He and his wife rented a double at 18 North Campbell Avenue while they sold and redeveloped their new real estate. The Days moved into a stunning new custom-built brick home at 46 North Audubon Road in 1923.

While he was busy making money, Mr. Day was also composing sonnets and poetry in his spare time. He traveled on a Chautauqua speaking circuit from 1916 through 1918. His writings and speeches had a Christian slant and were frequently guides for how to live a purposeful life. Some of his earliest works included Song of the Senses and The Secret of Character Building, both published before 1919. The Days traveled the world and even boasted that they had properly been around the world at least once.  Sometimes, Mr. Day gave speeches to local church groups about his travels. In 1931, a writer for the Munster Times in northern Indiana wrote that Mr. Day's speech on Venice "was so absorbingly interesting that the audience felt as if it had actually taken the Italian trip."

By 1931, Mr. Day was president of the Northern States Life Insurance Company based in Hammond, Indiana although he kept his primary residence in Irvington. In that year, he published Sonnets of a Sojourner.  His stanzas were written in the Elizabethan style and he boasted to a reporter that he had produced more sonnets than Shakespeare.

In 1934, residents of Irvington were shocked to learn that Mr. Day had been indicted on charges of fraud in his capacity as president of the Northern States Life Insurance Company. Five other men were also indicted in Chicago and arrested. The subsequent trial made national headlines as the insurance company fell into receivership. Throughout the 1920s, Mr. Day had led camps of YMCA boys on how to avoid temptations and "traps" in life. Now, he found himself in a serious trap.

As the proceedings of the trial dragged on in the winter of 1934, Mr. Day continued to write sonnets. One of his works was clearly written to appease Judge Epstein with the title, "The Honest Judge." He maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings once pleading, "how could a man who writes such beautiful sonnets and teaches Sunday School be convicted?" The jury agreed and on February 2, 1934, Bertram Day along with one other defendant was found not guilty. The Muncie Star Press reported that Mr. Day wept upon hearing the verdict.

Mr. Day never went back into the business world and retired to his home on Audubon Road where he composed more poetry and went back on the church-speaking circuit. Eventually, the childless couple moved to Florida. Mrs Day, an active clubwoman and church soloist, died in 1955. Mr. Day died in 1961 at the age of 89. The couple are buried in their hometown cemetery in Tecumseh, Michigan. Bertram Day's work has largely been forgotten today and his books are out of print and rarely found.

As early as 1910, Indiana newspapers began reporting on Bertram Day as an inspirational speaker. He later toured with a Chautauqua circuit from 1916-1918. (image courtesy of Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, February 3, 1919)

The Days dwelled in several Irvington homes before settling down at 46 North Audubon Road. In the 1910s, they rented this spacious double at 18 North Campbell Avenue. (image taken on August 23, 2018)

Bertram Day worked for at least three insurance companies. He was president of the Crescent Life Insurance Company and later the Northern States Life Insurance Company. This image was snapped of him in 1926 and appeared in Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis.

Mr. Day became quite popular throughout the state so much so that he frequently endorsed products. This ad appeared in the Indianapolis News on June 9, 1925.

An ad for "The Dawn" by Bertram Day appeared in the Indianapolis News on December 22, 1926. He wrote it as a warning for young men to stay out of crime. Ironically, he would later be involved in his own criminal suit in 1934. 

The Days moved into the beautiful home at 46 North Audubon Road in 1923. They moved away from Irvington in the early 1940s when they relocated to Florida. This photo of the house appeared in the Indianapolis Star on August 1, 1962.

46 North Audubon Road in 2018

Sources:  Bertram Day as a speaker:  "Will hear from Bertram Day This Evening," Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, February 13, 1919, 6; "Bertram Day Tells Baptists of Venice," Munster Times, March 20, 1931, 28;
     Bertram Day as an Author: "Bertram Day Pens Charming Sonnets From View Point of Sojourner," Munster Times, November 28, 1931, 5; "Bertram Day," Indiana Authors and Their Books, Crawfordsville, Indiana, 1974, 156.
       Bertram Day Biographical Information:  Federal Census records; "Beveridge Property is Bought by Bertram Day," Indianapolis News, April 17, 1916, 14; "Bertram Day Writes Poetry in Jail," Munster Times, January 26, 1934, 37; "Jurors Debate Fate of 6 Men in Fraud Trial," Munster Times, February 3, 1934, 25; "Acquitted Man Weeps," Muncie Star Press, February 4, 1934, 6.

Life along Rawles Avenue

Perry and Lucille Owen Roehl moved into their modest bungalow at 5715 Rawles Avenue in 1937. Their two children, Perry and Marilyn, were already in school and would spend the next five years of their lives in the residence. Their backyard abutted the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad so it was not the quietest location, but like most Irvingtonians in this part the neighborhood, they likely became accustomed the rumble and call of the trains.

Mr. Roehl was a rising businessman while living in the home as he opened a firm called P.W. Roehl Trucking Company. The couple incorporated the business in 1940. Mr. Roehl's obituary noted that he was a member of many Irvington clubs and he was an avid bowler. Mrs. Roehl stayed at home and raised the couple's two children although she was a partner in the trucking firm and later in a paint store. She was an active member of the Irvington Methodist Church.

Perry O Roehl, their son, was a talented student and athlete at Howe High School.   He later fought for the country during World War II.

The bungalow was not the forever home for the Roehl family. As their income increased and most likely their desire for a larger home, the family moved from Rawles Avenue in 1942 to a beautiful residence at 969 North Campbell Avenue.

The images for this post are courtesy of the descendants of the Roehl family via Ancestry.com.

Lucille and Perry W. Roehl stood in their kitchen at 5715 Rawles Avenue c1937

The Roehl family gathered in the living room of their home at 5715 Rawles Avenue c1938. (left to right: Lucille, Perry O., Marilyn, and Perry W. Roehl) 

5715 Rawles Avenue in 2016

Who Lived Here? The Whitney Family of Lowell Avenue

Karl G. and Ella "Gertrude" Potter Whitney moved into 5869 Lowell Avenue in 1920. They were not the first to dwell in the house as at least two other families predated them. Mr. Whitney was a business partner in the Irvington Hardware Store first located at 5505 East Washington Street and later at 5539 East Washington Street. The business was quite successful as the Indianapolis Star reported in 1925 that the partnership had assets of $20,000. In 1926, the forty-year-old businessman sat for a portrait for a book called Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis.  He and his partners eventually got out of the hardware business and by 1929 they sold life insurance. Mrs. Whitney stayed home and raised the couple's two children, Marian and Neil.  The couple continued to dwell in the house for the next thirty years. Their daughter, Marian and her husband John Church, resided in the abode well into the 1960s.

A member of the Whitney family dwelled at 5869 Lowell Avenue from 1920 until 1964.

In the late 1910s, Karl and Gertrude Whitney resided at 5866 Lowell Avenue. 

The Whitneys had been quite a fixture along Lowell Avenue as they first rented at 5866 Lowell Avenue in the late 1910s. Controversy enveloped the area in the spring of 1936 when a widow, Olive M. Ellis, petitioned the city of Indianapolis to remodel the small home at 60 North Campbell Avenue into a multi-unit apartment building. The Campbell Avenue home was just behind the Whitney property and the couple could not fathom the thought of so many people along the already crowded Campbell Avenue. In April of 1936, the Whitneys along with their neighbors, the Siegesmunds of 61 North Campbell Avenue; the Iversons of 44 North Campbell Avenue; the Johnsons of 5871 Lowell Avenue; the Schoens of 5901 Lowell Avenue, and the Jones family of 5865 Lowell Avenue filed a lawsuit with the Board of Zoning to stop Ms. Ellis from getting a variance. The neighbors' fears soon came to pass as Ms. Ellis did not follow through with her plan. She did not live in the neighborhood and later passed away in 1943. ( Indianapolis Star, January 28, 1936, 3; Indianapolis Star April 15, 1936, 24; Indianapolis Star, January 28, 1943, 3)

Scene of Controversy: In 1936, Olive Ellis sought to obtain a variance to expand the house at 60 North Campbell Avenue into a four-story apartment building. Neighbors fought her in court. 

War Correspondent Documented the Lives of Hoosier Soldiers

Leo and Emma Litz moved into their brand new home at 914 North Arlington Avenue in 1938. The veteran Indianapolis News reporter had spent much of his time covering Marion County politics. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the 51-year-old journalist temporarily left his wife and his home to cover the war in the Pacific.  His column in the Indianapolis News called "Report From the Pacific" documented the stories of Hoosiers who were fighting the Japanese. Mr. Litz likely had an affinity for veterans as he had fought in World War One and had witnessed the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors in 1919.

Much in the same light as fellow correspondent and Hoosier, Ernie Pyle, Mr. Litz sought to tell the everyday kinds of stories facing the troops.  He went out of his way to get as much information about the soldiers as he could including their addresses and family members.  He told of the mundane, the humorous, and the horrible.  After the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, Mr. Litz interviewed the airmen who discovered the wreckage site and their daring efforts to save as many men from the ocean as possible. After the defeat of the Japanese, he went into Tokyo with American troops.  There he saw how desperate the Japanese had become towards the end of the war with so little food available. He traveled down to Hiroshima to see the devastation of the atomic bomb and his vivid reporting helped his readers understand the power of that weapon.  Later he found himself in the hospital in Tokyo near the cot of General Tojo, who had tried to kill himself.  While in the hospital, a fellow Irvingtonian, Captain Joseph T. Farrell, 34, of 934 North Lesley Avenue attended to both Tojo and Mr. Litz.  The two neighbors must have had a joyful reunion and could easily walk over for coffee upon their return to the States.

After the war, Leo Litz returned to Irvington and wrote a book about his experiences in the Pacific called Report From the Pacific (1946).  He enlisted a friend by the name of J. Hugh O'Donnell to illustrated his narrative.  The volume is a treasure of stories about Indiana men and women who served in the Pacific during World War II.  The chronicle should be indexed at some point so that descendants may learn more about the work and bravery of their grandfathers and mothers.  A product of his time, Mr. Litz frequently referred to the Japanese in a derogatory manner, but towards the end of the book his tone is much more sympathetic after he sees their hardships and horrors.

Below you will see a photo of Mr. Litz in the Pacific.  I have also documented all of the Irvington houses and families he notes in the book.  Of course, there are hundreds of others mentioned from towns like Rushville to Bloomington to Huntington to Gary.  Mr. Litz clearly deserves the same honors and accolades as other correspondents who risked their lives during World War II in order to tell Americans the stories of their veterans.

Indianapolis News correspondent, Leo Litz (on the right), chatted with Bill Madigen of Veedersburg, Indiana on the island of Guam.  (Report From the Pacific, 14)

After World War II, Leo Litz came home to 914 North Arlington to pen Report From the Pacific in 1946. 

Leo and Emma Litz built 914 North Arlington Avenue in 1938 and dwelled here until 1948. They later moved to Hamilton County, Indiana to manage a dairy farm.  They retired to San Diego and spent the remainder of their lives there.  

Leo Litz documented Captain Joseph T. Farrell of 934 North Lesley Avenue in his book Report From the Pacific. Captain Farrell provided medical aid to Mr. Litz in Japan.  

Major Louis A. Aull dwelled at 938 North Ritter Avenue as the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Aull.  He fell in love with an Irvington girl, Martha Lou Matthews, of 966 North Graham Avenue, and married her before shipping out to the Pacific. While stationed in the tropics, Mr. Aull received the joyful news that his wife had given birth to their son.  Leo Litz documented this touching story in his book Report From the Pacific.  

At a stop in Honolulu, Leo Litz interviewed Specialist Ned Tilman who grew up at 970 North Campbell Avenue. Mr. Tilman had been a swimming star in his youth and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Blaine Tilman.  He held down a variety of jobs in the navy including his stint as a swimming instructor.

Towards the end of World War II, Leo Litz documented the departure of Hoosier veterans. Soldiers returning from Guam, Okinawa, Saipan, and other islands had to be processed at Pearl Harbor before going home.  This procedure could take several days.  While in the processing station, Mr. Litz interviewed Louis Townsend, 27, of 5617 Lowell Avenue. Mr. Townsend was anxious to get home to see his wife and children. He had not seen them in over two years.  

 Source:  Leo M. Litz, Report From the Pacific, Indianapolis, 1946.  All of the contemporary photos were taken on March 7, 2015.

North Irvington Garden District Roared With the 1920s

By the time this aerial photographer flew over northern Irvington in 1925, the neighborhood was already 55 years old. Calvin Coolidge was President of the United States and Butler University still operated in western Irvington.  The community was no longer a remote suburb.  The city of Indianapolis boomed throughout the early twentieth century and eventually caught up to the formerly independent town.  Street car lines traversed the formerly quiet enclave and nearly every lot in the original development had been built upon. However, north of Pleasant Run Parkway, speculators saw gold.  Vast open meadow and farmland still awaited and the need for land was great.

After World War I ended, developers began to clear and improve land east of Ritter Avenue, west of Arlington Avenue, south of Tenth Street, and north of Pleasant Run Parkway.  They put in the first streets by extending Campbell, Bolton, Graham, Audubon, and others.  They discarded the curvy streets popularized in the late nineteenth century in the southern part of the neighborhood for more conventional avenues on a grid.  They built modern houses complete with electricity, updated plumbing, and detached garages. Tudor and Dutch-Revival dwellings were the rage in the United States in the 1920s although many still preferred bungalows and American Four Square homes. Stucco became a popular building material.

Aerial photography became popular in the 1920s just as drone photography has become the rage in the 2010s. Three views of this large photograph reveals the first homes to be built in the North Irvington Garden District. You will be able to get your bearings once you understand that the large avenue cutting through the middle of the photograph is Pleasant Run Parkway. It dead ended into Arlington Avenue. (and still does) You will notice that the Pleasant Run Golf Course was not quite finished yet.  In the upper left corner of the photograph, you can see the Anderson Cemetery along East 10th Street.  Note that Warren Park had not been developed yet!  The streets visible in this part of the photograph include Arlington Avenue (note no houses--just small trees), Campbell Avenue, Bolton Avenue, and Graham Avenue.  The developer had extended both Campbell and Bolton up to East 10th Street, but only a small part of St. Clair Street had been completed.  On the far right of the photo, you can see the older and more established part of the neighborhood.  You will get a better view of that section in the other two views of this photograph.

North Irvington Garden District of Irvington in 1925

The other two views of the same photograph show a more western and southern view of the area.  The large manses are located along the 400 block of North Audubon Road and in the 5700 block of East Michigan Street.  You will note that there was a bridge over Pleasant Run at Bolton Avenue. You will also note that there were no houses yet on the north side of Michigan Street from Bolton to Arlington Avenue.  You will see far more trees in the more established part of the neighborhood, but today the Garden District lives up to its lush name.

Northern Irvington in 1925

Northern Irvington in 1925

So, who were these "pioneers" who moved into the North Irvington Garden District?  Most of them were young and rising in their careers.  As the economy boomed, so did the fortunes of younger Americans.  You could also now buy so many things on credit including stocks! (Cue the ominous music!) Some of these Irvingtonians had actually....divorced!  Many of them spent the rest of their lives in these homes while others, for many reasons, stayed only a few years.  Undoubtedly, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression ended the dreams of many.  However, others continued to build throughout the worst economic downturn in American history. Let's take a tour of the homes featured in the above photo.

Campbell Avenue--North Irvington Garden District in 1925

Harry and Ruth Wofle dwelled in this lovely Tudor-Revival home at 726 North Campbell Avenue with their son Harry.  Mr. Wolfe was a sales manager for a bed spring manufacturing company.  

Delbert and Helen Giffin, both in their thirties, lived in 733 North Campbell Avenue with their daughter Betty. They later moved to Kenmore Road.  Mr. Giffin served as a personnel director for the P.R. Mallory Company.

Leroy and Florence Langdon, both in their twenties, resided at 739 North Campbell Avenue in 1925.  Mr. Langdon ran a hardware store and a drug store located in the 3800 block of East Washington Street.  He was also a pharmacist.

This small bungalow at 762 North Campbell has been altered and enlarged over the years.  A young couple, Frank and Eleanor Benson dwelled here in 1925, but they were gone by 1926.  Mr. Benson was a sales manager for the Long-Bell Lumber Company.  

Bolton Avenue--North Irvington Garden District in 1925

Room to play:  Kenneth and Francis Badger were the first to dwell along Bolton Avenue in the Garden District. They lived in this stuccoed bungalow at 729 North Bolton with their two daughters, Barbara and Judith. The girls had plenty of open space to use as a playground in 1925.

Graham Avenue--North Irvington Garden District in 1925

Halford and Edna Howland dwelled in this stuccoed bungalow at 719 North Graham Avenue in 1925. They actually built the house in 1919 making it one of the oldest homes in the district.  In 1930, their home was valued at $8,500.  

Charles O Fouts, a salesman, lived in this Dutch Colonial Revival at 723 North Graham Avenue in 1925.  More research is needed on this family.

Stephen and Audrey Steinbuch, a young couple, resided in this house at 731 North Graham Avenue in 1925. They had four children.  Mr. Steinbuch earned a comfortable living as a draftsman.  

Charles and Hazel Flowers, both in their forties, lived in this stuccoed beauty at 734 North Graham Avenue. The couple had four children. Mr. Flowers sold life insurance.  

Harvey and Lena Carson, both quite young, dwelled in this Craftsman stunner at 747 North Graham Avenue.  The couple had two small children and Mr. Carson's mother, Bertha Carson, also resided in the house.  

The Long family resided at 757 North Graham Avenue in 1925.  They were gone by 1926.  More research is needed on this family.  

Pleasant Run Parkway--North Irvington Garden District in 1925

Jesse and Elizabeth Pritchett dwelled in this beautiful stuccoed home at 5744 Pleasant Run Parkway (formerly numbered at 5720) in 1925.  The Pritchetts had one son, Jesse, Jr.  Mr. Pritchett worked as a manager for the I.J. Cooper Company, but eventually the family moved away to another neighborhood to open a bowling alley.  

Shock!  Most locals would have dated this house at 5774 Pleasant Run Parkway (formerly numbered 5764) from the 1950s, but believe it or not, you can see it in the aerial photograph from 1925. This stunningly modern home for the time also has a complicated history that will eventually need to be sorted out. Paul and Ethel Klieber built the home. Mr. Klieber ran the Klieber-Dawson Machine Company at 1620 East New York Street. The Kliebers divorced in the 1920s and he remarried. Mrs. Klieber continued to dwell in the house, but she listed herself as a widow in the 1930 Census despite the fact that Mr. Klieber was very much alive. If only those walls could speak!  

Throughout the late 1920s, dreamers built dozens of other beautiful homes throughout the North Irvington Garden District.  The area would be fully developed within twenty years. Today the sycamores and maples planted by those early folks tower over the neighborhood.  Google satellite imagery reveals that it actually looks more like a forest today than it did in 1925 when the area was wide open and ready for development.

The historic image is courtesy of the Warrenburg family.