Irving Circle Park in 1941

Over the decades, the small Irving Circle Park has served as a lovely spot for taking photos of friends and family. As a nearby resident, I can assure you that in 2016 it happens weekly. In the spring of 1941, Donna Garland and Barbara Jones brought their camera and a beloved pet to document their friendship. In the photos, you will see that the girls are mainly in the western part of the park with their camera pointing east. Behind the young ladies, you can see the doubles at 237-39 and 245-47 South Audubon Road as well as 251 South Audubon Road.  Dr. Walter Kelly owned the large double at 237-39. In 1941, he rented the other half of his residence to the DeHaven family.  Next door the Bowmans and Myers resided in the large American Four Square double. The Johnston family lived in the beautiful arts and crafts home located at 251 South Audubon Road. You will also note that there was not much of a fountain in the park during those years. You can see a small concrete base that contained a pipe that shot out water during the warmer months.

Donna Garland posed for Barbara Jones in the spring of 1941 in the Irving Circle Park. Behind her, you can see the double at 245-47 South Audubon Road and the house at 251 South Audubon Road. 

Barbara Jones posed with a beloved pet in the Irving Circle Park in the spring of 1941. Behind her you can see Dr. Walter Kelly's darkly stained double at 237-39 South Audubon Road and the large green American Four Square double at 245-47 South Audubon Road.

Donna Garland posed in the Irving Circle Park in the spring of 1941. Behind her, you can see the small concrete base that housed a water spout. Barbara Jones, the photographer, aimed her camera east towards University Avenue.  

Thank you, Dr. Vollrath

I first met Dr. Victor Vollrath and Isabelle Burnside Vollrath in April of 2012.  I could not believe my good fortune.  Dr. Vollrath, born in 1916, had grown up in Irvington and at age 95 he could still recall many events from his youth.  Furthermore, he and his wife generously allowed me access to his childhood photo collection.  Most of the images appeared on this site in April and May of 2012.

Victor Vollrath grew up at 218 South Audubon Road in a lovely Dutch Colonial Revival home.  His father ran a nearby grocery store.  His stories of Irvington were filled with tales of dogs, ponies, baseball, and cycling.  He could still recall his neighbors and one of them, Dr. Walter Kelly, inspired him to become a physician.  One of the most powerful stories that he shared involved his own mother, Thermina "Marie" Vollrath.  All five Vollrath boys served in World War II.  Dr. Vollrath told me, that with tears streaming down her face, his mother walked down to the Irving Circle Park on a snowy day and snapped a photo of the park.  She then had five snapshots developed and sent to each Vollrath son so they could have an image of home while they were fighting on the front.

Dr. Victor Vollrath's mother would have been undoubtedly proud of her son had she lived to see him serve as a physician to thousands of Indianapolis residents over a fifty year time span. She sadly passed soon after his return from the war.  Today I honor his memory and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to meet a local Irvington boy, who made a difference on this planet.  I dedicate this post to the memory of Dr. Victor Vollrath (1916-2013).  You may see images from his youth by clicking on the Vollrath Family link below.

Victor Vollrath with his loyal dog, Fite, in 1927

Two Irvington Icons from the 20th Century

Family physician, Dr. Walter Kelly (on the left) and local dentist, Dr. Silas Carr, Jr. (on the right) sat on the steps of the Kelly home at 6845 East Pleasant Run Parkway South Drive north of Irvington sometime in the early 1950s.  The two men had been best friends for years and both were well-respected pillars in the community.  Dr. Kelly operated out of several offices in the area including in a previous home at 237-39 South Audubon Road. On November 13, 1912, the physician would be one of the first medics to the scene of a terrible train crash on South Arlington Avenue and the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. Dr. Kelly worked through the night to try to save as many of the injured as he could although several died that cold night.  Flurries had just started to fall.  Dr. Carr operated a prosperous dentistry office along East Washington Street.  He also had a knack for business and he built a large two-story commercial building in the 5400 block of East Washington Street to house an auto showroom and offices.  Dr. Carr dwelled at 76 N. Whittier Place in a home designed by his brother, Marrett Carr, and later in an even grander home at 520 North Audubon Road.  It would be without question that nearly every Irvington resident from 1910 to 1960 would know one or both of these men.  Both were admired and both men practiced well past retirement age.  What might they have been talking about on that beautiful day when this photo was taken?  Dr. Carr is pointing at something?  A beautiful bird?  An airplane?  A tree?  Had they been reminiscing about their careers?  Certainly, Dr. Kelly might have been noting all of the babies he brought into this world while Dr. Carr could point out the number of folks who could smile because of him.  Their names continuously emerge in the oral histories of the people who have called this neighborhood "home."

Drs. Walter Kelly and Dr. Silas Carr c1950

The historic image and information for this post was courtesy of Laura Hildreth and Lydia Talbot.

Scenes Along Ridgeview Drive in the 1920s

Herbert Hoover was President of the United States when the Leonard family snapped the top two historic images of beautiful little Glenna Leonard in 1928.  Rollen Glen and Georgia Leonard moved into a bungalow at 339 North Ridgeview Drive in the mid-1920s and remained into the mid-1940s.  In the top image, Glenna posed in the front yard of the family home in the summer of 1928.  Behind her you can see the two-story home at 332 North Ridgeview Drive and the side of the smaller bungalow at 328 North Ridgeview Drive. Forty-four-year -old Cecil Earle and thirty-seven-year-old Elizabeth Lee Smith lived in the larger home with their children Harmon and Virginia, and with fifty-eight-year-old Lilly Lee, the mother of Mrs. Smith.  The Smiths dwelled along Lowell Avenue before moving into their spacious new home in the 1920s.  Mr. Smith was a manager of a local publishing company.  Next door, at 328 North Ridgeview Drive lived Charles N. and Emily W. Smith. Both in their late twenties, Mr. Smith worked as a supervisor for a local telephone company while Mrs. Smith served as a substitute teacher for local high schools.  The contemporary image of the same view today reveals that the larger home has been altered over the years with the removal of the roof overhang along with the knee braces. You will also note that the front porch has been enclosed  that the dining room bay has been removed on the north side of the house.  The smaller bungalow at 328 North Ridgeview has been beautifully restored to its original appearance.

Glenna Leonard in her front yard in 1928.  Behind her, you can see 332 and 328 N. Ridgeview Drive.

332 and 328 North Ridgeview Drive in 2013.

In the second historic image, taken in the winter of 1928, Glenna Leonard posed in front of her home at 339 North Ridgeview Drive.  Behind her, you can see the charming bungalows at 329 and 323 North Ridgeview Drive.  Charles F. and Clara Woodstock rented the bungalow at 329 North Ridgeview for $50 a month.  Mr. Woodstock was a foreman at a local tire company.  The couple had two adult children still living at home at the time this photo was taken.  Their son Norman worked as an operator at an oil business while their daughter Dorothy cut, bobbed, coifed, and washed hair in a nearby beauty salon.  Next door, at 327 North Ridgeivew Drive, Edward A. and Edna M. Kelly lived along with Frederick Guy, a nephew to Mr. Kelly.  Mr. Kelly served as a manager for a furniture company and he employed his fifteen-year old nephew as well.  The contemporary photo, taken in 2013, reveals that the little has changed with these bungalows in the eighty-five years since the photo was first snapped.

Glenna Leonard stands in front of her home in 1928. Behind her you can see 339, 329, and 323 North Ridgeview Drive.

329 and 323 North Ridgeview Drive in 2013

Rollen G. and Georgia Leonard dwelled at 339 North Ridgeview Drive.  These photos show the couple before they were married and before they moved into the Irvington Terrace neighborhood.  Their lovely home still stands although significantly altered.  (see previous post)

Rollen Glen Leonard

Georgia Leonard

The Leonard family home at 339 North Ridgeview Drive in 1933

Many thanks to Jim Brandenburg for these wonderful historic images.