A Walk Down East Washington Street in 1989

         36 years ago, Robert Phelps, who lived at 5317 Lowell Avenue, walked down East Washington Street on a sunny day in 1989 and snapped many images of the business corridor. He managed Chaille's Shoes at 5622 East Washington, and you can see that sign in one of his shots. At least three of the buildings seen in the images below are no longer standing. Let's take a walk with Mr. Phelps, shall we?

Our first stop will be at the Red Shield (Salvation Army) Thrift Store at 5639 East Washington Street. You might find a great deal in here or next door at Old John's Home Center. Watch out for that speeding traffic! (Current Site of the Irvington Public Library)

Let's see if we can find some parking behind the building. Do you see the Salvation Army Drop-off box? Older Irvingtonians will remember this building as the former site of the Standard Grocery Store. It seems crowded today. 

Let's drop by PIP Printing at 5649 East Washington Street so I can get a few items copied. (Current site of Irvington Public Library) 

Do you mind if I peek behind these stores? Oh, I don't think I am supposed to be back here. There are two fences and one of them has barbed wire. Let's get out of here. (Current site of Irvington Public Library)

Let's cut through the Irvington Presbyterian Church parking lot on South Audubon Road. I see the Saxony Apartments across the street. 

Over here! Be careful as you cross! I see the Audubon Court Apartments. Watch out for that trash can. I don't think it is long for this world. 

Let's grab a Pepsi from the machine and stop into some of the shops. I see that A La Cheri Beauty Salon is offering a deal on perms. I think I will pass on that but let's visit Mr. Phelps at Chaille's Shoes. Next door, we could learn a few dance steps at McCleish School of Dance. 

    Alright, our tour is over for now. You can turn off your Milli Vanilli cassette tape and head back to the future. Onward!! 

Provenance of photos: Robert Phelps snapped the images. His neighbor, Kent Hankins, the former President of the Irvington Historical Society, obtained the photos and donated them to the Society. We are so grateful! 

South Kitley Avenue Then and Now

In 1941, Donna Garland and Barbara Jones walked around Irvington and posed for photographs in various locations. Sometime in the early spring of 1941, the pair sauntered over to the far eastern edge of the neighborhood and took this photograph on the southwest corner of East Washington Street and South Kitley Avenue. Donna Garland stood on the vacant lot next to the for sale sign put up by the developer. Behind her, you can see 43 and 83 South Kitley Avenue.

The Phelps family dwelled at 43 South Kitley Avenue for decades and might have been in the house on the day of this photo. Raymond Phelps owned and operated the Phelps Coal Company at 5543 Bonna Avenue. His ad in the city directory claimed that he sold "coal, coke, concrete blocks, cement, lime, sand, and gravel."  In 1949, the company touted in another ad, "Phone Phelps for Fuel."  Violet Phelps stayed home and raised the couple's three children.

Next door at 83 South Kitley Avenue resided the Fultz Family.  William Fultz was a carpenter and built houses. Perhaps it was he who remodeled the simple farmhouse. Martha Fultz, his wife, worked for a press clipping service.  Her mother, Katherine Mollenkamp, also lived with the couple. A 1933 Indianapolis Star article reveals that Mr. Fultz was arrested for drinking and driving after an automobile crash on the near east side.

Eventually, the site upon where Donna Garland stood was developed.  In 2016, the corner is occupied by a hauling company.  Both homes in the historic image are still standing.

Donna Garland posed for this photo at the southwest corner of East Washington Street and South Kitley Avenue in 1941.

6525 East Washington Street in 2016

The Phelps family dwelled at 43 South Kitley Avenue for decades. Raymond Phelps ran the Phelps Coal Company on Bonna Avenue.  (Photo 2016)

The Fultz family dwelled at 83 South Kitley Avenue in the 1930s and 40s.  (Photo in 2016)

The historic image is courtesy of the Jones Family Collection.  

New Image of Chaille's Shoes--1962

Howard T. Chaille ran a shoe store at 5622 East Washington Street for decades.  His son-in-law, Robert Phelps, Sr., continued to run the business well into the 1980s.  The Chailles dwelled at 832 North Campbell Avenue while the Phelps lived at 5317 Lowell Avenue.

In these historic photos, provided by Robert Phelps, Jr, the grandson to Howard T. Chaille, you can see the shop in the early 1960s.  Robert Phelps, Sr. proudly stands in front of the building.  I especially enjoy the ad in the window.  In the second photo, taken in 1956, Howard T. Chaille poses for a photo about seven years before his death.   I have also included a lovely photo of Eva Mae Phelps, the wife of Robert Phelps, Sr and daughter of Howard T. Chaille.  She was a teacher for many years.

Robert Phelps, Sr. in front of Chaille's Shoes (5622 East Washington Street) c. 1962

Howard T. Chaille of 832 N. Campbell Avenue c. 1956

Eva Mae Chaille Phelps, c. 1962

A special thank you to Mr. Robert Phelps, Jr. for the photos and the information...

Early Color Photograph Along Lowell Avenue--1956

The Phelps brothers posed for this color photograph on August 13, 1956.  Although the color is beginning to fade, you can still see the vibrant hues in their clothing and the glorious nature along the property line.  The Phelps family dwelled at 5317 Lowell Avenue (see link below).  Behind the boys, you can see 5325 Lowell Avenue.  The brick pathway they are standing near still meanders to their childhood home. Both of these homes have been restored by 2012 so the brothers would have little difficulty recognizing their childhood haunts.

This historic image is courtesy of Kent Hankins.

Chaille's Shoes Operated During Much of the Twentieth Century

Howard L. Chaille (1890-1963) opened his first shoe business, a repair shop, in the 1920s at 9 North Ritter Avenue.  In 1935,  he began selling shoes and moved into the Tudor-Revival shops at 5622 East Washington Street.  Generations of Irvington residents purchased shoes from Mr Chaille.  His business became lucrative enough that the family moved into a charming bungalow at 832 N. Campbell Avenue.  His wife, Lola M. Chaille (1899-1975), helped to raise their children.  One child, Eva, would grow up to become a teacher and marry Robert E. Phelps.  Mr. Phelps took over the operation of the shoe store in the mid-twentieth century and ran the business until the early 1990s.  Loyal customers kept the store open longer than most independent shoe stores even as people began to flock to the suburban malls for their clothes.

Today's historic images, likely taken in 1989, show Chaille's Shoes towards to the end of its life span in Irvington.  Next door, you can see the A La Cheri Beauty Salon and the McCleish Dance Studio (click on the link below to more about this business).  A photo, likely taken around 1960, also shows the interior of the shop.

Robert Phelps, the son-in-law of Howard Chaille, took over the family business and ran it during the second half of the twentieth century.  The man in this photo has been identified as Louie Saba, a skilled cobbler for Mr. Phelps.  

East Washington Street shops circa 1989

East Washington Street shops on June 26, 2012

The contemporary image reveals that the present generation is busy improving East Washington Street. The facades of the shops are now protected by the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission and the corridor is being transformed into more of a destination with new street lights, park benches, brick walkways and more.  Chaille's Shoes is the home of Edward Jones Investment Group in 2012.  Next door you can see two other thriving businesses:  Geneva Hair Studio and Homespun.  A future photo will be posted to document the transformation of the street that is ongoing as I type this post.

The historic images are courtesy of Kent Hankins.

The Missing Tooth--A House Reemerges From the Grave 36 Years Later

Sometimes when you are a historian, you get sent into directions you never imagined.  For instance, when local Irvington resident, Kent Hankins, presented me with today's historic image, I had to do a double take.  With only one recognizable structure, I had to figure out where this photo was taken.  The photographer intended to take a picture of the procession of children.  In the background, there was clearly a church, but the house looked unfamiliar.

It didn't take long to figure out that the religious institution in the photo was the former St. Matthews Episcopal Church at 23 South Ritter Avenue.  That structure has hosted several denominations over the years including the Seventh Day Adventists and Baptists.  So, what of the house next door?  It is clearly gone today.  Who lived there?  I wanted to know more.

It turns out that the small bungalow at 21 South Ritter Avenue was likely built in 1927 by Harry L. and Grace L. Moore.  The couple would be the only family to ever live in the house and they dwelled in it for decades.  Mr. Moore worked in a variety of jobs.  He was a salesman and insurance agent.  He was probably most known for his appliance shop that he operated at 5420 East Washington Street called Moore's Modern Appliances.  An ad proclaimed that the shop sold everything from juvenile furniture to household "electrical" appliances.  Mrs. Moore continued to live in the house after her husband died.  Eventually, the Seventh Day Adventist Church purchased the property and leveled the house in 1976.  Today, the Moore's family site is a parking lot.

The Mobley family purchased this radio from Moore's Modern Appliance Store at 5420 East Washington Street (photo courtesy of Robert Mobley) 

Moore's Modern Appliance Store operated at 5420 East Washington Street. The Moore family dwelled at 21 South Ritter Avenue.  (photo courtesy of Robert Mobley)

The second mystery surrounding this photo still remains.  First, I am unclear on the date.  It looks to be sometime in the mid-1950s.  I know that the young people are on the grounds of School 57 on the southwest corner of East Washington Street and South Ritter Avenue.  It is obviously a warm day.  Perhaps the graduates of School 57 can help me out with this part of the photo. What are the young people doing?  Is this a practice? A ceremony?  A celebration?  Inquiring minds would like to know more!  Send me an e-mail at williamfranklingulde@gmail.com if you have any ideas.

The historic image is courtesy of Kent Hankins and likely came from the Phelps family, who dwelled at 5317 Lowell Avenue for years.  The contemporary image reveals that the church remains, although now sheathed in vinyl siding instead of stucco.

The Phelps Family Moves into the Wheeler Home--1954

For the past week, we have been celebrating the centennial of the Wheeler Home (5317 Lowell Avenue).  Clifton and Hilah Drake Wheeler saw to the construction of the home in 1912 and dwelled in the house until 1954.

The Phelps family moved into the Wheeler Home in 1954

In 1954, Robert E. Phelps (1919-2004) and his wife Eva Mae Chaille Phelps (1921-2002) became the next long-term residents.  Mrs. Phelps grew up in Irvington.  Her father's family operated Chaille's Shoes, a business that began at 9 North Ritter Avenue in the 1920s and eventually moved to 5622 E. Washington Street.  Mr. Phelps took over the family business and ran it until the early 1990s.  Chaille's Shoes became an institution in the neighborhood as generations of Irvingtonians purchased shoes there.  (A future post will be dedicated to this business.)  Mrs. Phelps, as she was called by her students, taught at Schools 58 and 85 for twenty-eight years.

The Phelps family ran Chaille Shoes at 5622 East Washington Street in the second half of the 20th century. Louis Saba, a clerk for Chaille's Shoes stands next to the shoe rack.  He later moved to Las Vegas where he bought a gas station.  

The couple collected antiques and raised their children in the beautifully-sited home.  Mrs. Phelps liked bright colors and painted some of the rooms in the house, including the gallery, in yellows and reds.  They had the reputation of being kind neighbors and were very much interested in the home's history. The family maintained ownership of the property until 2004.

The Wheeler-Phelps Home in an undated photo.  

You may learn more about the history of this home by clicking on the Wheeler Family link below.  The  historic images are courtesy of Michele and Bruce Oertel and Kent Hankins.