It's a Wonderful Life Along Butler Avenue

The Azbell family celebrated two joyous births in the 1940s.  In top photo, Fred and Vivian Azbell welcomed little Barbara Azbell into their lives in 1942 at their home at 1115 North Butler Avenue.  Someone has sent the family roses which sat in a mid-century vase on a table nearby.  In the second photo, the entire clan gathered to welcome Fred Jr., or Ricky as he was to be called, in 1947.  His grandparents, Pearl and T. Newton White hovered above him while his parents, Fred and Vivian Azbell sat on the chair.  His sister Barbara was clearly checking out the new competition. Bob Hoover (1124 North Butler Avenue), a photographer for the Indianapolis News, managed to get in this photo as well.  Both children would grow up in the house on Butler Avenue.

Fred, Vivian and Barbara Azbell in 1942 at 1115 North Butler Avenue (photo by Bob Hoover)

Wonderfully Staged:  Pearl (in print dress) and T. Newton White above; Vivian, little Ricky, Fred, and Barbara Azbell on chair; Bob Hoover next to the family (in bow tie) in 1947; photo by Bob Hoover

1115 North Butler Avenue c1938

1115 North Butler Avenue 2014

Soldiers Home on Leave--1944

They gathered in the living room in the home of Fred and Vivian Azbell at 1115 North Butler Avenue for a beer and a smoke. The stories they had to share have been lost, but they likely had many to tell.  Fred Azbell, at the far right in the photo, hosted the event. He had just returned from the European sphere of the war. Bob Hoover, a photographer for the Indianapolis News and neighbor at 1124 North Butler Avenue, stopped by as well and snapped these wonderful images. We do not know the full name of the young man on the far left, but we do know his first name was Pat. Seated next to him was John Lynch, and Bob Carey. The clock on the mantel noted that it was 10:00PM.

In the second photo, Mr. Hoover captured a more domestic scene taken a little earlier around 9:10PM. Little Barbara Azbell studied her mother pensively and likely noticed that both of her parents beamed with joy that night.  The war was not over yet, but for at least one night in one cottage on Butler Avenue laughter could be heard.

Soldiers on leave: Pat ?, John Lynch, Bob Carey, and Fred Azbell at 1115 North Butler Avenue in 1944 (Photo by Bob Hoover)

Happy family:  Fred, Barbara, and Vivian Azbell at 1115 North Butler Avenue in 1944 (Photo by Bob Hoover)

The historic images are courtesy of Barbara Azbell Sanders.  

War and Flu Delayed Construction of Kenmore Road Home

Walter and Lillian Hoover lived along Riley Avenue west of Irvington in the early 1900s. They planned to build their dream home--a large brick American Four Square in the Irving Terrace neighborhood in the 1910s, but World War One altered their plans.  To complicate matters, the Great Influenza Epidemic infected the country and Mr. Hoover, like millions of others around the world, lost his mother and sister to the plague.  Eventually, the chemist and his wife and children moved into their newly-built home at 68 North Kenmore Road in 1919.  This amazing historic photograph shows the home slightly after its construction in 1919.  Note, that you can also see part of the bungalow at 304 North Kenmore Road.  The street had not yet been bricked nor paved and remained a dirt path in 1919.  Many of other homes in the area had yet to be built.  A contemporary photo shows the home in 2014.

The Hoover home at 68 North Kenmore Road c1919

The Hoover home at 68 North Kenmore Road in 2014

The story about the Hoover family and the historic image is courtesy of James G. Hermsen, a grandson of Walter and Lillian Hoover.  

The Hoovers of Kenmore Road

Walter D. and Lillian Hoover moved into their spacious brick American Four Square at 68 North Kenmore Road in 1919.  The Hoovers had three children and they became a fixture at the corner of Kenmore and Lowell.  Mr. Hoover was an important chemist for Eli Lilly & Company. In 1937, the corporation profiled him in a company publication lauding his patience and skill.  By the early 1940s, the Hoovers moved out of Irvington Terrace for South Bend, Indiana.

In the top image, Mr. Hoover posed on the day of his daughter's wedding on October 18, 1942. The photograph has been inverted, but he is actually standing in his front yard at 68 North Kenmore Road.  Behind him, you can see the brick bungalow at 301 North Kenmore Road and the rear of a home on Ridgeview Drive.  The contemporary images show the beautiful homes in 2014.

Walter Denny Hoover on October 18, 1942: Behind him you can see 301 North Kenmore Road and the rear of a home on Ridgeview Drive. 

 

301 North Ridgeview Drive in 2014

Company profile of Walter D. Hoover in 1937

Lillian Gladys Hoover c1940

68 North Kenmore Road in 2014

The historic images are courtesy of Ed Hermsen via Ancestry.com