Creighton Apartments--1947

Entrepreneur, Samuel H. Creighton hired architect Charles Edgar Bates in 1916 to design a beautiful Tudor-Revival structure for the northwest corner of Downey and Julian Avenues.  Built as four separate townhouses under one roof, the apartment building was sheathed in brick for the lower story and stucco for the upper. Beautiful terra cotta tiles graced the steep gables of the building. Mr. Creighton along with his wife, Nora, and their son, Samuel Taylor, Jr.,  moved into the western townhouse at 60 South Downey Avenue and rented out the remaining three along Julian Avenue. Various renters over the years could look out their windows and see the Butler mansion (demolished) and the original brick Downey Avenue Christian Church.

Time has not been kind to the elegant dwellings. Subsequent owners and landlords have removed much of the charm of the place, however, on a snowy day in 1947, the Creighton Apartments still looked lovely.  The historic photo was snapped by the Palmer family who happened to be going for a walk with their toddler, Janet, just after the snow ended.  To learn more about the these apartments check out Paul Diebold's research in Greater Irvington (1997).

The Creighton Apartments at the northwest corner of Downey and Julian Avenues in 1947

The Creighton Apartments in 2016

The historic photo is courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

Downey Avenue on a Snowy Day

Dick Palmer and Mildred Orr Palmer, moved into a walkup apartment at 55 South Downey Avenue in 1947. Mr. Palmer had just completed his stint with the Air Force and had a job at a filling station on Meridian Street. Mrs. Palmer stayed home to raise the couple's first child, Janet. Their tenure along Downey Avenue was brief as Mr. Palmer received a job with Western Adjustment and Inspection Company (later known as General Adjustment Bureau) in Muncie, Indiana.  Living in the downstairs apartment at the time was Lorin and Wilma Mae Eichhorn Sentiff.  Mr. Sentiff was an inspector while Mrs. Sentiff was an elementary school teacher.

Sometime in 1947 and just after a snowstorm, the Palmers grabbed their camera and their toddler, Janet, to take a walk.  They snapped several scenes including these lovely shots on Downey Avenue.

Mildred Orr Palmer and Janet Palmer enjoyed a snowy day in Irvington in 1947 in the front yard of 55 South Downey Avenue.  

Downey Avenue looking south towards East Washington Street: The house most visible in the photo is that of 23 South Downey Avenue. The Negley family dwelled there in 1947. You can also see the rear of the Moynahan Apartments at 5345 East Washington Street.

23 South Downey Avenue in 2016

Richard and Mildred Palmer rented the upper story of this home at 55 South Downey Avenue in 1947.  

The historic images and stories for this post are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer. 

Who Lived Here? The Palmer Family

Walter and Mary Fee Palmer dwelled at 333 North Audubon Road for five decades beginning in the 1920s. Dr. Palmer worked six days a week for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He retired from that agency in 1950. Mary Fee Palmer did not work but taught piano lessons from a small den in their home and was a member of various clubs including the Luncheon Club, the Irvington Coterie,  the Irvington Friendship Circle, and Alumnae Club of Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority. The couple also belonged to the Irvington Presbyterian Church and the Society of Indiana Pioneers.

The Palmers built beautiful gardens with rock walls in their backyard. Mr. Palmer had a workshop in the basement where he refinished furniture and rebuilt tools. He kept a bookshelf full of classics in his living room so that he would not lose his ability to read Greek and Latin. The couple raised one son, Dick, in the house and both would spend the majority of their lives along Audubon Road.

Mary Palmer sat in her living room at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943. 

Walter and Mary Fee Palmer grew beautiful flowers and many vegetables on their lot at 333 North Audubon Road. The couple also hauled rocks from around the Irvington area to build these beautiful walls. (photo--1947)

Mary and Walter Palmer enjoyed a warm day in 1947 in their backyard at 333 North Audubon Road. 

The dining room at the home of Walter and Mary Palmer at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943.  

Dr. Walter Palmer relaxed next to his fireplace at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943.  

Mary Palmer posed for this photograph in her living room at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943.  

A lovely corner in the dining room at 333 North Audubon Road in 1943...note the tea kettle hanging over an oil burning warmer on the antique table.  

333 North Audubon Road in 2016

Images and information for this post were courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

Friends Pay a Visit Along Audubon Road in 1943

Dick Palmer, who grew up at 333 North Audubon Road, graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1939 and later at Miami University in Ohio in 1943. Sometime in 1943, Dick returned home just before going off to flight school to learn how to fly B-25 aircraft. Many of his buddies stopped by for a visit in Irvington including John and Bernard Korbly, who lived up the street at 425 North Audubon Road and another friend named Jim Boyd, who dwelled with a widowed aunt at 346 North Audubon Road.  All of the young men were likely thinking about their futures as World War II raged overseas, but at least for the time being they shared a few light-hearted moments in front of Dick's home.

Bernard (driving) and John Korbly of 425 North Audubon Road stopped by the Palmer home in their 1935 Ford Roadster convertible to visit Dick Palmer in 1943. Behind the young men, you can see the Ostrander home at 323 North Audubon Road and the Buck home at 311 North Audubon Road.  

Jim Boyd in his "gas saver" had fun trying to push the Buick parked in front of 336 North Audubon Road in 1943. Jim lived with his widowed Aunt Edith Edwards at 346 North Audubon Road. A pianist, he frequently played the blues on his Aunt's piano.

Jim Boyd drove his "gas saver" along Audubon Road. Behind him, you can see the homes at 326 and 336 North Audubon Road in 1943.  

One of the Korbly brothers jumped into the photo while Jim Boyd attempted to drive a homemade contraption in 1943. Behind the young men you can best see 344  and 346 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer posed in his Pontiac in the summer of 1943. Behind him, you can see the Ostrander residence at 323 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer during his senior year at Arsenal Technical High School in 1939.  

Images and stories for this post are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

Time for Play and Time for School in the 1920s

Dick Palmer grew up at 333 North Audubon Road as the nation and the neighborhood "roared."  His parents, Walter and Mary Fee Palmer, built a house in the decade as did hundreds of others especially north of Pleasant Run Parkway. Many Irvingtonians purchased cars during the 1920s so toy automobiles became popular gifts for children. Dick Palmer received his special present in 1925. He remained a car enthusiast for the rest of his life. In an image below, you can see him "driving" around in the backyard.  Two years later he received a toy airplane. Behind him in that photo, you can see the double at 338-40 and the dwelling at 344 North Audubon Road. His family had no way of knowing it in 1927, but  later during World War II, Dick flew B-25 Mitchell aircraft and even taught other pilots how to fly.

The 1920s were also important for Dick as he started school in 1927. Children along North Audubon Road attended School #57. Visiting the family in September of 1927 was his Aunt Nell Fee.  The Fees hailed from a prominent farming family near Clarksburg, Indiana in northeastern Decatur County. Nell and Mary Fee's grandfather, John G. Fee, was one of the founders of Berea College in Kentucky. Aunt Nell's timing for her visit could not have been more perfect as Dick was afraid to go to school. She told him that she would escort him to the building and she gave him a dime to put in his pocket. As young Dick walked up the stairs of School #57, he turned back to give his Aunt the dime, but she told him to keep it and he was to show it to her upon his exit later that day. Dick Palmer thrived at school. He later graduated from Arsenal Tech High School and Miami University in Ohio.

Dick Palmer received his toy car gift in 1925. He "drove" it around in the backyard of his home at 333 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer and a friend posed for this photograph in 1927 after receiving his new airplane as a gift. Behind the boys, you can see the double at 338-40 North Audubon Road and the residence at 344 North Audubon Road. The Karns family dwelled on one side of the double and the Johnson family lived at 344.  The 1927 city directory noted that one side of the double was vacant.  

Dick Palmer posed for this photograph in 1927 in his front yard at 333 North Audubon Road on his first day of school.

Dick Palmer posed for his family in 1927 in the backyard of 333 North Audubon Road in 1927. His  supportive Aunt Nell Fee walked  with him to school that day. 

Growing Up Along Audubon Road

Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer was born in 1921 to Dr. Walter and Mary Fee Palmer. He spent his entire childhood at 333 North Audubon Road.  Dick was raised as an only child because his older brother died before his birth. He had no trouble finding playmates as there were several households in the area with children under ten years of age. Next door at 323 North Audubon Road dwelled little Nancy Ostrander and Eva Ham. Two doors down at 347 North Audubon Road resided Thomas Harrison, the youngest son of John and Elizabeth Harrison. Ruth Adams, the daughter of Henry and Pearl Adams lived across the street at 344 North Audubon Road. Other kids near his age like Bob Glass, Roger Schuck, and the Korbly brothers dwelled in the vicinity on Michigan Street, and along Lowell, Lesley, Graham, and Bolton Avenues. The Palmers, clearly very proud of their son, documented several key moments of his early life. You will see snapshots from his youth and scenes from the neighborhood in the following images.

Dick Palmer played with his toys on his front porch at 333 North Audubon Road in 1923.

Backyard fun:  Dick Palmer played in the backyard of his home at 333 North Audubon Road in 1922. 

Dick Palmer enjoyed the outdoors in the spring of 1922. Behind him, you can see the large Italianate home at 343 North Audubon Road. 

Dick Palmer on the front porch of his home at 333 North Audubon Road in 1923.

Mary Fee Palmer assisted her son Dick on her porch at 333 North Audubon Road in 1922.

333 North Audubon Road in 1922

333 North Audubon Road in 1923

The historic images are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer. 

The Palmers Build a Bungalow on Audubon Road

Shortly after suffering the loss of their only child in 1920, Dr. Walter and Mrs. Mary Fee Palmer decided to start anew. First, they moved into a brand new home and then they welcomed a new baby boy into their lives in 1921.  For the first four years of their marriage, the couple rented various homes throughout the neighborhood. Thanks to Dr. Palmer's steady income working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the couple was now able to build a beautiful bungalow at 333 North Audubon Road.

The unique two-story home sits on a beautiful lot in a wooded area of the neighborhood. Clad in stucco, the dwelling possesses an entryway complete with sidelights and flanked by beautiful casement doors facing Audubon Road. Thomas Richard Palmer, who grew up in the home, noted that his parents built what they could afford. The couple planted some beautiful trees and lush flower gardens. They also built a rock wall at the back of the property. Besides a garage, the couple erected a chicken coup at the back of the property.

Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer grew up in the house. He is now 94 years-old and still recalls his early life along Audubon Road. He remembers many of his neighbors and his childhood friends. In the next post we shall examine Mr. Palmer's early years in the neighborhood.

The historic image and stories are courtesy of Janet Chapman and Dick Palmer.  

A beautiful snow blanketed Irvington c1938. Walter and Mary Palmer built the home in 1920 or 1921. A similar home exists along the 300 block of North Bolton Avenue. 

Walter and Mary Palmer dwelled at 333 North Audubon Road for decades. In 1943, they posed next to their fireplace for this image.  

Mary Fee Palmer proudly posed with her son, Dick, in 1921 on the front porch of 333 North Audubon Road.

Newborn, Thomas Richard or Dick Palmer, smiles from his baby carriage on the front porch of 333 North Audubon Road in 1921. He spent the remainder of his childhood in the home.