The Graydon House 1909 and 2014

The Graydon sisters moved into their beautiful home at 303 South Downey Avenue in 1909.  All three sisters had devoted their lives to the field of education and none of them ever married.  Ellen Graydon served as an elementary teacher while her sister Jane managed schools as a principal.  Butler University employed Katherine Graydon as professor of literature.  She was beloved among her students as she held monthly teas at her home to discuss poetry, great literature, and issues of the day.  Their widowed mother, Mary, also dwelled in the large house designed by architect Herbert Foltz. The Graydons would have no trouble recognizing their beautiful stuccoed Arts and Crafts era home today as it looks much like it did in 1909.

The Graydon home at 303 South Downey Avenue in 1909

The Graydon home at 303 South Downey Avenue in 2014

Irvington Methodist Church Then and Now

This beautiful Tudor-Revival structure has graced the "north" circle since 1925. Designed by architect, Herbert Foltz, the church replaced an earlier building on Layman Avenue.  (now a parking lot for businesses along East Washington Street) Mr. Foltz decided to position the structure towards Lowell Avenue rather than tear down the double-gabled home that faced East Washington Street.  The dwelling had been occupied by both the Forrest and Howe families.  Thomas Carr Howe would later become the President of Butler University and for whom Irvingtonians named their local high school in 1938.  His home now serve as offices and school space for the church.  The intersection of Lowell Avenue and North Audubon Road is one of the loveliest in the city of Indianapolis.

Irvington Methodist Church c1930

Irvington Methodist Church on June 3, 2013

Forrest-Howe Manse now incorporated into the Irvington Methodist Church

Early Twentieth Century Views of School #57

IPS #57 is one of the oldest continuously run school buildings in the city of Indianapolis.  The school has gone through many additions and renovations since it was first constructed on the southwest corner of East Washington Street and Ritter Avenue in 1903.  The school district commissioned local architect, Herbert Foltz, to design the substantial two-story building.  Further additions in 1914 and 1922 provided much needed classroom space as the community continued to grow.  In the early 1930s, the community petitioned that the building be named after George Washington Julian, a former US Congressman and Irvington resident.  The historic photos, courtesy of Larry Muncie, show three views of the school before officials enlarged it.  Further stories about Irvington schools may be found in Irvington Stories by Larry Muncie (1992) and Greater Irvington by Paul Diebold (1997).  Oral histories conducted in the 1980s and 1990s also contain a wealth of information about the teachers and principals who worked here.  You may now access those interviews online by going to the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library's website.

School #57 c.1910

School #57 c.1908

School #57 c.1908