Eastside story : portrait of a neighborhood on the suburban frontier
|
|
EASTSIDE
STORY Portrait of a Neighborhood on the Suburban Frontier
Project Director:
Professor Susan B. Hyatt,
IUPUI, Department of Anthropology
Authored mostly by:
Daniel W. Branstrator, Margaret Baurley, Molly Dagon and Stephanie Yarian.
Based on research conducted by:
Margaret Baurley Daniel Branstrator Jesse Brown
Robyn Bulluck Molly J. Dagon Barbara DeRose
Autumn Langley Olivia Lobdell Andrea McLaughlin
Brad Miller Courtney Singleton Clare Smith
Stephanie Yarian
EASTSIDE STORY: Portrait of a Neighborhood on the Suburban Frontier
By members of the Spring 2009 class “Field Work in Ethnography,”
IUPUI Department of Anthropology
ISBN-13: 978-1-934406-09-0
Copyright 2009, 2nd Edition with updates 2010, Department of Anthropology, IUPUI
Neighborhood Alliance Press
a division of Doulos Christou Press
Indianapolis
douloschristou@gmail.com
TABLE of CONTENTS
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................. i
Preface: From the Community’s Point-of-View......................................................................... iv
by Scott Armstrong
Foreword: The Post-War American Suburb............................................................................. v
by Dr. Matthew Durington
Introduction: “Come on in!”.................................................................................................... vii
by Professor Susan B. Hyatt
Chapter 1: Community Heights Neighborhood Organization: Neighbors and Friends............. 1
by Susan B. Hyatt
Chapter 2: “Empty Fields and Rabbit Hunting”: The Early Days of Community Heights........... 5
by Courtney Singleton
Chapter 3: Clocking in: Employment on the Eastside................................................................ 8
by Margaret Baurley
Chapter 4: From all Four Corners: Immigration to Community Heights.................................. 13
by Courtney Singleton and Susan B. Hyatt
Chapter 5: Neighborhood Mainstays......................................................................................... 16
by Stephanie Yarian, Margaret Baurley and Daniel Branstrator
Chapter 6: Housing in Community Heights............................................................................... 23
by Molly J. Dagon and Margaret Baurley
Chapter 7: Local Legends.......................................................................................................... 28
by Daniel Branstrator and Stephanie Yarian
Chapter 8: Walking to Shops......................................................................................... ........... 32
by Margaret Baurley, Molly J. Dagon and Susan B. Hyatt
Chapter 9: A Healthy Eastside................................................................................................... 35
by Robyn Bullock and Barbara DeRose
Chapter 10: “All Aboard!” Trolleys, Trains and Street Cars....................................................... 39
by Molly J. Dagon
Chapter 11: Making the Grades: Schools in Community Heights.................................... ........... 41
by Margaret Baurley, Molly J. Dagon, Robyn Bullock
Chapter 12: Sunday Best: Churches in Community Heights...................................................... 44
by Margaret Baurley, Susan B. Hyatt and Stephanie Yarian
Chapter 13: Next Door Neighbors: Windsor Village................................................................. 47
by Margaret Baurley
Chapter 14: Community Heights Goes Green!.......................................................................... 51
by Heather Meloy
Chapter 15: What We Learned: Comments from Student Researchers..................................... 54
Afterword: “Tulips, Air Conditioners and Doors”..................................................................... 61
by Reverend Scott Smith
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project could not have happened without the help and support of many, many individuals and organizations.
First of all, our generous funders made this publication possible. This book was funded in part by the Great Indy
Neighborhoods Initiative’s IMAGINE matching grant. Marc McAleavey and Josh Bowling of the Indianapolis
Neighborhood Resource Center provided technical assistance and guidance in preparing and implementing this
grant. We received additional funding from The Venture Fund at the IUPUI Solutions Center; sincere thanks to
Teresa Ann Bennett and Sarah Zike for their support. And, Justus Homes, Inc. came through with additional
funding which has allowed us to have four color pages in the center of this booklet. Thank you to Justus
Homes, Suzanne Dennis and Katie Heddon, in particular.
Of course, our key partner in this endeavor has been Community Heights Neighborhood
Organization (CHNO). Their generosity to us cannot be overstated. We particularly thank
Scott Armstrong, President of CHNO during the period when this research took place, for
facilitating all of our activities. Reverend Scott Smith, pastor of Arlington Heights Baptist
Church made his church’s facilities available to us for class meetings and other activities.
Community Hospital East, most particularly Dan Hodgkins and Nancy Chapman, were
wonderful allies; Sherry McIntyre and Cheryl Larsen of the Parish Nursing Program also
contributed their insights and Patti Matthews, Director of Creative Services for Community
Health Network, provided the historic images of Community East for us to use here.
Our archival research took place in many locations, and we thank the following people for their help: Warren
Commission; Steve Barnett at the Bona Thompson Center; Georgia Stewart at the Warren Park Library; Bob
Wilch at the Department of Metropolitan Development; and the Indiana Historical Society. Sven Schumacher of
information as well. District 17 Councilwoman Mary Moriarty Adams was a believer in this project long before it
came to fruition. And, we are also appreciative to Scecina Memorial High School and Little Flower School.
publication looks so great!
We thank the Department of Anthropology at IUPUI, under whose auspices the community research class was
taught, and the Department of Geography at IUPUI, who loaned us their wonderful large-sized computer for us to
use in compiling this book.
Of course, essential to the success of any research that is based on interviews and observation is the willingness of
people to talk! The residents of Community Heights truly touched us with their hospitality. We thank the following
people for sharing their insights and resources with us:
Deette Bennett Chad and Kate Gardner Kathy and Bruce Evenson
DeEtte Schmidt Claudette Holcomb John Cook
Chris and Kristina Swatts Art and Edith Smit-Roeters Jesse and Pam Bolte
Paula and Chris Lord Kathy Williams Rita Chapman
Chris Collins Barbara and Casey Kehrer Deb Law
Mike Middleton Harold and Carol Phillips Dave Stout
Joe Masterson Kathy Borcherding Rosenberg Suzanne Kisling
Mickey Rogers Janet Frisbee Wilma Peacock
Carolyn Collins Reed Susie Gammon Matt Heidelberger
Julie Young Jim and Alicia Miller Andy and Pam Frazier
Julie Stewart Jeff McLaughlin Jeff O’Berry
Pastor Alan Blakeburn Donna Parry Gary Chang
Pastor David Nicholson Peggy Purvis June Stahl
Larry and Evelyn Wilson Peter Tocco Wes Booth
Joyce Freeman John and Charlotte Justus
Last but not least, as the instructor for this class, it was a privilege and pleasure to guide the thirteen students
data until well after the semester had ended; we then faced the daunting task of organizing and presenting all of the
material that everyone had collected. Four students in particular took it upon themselves to stay on through the
summer to help pull this book together. Very special recognition is due to Daniel Branstrator, Margaret Baurley,
Molly Dagon and Stephanie Yarian. They performed yeoman’s work in seeing this project through. We also had
help over the summer from Courtney Singleton and Heather Meloy.
It is always rewarding for me to see the high
quality of the research that undergraduates
are capable of carrying out. This class was no
in this endeavor brought their great energy,
enthusiasm and creativity to bear in completing
this undertaking. The students came up with
would have thought of. To give just one
“Scan-a-Thon,” which allowed neighborhood
residents to bring us their photos and other
memorabilia to scan while they were attending
the monthly community group meeting at the
Arlington Heights church. I salute them all
for their accomplishments; as is the case in
the best of teaching situations, I hope they
have learned as much from me as I have from
them.
Susan B. Hyatt
Associate Professor of Anthropology
August 7, 2009
The Famous Scan-a-Thon: neighborhood resident Claudette Holcomb sharing
memorabilia with students Clare Smith and Autumn Langley.
PREFACE:
From the Community’s Point-of-View
The book you are about to read represents to me not the end of a project, but rather a celebration of a wonderful
collaboration that will have lasting impact on our neighborhood for years to come. Community Heights has enjoyed
an incredible eighteen-plus months of working with Susan Hyatt and with two classes of her students; many of
the results of their research are contained in the following pages. The book will not be able to do justice to the
full effect that this partnership has had within our neighborhood, nor to the level of engagement that the students
demonstrated during the course of their research. Many of the projects that had been struggling, or that were
on the back-burner suddenly took off and have become
by the students. Everyone involved in this collaboration
contributed to the book and to the other outcomes.
I hope that you enjoy reading the stories of our
part of the City of Indianapolis. The students did an
its future. We want to thank IUPUI, Professor Hyatt,
and all of her students for sharing their time and talents
to produce this narrative about our neighborhood.
Scott Armstrong
President 2006-2009
Community Heights Neighborhood Organization
Resident Scott Armstrong shares his thoughts on the community with class members at Arlington Heights Baptist Church, our home base.
Plat map of Community Heights. Courtesy Bona Thompson Center.
FOREWORD:
The Post-War American Suburb
Dr. Matthew Durington, Towson State University
Project Director’s Note: Dr. Matthew Durington was a
student of Professor Susan Hyatt’s at Temple University.
His area of expertise is American suburbs. He wrote this
short introduction for our publication based on his research.
Many of the aspects of suburbanization that he discusses
below are also features shared by Community Heights and
the Indianapolis metropolitan area more broadly.
The development of the contemporary American suburb was
not only a story about housing; it was also a story about the
emergence of the American Dream, as it was shaped by programs
and policies in the post-World War II period. Although there was
settlement of towns outside of cities from the beginning of this
country’s history, the movement of families from city centers out
to the urban fringe accelerated greatly in the 1950s.
As early as the 19th century, the rise of streetcars and other
forms of public transportation linked these outlying areas to
city centers, boosting the migration of families from the inner
cities to the suburbs. After World War II, the availability of
estate developers to build residential communities. Soldiers
returning from the war were eager to settle down and begin their
families, and they found economic assistance for buying a newly constructed home outside the city in the form of
the guaranteed mortgages provided by the G.I. Bill. Unfortunately, this initial phase of suburbanization was also
characterized by racial discrimination, as many of these new suburban developments prohibited the sale of homes
to minorities.
The movement of families out to the suburbs was also accompanied by an increasing reliance on automobiles.
The Federal Highway Act of 1956 was the largest public works project in U.S. history. Then-President Eisenhower
saw this massive program as essential to enhance the national defense in case of invasion by an enemy power. The
consequence was to diminish governmental support for public transportation which began to languish, as families
found they could afford a family car to facilitate the commute back into the city for work. Another outcome of
the enormous road-building projects was that many urban neighborhoods — particularly those that were often
home to immigrants, African-Americans and working-class folks — were crippled or demolished entirely by the
interstate highways that now traversed their communities, tearing up homes and streets, displacing people and
local institutions and dividing neighborhoods that had once had a sense of identity as a single community.
In the contemporary period, many suburbs have now become part of the metropolitan areas they once ringed.
Warren Township map showing its extensive network of
roads and highways linking it to the interior urban core
of Indianapolis.
invest their resources in rehabbing old industrial buildings as loft apartments and condominiums.
Other suburbs, however, have now become thriving and desirable urban neighborhoods, where people value both
stores, restaurants and malls. These neighborhoods continue to be convenient to city centers, thanks to those massive
interstate highways. Recently, however, there has also been a renewed interest in rebuilding public transportation
systems, motivated by public concern about the cost
of gasoline, the dependence on foreign oil and the
effects of so many cars on global warming.
Above all, the post-war suburbs and the city
neighborhoods that many of them have become are
still places where people go to live out the American
sense of neighborliness and camaraderie that
continue to characterize many of these communities.
They are increasingly racially and ethnically diverse
spaces, and will undoubtedly continue to play as
important role in shaping the urban landscapes of
the 21st century, as they did in the 20th.
An advertisement for then-new Justus homes in Community Heights.
Smith Real Estate ad from the 1959 Warren Central yearbook.
Foreword: The Post-War American Suburb iii
INTRODUCTION:
“Come On In!”
Professor Susan B. Hyatt, Department of Anthropology, IUPUI
On an uncharacteristically bright and temperate day in February, about fourteen of us, one faculty member and
thirteen students from the IUPUI Anthropology Department, found ourselves armed with notebooks, cameras and
digital recorders, trooping down residential streets in a tidy neighborhood on the Eastside of Indianapolis. Our
walking tour of the community was being conducted by Scott Armstrong, a resident of the neighborhood who also
then served as the president of the local community group, the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization.
Community Heights takes its name from one of the largest institutions located in its midst: Community Hospital
East. From Scott, we learned that the northern part of the neighborhood had been built mostly in the post-World
the American dream as families all over the country moved out from the urban core to live in modest houses on
tree-lined streets just like those in Community Heights. At that time, there was a host of industrial jobs located in
part of Indianapolis’ ambitious interstate road construction system which, in the 1960s and ‘70s, afforded the car-owning
residents of the community a quick way to get downtown and to the outer suburbs.
Community Heights is located in the western fringe of Warren Township, which was incorporated into the city
of Indianapolis in 1970 as part of the reorganization of local government known as “Unigov.” Warren Township,
and Community Heights, continue to combine both the elements of the outer suburbs — low-density, mostly single
family houses with yards on quiet blocks — with easy access to downtown, shopping and other amenities. Many
residents described Community Heights as “the best of both worlds.”
As we walked through the streets, Scott stopped us several times in order to point out
such landmarks as the local elementary school, the hospital and a newly refurbished apartment
took notes. This walking tour was part of a community-based research class I teach every spring
through the Department of Anthropology at IUPUI. This past spring the class met weekly at the
Arlington Heights Baptist Church, located in the heart of the neighborhood, where residents
stopped by regularly to chat with us. The students conducted over forty open-ended interviews in
the neighborhood and devoted themselves to tracking down photographs and other material that
would enhance our understanding of the neighborhood’s present and past.
This book is the culmination of our work. While it is certainly not comprehensive, we hope it will provide
readers with a portrait of the Community Heights neighborhood and of its very active and committed residents’
organization. In looking back on all of our activities, we agreed that the refrain we heard most often was, “Come on
in!” as residents welcomed us into their homes and hearts and as they shared their stories and memories with us.
We thank all of the members of the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization, Arlington Heights Baptist
Church, Community Hospital East, Justus Homes, the Steer-In and many, many other neighborhood institutions
for their hospitality and generosity. We were honored to engage in this collaborative endeavor with you and we
hope our book communicates to everyone your community’s fascinating history, its lively present and its very bright
future.
CHAPTER 1
COMMUNITY HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION:
Neighbors and Friends
Susan B. Hyatt
The Community Heights Neighborhood Organization actually had its origin in an earlier group, the Eastside
Community Organization. From 1980-2006, ECO, as it was known, brought neighbors together to address a range
of issues aimed at safeguarding the well-being of the neighborhood. The organization began informally, as just a
Indianapolis Star (12/8/01), “the community organization persevered and the developer was defeated.” A more
recent battle ensued in 1995, when the group again mobilized to prevent the establishment of a methadone clinic
in the 5600 block of E. 16th Street. The city zoning board initially ruled in favor of the community group but the
Hospital East (see Indianapolis Star -1/31/2003).
organization’s many successes, the group’s attendance had begun to dwindle.There was a need for some new blood.
That new blood appeared in the form of Scott Armstrong. In 2006, encouraged by Councilwoman Mary Moriarty
Adams who was his neighbor and who rarely—if ever—misses a meeting of the group, Scott ran for the presidency
of the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization and was elected.
Enthusiastic residents of Community Heights, relaxing after participating in a neighborhood clean-up, June 2008.
to change the name of the organization. Although they kept the same boundaries,
Emerson Avenue to Arlington Avenue, 10th Street to 21st Street, there was a
feeling that the name “Eastside Community Organization” was too general and
didn’t really provide a clear sense of the neighborhood’s identity. After quite a bit
of deliberation, the new name, Community Heights Neighborhood Organization,
anchor, Community Hospital East.
One of Scott Armstrong’s concerns was to begin to build up the organization
by focusing on positive activities in the neighborhood and bringing in new people.
As he put it:
I never wanted to turn away from watching out for things but I am more
a person who likes to take care of things that are wrong. We needed more
people so we went out, and we started actively trying to recruit more people.
The hospital helped us by sending out a mailing to every address they had in
this mile square. So, at this point, two and a half years later, we have about
120 members, and we have about 60 people coming to meetings. We’re
pulling grants, we’re doing projects. Our directors are all there because they
want to be there.
Since 2006, the organization has received three major grants: one for a
community-school festival behind School 88 in the fall of 2007; one for this
collaborative publication; and one for the new community garden which came to
The community is fortunate to have a number of active residents who have
lived in the neighborhood for many years. One such dedicated volunteer is
Claudette Holcomb. She moved into the neighborhood on March 12, 1962. Mrs.
lived there a long time and who weren’t so welcoming toward newcomers. She
says that the new residents who have moved in since that time are much friendlier
and have made the block an even nicer place to live. Mrs. Holcomb is a retired
school teacher who still works as a substitute teacher when needed; she is also a
dedicated volunteer at Bethel Food Pantry, located just east of the neighborhood.
With the economic downturn, she says that the food pantry is now serving a lot
of residents from Community Heights. As Mrs. Holcomb noted about the revival
of the community organization, “I’ve been very happy with the neighborhood
Once Community Hospital got behind reviving the organization, I started telling
numerous people about the meetings and so, last I know, we had a hundred
members or so. Paying members! … Lots of people have gotten involved, fairly
young people, energetic people are taking part now.”
Among those energetic newer residents are Pam and Jesse Bolte. As Pam told
us, “We loved the houses and the warm community feeling. We both grew up
in small towns; I grew up in southern Indiana. It felt like this was a community
and within each street and on each block was another little community. Jesse is
in construction and so he looked a lot at houses and this neighborhood was one Paula and Chris Lord.
2 Eastside Story
District 17 Councilwoman
Mary Moriarity Adams and Dan
Hodgkins, Community Hospital
East, discuss a local issue.
Pam and Jesse Bolte.
Members of Community Heights
Neighborhood Organization:
that just caught our eye with all the neat characteristics; it wasn’t a cookie
cutter and all the houses were different. There are a lot of people here who
really care about their community.” Pam also serves as the treasurer for the
neighborhood organization.
Kathy Williams has lived on the East side all of her life, mostly in
Martindale-Brightwood. She moved into an apartment in Community
Community Heights Neighborhood Organization. She notes that the absence
of local churches is a social shift that has really altered neighborhood life
everywhere. A lot of people now commute to their churches, outside of the
neighborhoods where they live. She mentioned Martin University as a local
resource, particularly for African-American residents but also for everyone.
Ms. Williams noted the increasing diversity of the neighborhood. At one
time, some of the older houses included deeds with restrictive covenants,
meaning that they could not be sold to non-whites. Such covenants were
ruled illegal by the Supreme Court as part of wave of Civil Rights legislation
enacted during the 1960s and now Community Heights is a community that
is proud of its growing diversity.
Also among the younger members of Community Heights are the Swatts,
Kristina and Chris. Kristina has been particularly active in organizing
the community garden. Chris also participates in the meetings and other
activities. As he put it, “In all honesty, everybody talks about the north side,
the northeast side as the place to be. They might work down here but they
live up there, and they don’t know what’s going on. Lately there’s been a shift
are there; they know they have an audience.”
Like Chris, many residents commented to us that they saw Community
Heights as an affordable version of Broad Ripple. Some of the younger folks
moved to Community Heights precisely because the housing was a much better value for the money. The older brick
Dave Stout, another member of the CHNO Board of Directors, also emphasized the new bonds that have been
forged as a result of the renewed activity in the neighborhood. As he put it, “People have started talking to each other
more; we have dinners, picnics, we make use of the park and the community garden. The idea of the community
garden is to get people to actually come together. People hiding behind their walls and driving back and forth to
work, that is not a neighborhood. But when people actually talk that’s what makes a neighborhood. And so, the
community garden is a place for people to talk, our Community Heights meetings are a place for people to talk,
that’s how neighbors get to know each other. So I would like to see more involvement, people talking to each other
and not being so isolated in their homes.” Like others, he also mentioned the solid, well-c0nstructed houses that
make up the core of the Community Heights neighborhood.
out of their way to pick up trash, to clean things up. Neighborhood associations are huge with volunteering during
service days. People here take the Eastside to be a community; they don’t just think about it as the side of town that
they live on.”
Kristina Swatts presents Scott Armstrong
with a token of the group’s appreciation
for his three years of service as President
of CHNO.
Community Heights Neighborhood Organization 3
organization. For the past year, Chris has served as Vice President of the organization and he was just re-elected to
that post. Paula has been active in forging a relationship with the Latino residents of La Casa apartments. Both have
been involved with the community garden. As Paula told us, “Once people see us and what we’re doing, they’re going
to come out of the woodwork … There are a lot of positive things happening right now on the east side of town. This
along with one another. And here, you know your neighbors.”
“This is a neighborhood where people take care of their homes and their property,” says Joe Masterson, who has
lived in Community Heights since 1991. “They obviously have pride in what the area looks like. [When I moved here]
I was looking for a place I could handle by myself. I didn’t want to have to spend hours mowing the lawn. I didn’t
The group meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Arlington Heights
Baptist Church. Each month the group collects canned food for local food
pantries. After three years of dedicated service, at the July 2009 meeting of the
Community Heights Neighborhood Organization, Scott Armstrong decided to
“retire” as president. Everyone knows that he will certainly continue to be an
active and involved member of the neighborhood and of the organization. A new
young leader has stepped up to take the reigns from Scott. Chad Gardner was
elected to serve as the new president, and he pledged to carry forward the various
initiatives that were established under Scott’s leadership. Chad and his wife Kate
have already been involved in many of the Community Heights activities to date,
including the community garden and the clean-ups days.
These are just a few of the people we met in the course of this research. All of
them inspired us with their dedication and enthusiasm for their community and
for their organization. There were many other voices that we just didn’t have the
space to include here. We learned something from each and every one of them
and we are grateful to them for their time, patience and hospitality toward us.
Chad Gardner, the new President of
CNHO, July 2009.
4 Eastside Story
Community Heights residents listen attentively at one of the monthly meetings.
Neighborhood resident Mickey Rogers.
CHAPTER 2
“EMPTY FIELDS AND RABBIT HUNTING”:
The Early Days of Community Heights
Courtney Singleton
Through the early 1900s, a majority of land lying within Community Heights’ boundaries remained farmland. The
earliest farmers included John Ellenberger, William W. Lowe, the Shearer’s and Henry Coburn. These farms were
the foundation of the community that was to develop on the east side of Indianapolis. Their large plots would
eventually be sold to developers, but in different periods, resulting in several phases of neighborhood development
and a distinctive difference in housing among the four squares of the community.
One of the more prominent pioneering farmers was John Ellenberger. The Ellenberger Mansion, built in 1854,
coincided with the building of Union Station which was constructed in 1852-53 (Indiana Historical Society). As the
the same time as Union Station ... and I think that is why he was so successful because he started farming at a period
in time when rail was really starting to become big in Indianapolis, and the rail goes through Irvington.” According
And in the beginning, there were just fields: East 11th Street, 1919. Photo courtesy of Justus Homes.
for farmers in and around the east side when it came to transporting their goods.
Soon afterward, the area within Community Heights began to see a shift from large vast tracks of farmland to
residential neighborhoods. John Cook, 91, was born on the Eastside in 1917 and witnessed this shift. “The Eastside
neighborhood in the early 1880s, “Well not too long afterward when they started really building on 10th street.” The
builder he was referring to here was Justus Homes, who built the majority of homes south of 16th Street. Though
homes on the East side since 1910. There were many houses between 10th and 16th Streets and East of Ritter
Avenue that were built later and by other builders. Joe Masterson lives in one of these homes. He told us that,
“this house was built in 1962 by John Boucher, one of several builders who built in this area right here.” The Glick
Company also built many homes and apartments on the Eastside.
Farmland lying to the north of 16th street was owned by Coburn, John Shearer and W. W. Lowe. According to
Ellenberger’s Title Abstract, Lowe’s property was to become the Arlington Heights addition around the same time
that Ellenberger’s original farmland was being developed. It wasn’t until 1941 that the Coburn Farm, the northwest
quadrant, was developed by the American Building and Supply Corporation into the Woodlawn addition. The wood
lawn addition was designed as a neighborhood for the “pure white race.” “Then there was one ugly bit of our past in
the title search ... it gets to this neighborhood, it’s actually a part of the Woodlawn addition,” said Mike Middleton,
who lives on 21st street. Such restrictive covenants, which prohibited the selling of homes to non-whites, were
common in Indianapolis until the mid-1960s.
These four major farms, lead to the development of four distinctively different sections within Community
Heights, each with its unique architecture and history. These distinctions are felt by those who live in Community
crossroads, Ritter
Avenue and 16th Street.
Claudette Holcomb
of her community by
stating, “I think many
people who lived right
here in this area and
who have been here a
long time would say
10th to 16th, Emerson
maybe even just to
Ritter or maybe as far
as Arlington. I don’t
know, perhaps it has
something to do with
the way the houses are
built I suppose.” On the
other side of Ritter, Joe
“My neighborhood is The Askren House in 1907. Photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.
6 Eastside Story
10th to 16th, Arlington to Ritter … I don’t have much contact with people on the other side of Ritter or the other side
the landscape within Community Heights, the neighborhood organization does draw everyone together. They are in
fact coming together through this organization and creating a shared identity as members of the same community.
One of the oldest houses on the Eastside is located just outside of Community Heights, on 16th Street, a few
blocks east of Arlington. According to Indianapolis’ Department of Historic Preservation, the Askren house was
originally built by Thomas Askren, who settled in Indianapolis in 1825 and began constructing the home by hand.
The house was completed in 1850 and housed not only the family but a number of hired hands. In its heyday, the
farm was sub-divided into smaller and smaller parcels. The Askrens maintained ownership of the home until 1989,
when it was sold to a developer who intended to restore the historic home and convert it to condominiums. Sadly,
these plans never came to fruition.*
It is amazing to think that in such a short time period the eastside of Indianapolis was transformed from farm
to city suburb, from gravel road to streetcars, from rabbit hunting to city commuting. Resident Edith Smit-Roeters
recalled, “The lady that lived over here, she died years ago. She said when she came to live here as a girl; it was in
the middle of the country. It was all corn and vegetables and I think it was half a century ago. I think it was longer
than half a century ago … could have been 75 years ago.” Kathy Williams added, “It’s amazing to think that all of
this could have been farmland. And so a lot of this — all this innovation in this neighborhood — a lot of it has really
happened within my lifetime.”
*
The Askren House in 2005. Both photos courtesy of the Indianapolis Historic
Preservation Commission.
Empty Fields and Rabbit Hunting 7
The Askren House in February 1983.
CHAPTER 3
CLOCKING IN: EMPLOYMENT ON THE EASTSIDE
“Those jobs were never going to go away...”
Margaret Baurley
short trip down 21st Street brings you to Shadeland Avenue, a busy
road cluttered with hotels and warehouses. It’s not much to look at
now, but to many, this area is one of tender memories. To some, it
symbolizes the Eastside’s more prosperous times. Mention Shadeland
Avenue to a Community Heights elder and they’ll probably recall
Western Electric, RCA, Chrysler, the Eastgate Consumer Mall, or
all of these plants became magnets, drawing people to the area which,
in turn, caused the Eastside to boom.
Western Electric made its home on 2525 N. Shadeland Avenue
in 1950 and employed large number of eastside residents. This
was a well known fact to Community Heights residents. As Kathy
Western Electric and lots of my schoolmates had dads who worked
at Western Electric and moms who worked for Western Electric. And
those jobs were never going to go away because everybody had to
have a phone and where’d you get your phone? Why, all phones are
made at Western Electric for the whole country! They were made
right there and they made the phones for the phone company. And
you got your phone from the phone company. So those jobs were
super secure. Those people were sure that they had a job for life
because, you know, everybody had to have phones. That wasn’t ever
going to go away.” Unfortunately, this was not the case. In
1986, Western Electric closed its doors, and at least 8,000
employees were back on the job market.
A few blocks north of Western Electric stood the Chrysler
Corporation plant which was built in the 1950’s. In prime
condition, Chrysler on Shadeland employed an estimated
years after Western Electric was closed, Chrysler ceased
operations in Indianapolis.
Just a few yards away, Jenn-Air, the manufacturing,
research, and sales facility for Maytag, hung on a few
more years until 1996 when it was announced that
they too were out of business. Jenn-Air, which was
founded in Indianapolis in the 1940s, would leave 600
workers jobless (See Indianapolis Star 2/10/1996).
Western WesternElectric ad from 1954 Warren Central yearbook.
Chrysler Corporation ad from 1954 Warren Central yearbook.
South of the hustle and bustle of the
factories stood the Eastgate Consumer
Mall, in its heyday a beacon of success
on the Eastside. Eastgate was built in
in Indianapolis. It was an active hub
for Eastside shoppers. Windsor Village
resident Donna Parry went to work in
the Wasson’s department store shortly
after it opened and recalls times when
there were lines to get into the then open-air
mall. Kathy Evenson remembers
Wasson’s as upscale shopping spot.
“Wasson’s at Eastgate was the place to
shop,” she recalled. “When you lived
on the Eastside, you have your dressy
dress for a graduation ceremony, Easter
Sunday, or something like that; if you
got it at Wasson’s at Eastgate you were
really, really having something nice.
Something everybody wanted was to get
their clothes from there.”
Most people who visited Eastgate
in its prime described it as something
remarkable. Kathy, who also worked
at Eastgate in the Sears department
store remembered it as a place to get
anything. “It was wonderful. There was
a brand new supermarket, a Standard
supermarket … a beautiful store.
There was a big G.C. Murphy’s and
Woolworth’s, both of which had soda
fountains. There was a Tom McCann’s
and Kenny’s shoes. There was a Sears
store – a two level Sears store, it had an
escalator down to the basement … And
there was Goodman’s Jewelers which
is where we went to get our class rings
for Howe High School. And several
smaller boutique type stores…card and
stationery shops and that kind of thing.
Everything that the young family-raising
boomer children would want was at that
shopping center – absolutely everything.
Kathy and Bruce Evenson and Kathy’s mom, Janet Frisbee.
Clocking In 9
Western Electric ad from the 1958 Warren Central yearbook.
You could get the kids their
underwear, their shoes, their
coats, their hats, everything.”
But like the factories a
short distance away, Eastgate
would soon be in trouble when
something new came along.
“When I got married and left
here New Year’s Eve of 1972-
73,” Kathy recalls, “Eastgate
was a fully functional, thriving
mall and when we moved back
to the mainland United States
in ’76, it already had the kiss
of death about it. It’s because
they were building Washington
Square Mall.”
Kathy’s mother, Janet Frisbee,
recalls that when Washington
Square Mall was built just a few
miles away on East Washington
Street in the 70s, Eastgate
suddenly lost its luster. “Well,
once they built Washington
Square, Eastgate was doomed. They took the good stores. It was just attrition, you know. The things that moved
in just weren’t money makers … Diehards like me would still go shopping there. We went, but you know, we didn’t
spend the amount of money that they needed you to spend.”
So Eastgate dwindled with a few stores hanging on into the 1990s, but in the minds of those who once waited in
line to see it in its glory days, Eastgate was yesterday. Eventually, Eastgate, and all its employees and its shops, went
out of business.
When Shadeland businesses failed, they took money and Eastside residents with them. When asked about the
closing of the Eastgate Consumer Mall, Bruce Evenson has a theory. “A hell of a lot of blue collar jobs down along
Shadeland went away. The Chrysler plant closed, the Western Electric plant closed and all that income just ceased
to be.” So, there just weren’t enough people to support the mall.
Most Eastside residents can recall the better days when Shadeland was the heart of Eastside business. As former
been a challenge. “That was key for this area … Western Electric and Chrysler,” Kathy says. “Those are places
that have disappeared over the years, and I really don’t think that anything has come up as strong as any of those
organizations right now which is what I think we’re facing over here.”
But the Shadeland saga is not entirely tragic, although it has not been able to fully recover since the pinnacle
days of past. In the past 5 years, the former homes of Jenn-Air, Chrysler and Western Electric have been bought
into the former Jenn-Air building, anchoring its headquarters there (Inside Indiana Business -10/19/2005). In
2007, the former Chrysler plant was bought and transformed into the Shadeland Commerce Center, where several
companies like Goodwill and Unisource have moved in. The massive Western Electric grounds are now Western
10 Eastside Story
We wonder how that plan for the push-button phones worked out! Western Electric ad from
the 1961 Warren Central yearbook.
Select properties with numerous occupants including the
Marion County Probation Department, the Indiana State Department of Health, even the Track Attack Racing
School (Indianapolis Star – 2/17/07).
The most recent Shadeland success story is the purchase of Eastgate Consumer Mall by Lifeline Data Centers.
The center will be home to mainframe and backup computers as well as servers for numerous Indiana businesses.
running. “What we basically are charged with is keeping computers
don’t let the electricity go out.” The former Burlington department
the white noise of the computers. The former mall storefronts will
concrete roof and twelve inch concrete walls, capable of withstanding
severe weather. Upon purchase and renovation of the mall, workers
ran into a few snags, such as abandoned cars in the mall, homeless
people who had made the mall their residence, and literally tons of
trash. “We spent all of last year just getting stuff pulled out. We’ve
Eastgate. “Me and my sisters, we would wait till the morning after
Halloween or something like that and go up here to Woolworth’s
and get all the candy we could get for like 15 cents on the dollar. That
was our big thing.”
Though the job losses, factory closings, and better days
of Shadeland businesses may be a slow healing wound, with
the fact that the hallowed grounds of the once booming businesses
of Shadeland Avenue no longer lie vacant and they certainly will
never be forgotten.
Alex Carroll in front of the generators at Lifeline Data
Centers, located in what used to be the Burlington
Coat Factory at the Eastgate Mall.
Clocking In 11
Eastgate Consumer Mall. Photo courtesy of Matt Heidelberger. We’re Still Here on former Eastgate Consumer Mall.
Naval Avionics
Along with the factories lining Shadeland Avenue, Naval Avionics was a powerhouse business for the area, often
facility was originally ordered to be constructed by the Bureau of Ordnance for work on the Norden Bombsite in the
post-WWII began focus on development, repair and upgrade of weapons and electronic equipment. The facility sits
adjacent to the community of Windsor Village where, in the 1950s, a great many of its employees lived. It ceased to
be a government-owned facility on December 31, 1996. It is now Raytheon Technical Services Company, LLC.
According to former Naval Avionics employees Bruce and Kathy Evenson, the facility worked on a multitude
of projects like helping to develop GPS, the Polaris missile program, airborne radio relays, smart bomb camera
systems, ribbonized organized integrated wiring, F-15 Eagle bomb racks, and sonabuoy, used then for listening for
unfriendly submarines and used now in the study of whales and dolphins.
But there were secrets, and plenty of them.
As Kathy will testify, “I can tell you when
we were still Naval Avionics that there were
electronic engineers that were doing top secret
work. But what it was, I don’t know and we’re
being done. I can say that that’s absolutely 100
percent true.” Another Community Heights
resident, Art Smit-Roeters, got wind of the
mystery at the plant: “Naval Avionics in the
beginning period had a tremendous impact.
There was a lot of high powered secret stuff
going on in there. The data is old now, but I
remember they were working very hard on
applications for submarines.”
Art recalled that once in a while, the facility
would open itself to the community. “At one
time they had an open house so that was neat.
layer of just one atom. That’s precise.”
And the job wasn’t a totally thankless one
– at least once it wasn’t. “I never forgot though,
one year, it must have been ’90,” Kathy said.
“Either it was Christmas Eve Day or the day
after Thanksgiving, I looked up and there was
Senator Lugar walking down the aisle. He
wanted to shake hands and say hello to every
person who was working that holiday. And I
was there and so he came over and said, ‘hello’.
How about that?”
Raytheon plant today.
12 Eastside Story
The former Naval Avionics plant.
CHAPTER 4
FROM ALL FOUR CORNERS:
Immigration to Community Heights
Courtney Singleton and Susan B. Hyatt
People from many diverse ethnic and
cultural backgrounds have come to
live and work in Community Heights,
of Indianapolis. As one drives through
streets that lead into the neighborhood,
two things are immediately noticeable:
the German architecture and the Catholic
schools, mainly Little Flower and Scecina
architecture can be credited to the role
played by the Justus company in building
many of the homes in Community Heights,
the Justuses being one of the German
families who came to live on Indianapolis’
rapidly growing Eastside.
Many of the children who grew up in
generation Irish-Americans and attended the private Roman Catholic Schools. Mary Moriarity-Adams reminisced
about St. Patrick’s Day at Little Flower, a Roman Catholic private school on 13th street, “We were the only kids at
Little Flower that had real Irish shamrocks on our lapels for St. Patrick’s Day, because my grandmother would send
real ones - that’s when you could send anything through the mail- I always remember, Dad would always get real
shamrocks from Ireland.”
Not all of the memories of youth were so positive. As second generation Irish American Deette Bennet recalled
from a job because “he had an Irish brogue.” Community Heights’ resident Donna Parry said her great grandmother
was from Ireland and her family broke apart because she wanted to marry a protestant. Kathy Evenson recalled a
discussion she had with her German professor while attending IUPUI, “And I told him where I lived and he said
rough times, many people living in the neighborhood positively identify with their Irish roots. Those Irish Roman
Catholic schools have become pillars of the community and still serve as a backbone of education for residents. In
one of our interviews, Pam and Andy Frazier also mentioned that the strong Catholic infrastructure that shaped the
neighborhood, particularly along the western border, as one of the factors that has contributed to the neighborhood’s
stability.
While Irish immigrants were dominant in Community Heights, they were not alone. District 17 Councilwoman
the Holy Rosary area. There were several different ethnicities. Not so much far Eastern or Asian, but certainly
Italian, German and Irish.” Mrs. Deette Bennett, named after her French neighbor, stated that in pre-WWII there
was a large Irish population, especially in the Holy Cross Community on the near Eastside, around St. Phillips,
Mary Moriarity Adams sharing her memories of growing up Irish on the Eastside.
and in Fountain Square; to the south, there
was a large German population. According to
Mrs. Bennett, post WWII, soldiers came home
and the sons and daughters of immigrants
were railroaders and stuck by the tracks, and
Eastern Europeans worked in the foundry. It
is no wonder then that Community Heights
would draw railroad workers as the rail kept
Midwest. Kathy Evenson adds, “Basically if
you sit here on a spring/summer/fall evening,
the activity you see is the same activity you
saw in the mid-50’s and 60’s, it’s just that the
color of the people is a rainbow now where in
the past it was all white.”
Many people from outside the community
do not realize that there is also a long-standing
Dutch community in Community
Heights. A few blocks west of Emerson is the
Christian Park Reformed Church, originally
established as the First Holland Reformed
Church. According to the Encyclopedia of
Indianapolis, “by 1910 Indianapolis counted
nearly 300 persons of Dutch stock” (p. 516),
many of whom had settled in the eastern part
of the city. Councilwoman Mary Moriarty
Adams recalled growing up with many of the
Dutch families who lived in Christian Park.
Members of our class interviewed one of the
more recent Dutch immigrants to Community
Heights. Art Smit-Roeters came to live in
the US from the Netherlands in 1960. He
married his wife in the Netherlands in 1977,
and she then joined him here on the East side.
They both remain enthusiastic members of
the Community Heights organization and
community and love the cross-section of
people in the neighborhood.
Another group of early settlers to the
Eastside were German immigrants. These
immigrants established two churches that
originally held services in their native
German: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ
and First United Church of Christ. These
14 Eastside Story
Art and Edith Smit-Roeters, recent Dutch immigrants to Community Heights.
Christian Park Church, which
was originally founded by Dutch
immigrants to the Eastside.
German immigrants to the Eastside
continued to use their native language
until after WWII. These are minutes
from St. Paul’s Church, now part of
Ellenberger UCC, taken in 1931.
churches ultimately merged to form Ellenberger Church of
Christ, whose archives still include documents written in
the original German.
One of the more recent groups of newcomers to the
Community Heights neighborhood is Latinos, mainly from
formerly known as the Pleasant Run apartments, had been
a Section 8, federally subsidized housing development.
had fallen into such a state of disrepair that they were
foreclosed and all of the residents were forced to leave.
Steven Kollar, who has renovated the units and is renting
the apartments out at market rates to Latino workers and
others. Mr. Kollar is based in South Bend but he has been an
active supporter of the Community Heights Neighborhood
Organization. He has facilitated contact between the
members of the organization and residents of La Casa and
community garden, located right across the street from the
people who came to this country with their dreams, as did
the earlier waves of immigrants. Together, all of them -
and many others - make up the diverse and ever-changing
neighborhood that is Community Heights today.
From All Four Corners 15
New Mexican restaurant and grocery store on 16th Street.
Pleasant Run Apartments prior to renovation.
Newly renovated apartments at La Casa.
At Green’s Irish Pub, the spirit of the eastside Irish lives on.
CHAPTER 5
NEIGHBORHOOD MAINSTAYS:
The Historic Steer-In: “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”
Daniel W. Branstrator
It’s 4:00 in the afternoon and Indy’s Historic
Steer-in is starting to bustle with the activity
of another dinner service. I am sitting with
Harold Phillips, the former owner of the
restaurant, and his wife, Carol. The décor
in which it sits: high school basketball
jerseys, photos of local sports teams, and a
“Community Heights Good Neighbor Award”
plaque placed by the Community Heights
Neighborhood Organization. More often
than not, any patron who walks through the
door of this neighborhood establishment is
greeted by name by the staff and by others
already dining at the counter, booths or tables
available.
Harold Phillips bought the restaurant
from the Laughner family who had originally
established the restaurant as Laughner’s
Drive-In in this
location in the late
1950s. The drive-in
restaurant with
curb service was at its
pinnacle of popularity
in America when
Laughner’s became
Harold’s Steer-In in
1964. The restaurant
purchase was quite
a deal: it came with
a house directly
behind it on Leland
Street. Harold and
his wife fondly recall how their
children could watch all the
cars cruising by the drive-in
The former owners of the Steer-In, Harold and Carol Phillips, with the current owners from their windows. Eventually,
Barbara Kehrer and her son, Casey Kehrer.
fearing for the safety of their children, Harold and his wife sold
the house. “The kids loved watching all the cars at the Steer-In
… But then the cars would come up and down the alley behind
our house, and our fence went right up to the alley; we were
afraid that one of our children would step out into the alley...”
Mr. Phillips opened a number of other Steer-Ins – one as
to operate restaurants at so many locations. He eventually sold
all of the other businesses to focus solely on the 10th Street
restaurant. Harold owned the Steer-in for forty-four years and
operated it for thirty-seven. In 1984, the restaurant ceased its
curbside service and in 2000, it was sold to two sisters. They
managed to keep the restaurant going for a few years but were
forced to close it down in 2004, much to the disappointment of
the neighborhood. Two former employees then bought it and
made a go of it for awhile but everyone breathed a sigh of relief
when Charlie and Barbara Kehrer and their son Casey leased the
the name to “Historic Steer-In” but most regulars still know it
as “Harold’s.” From the neighborhood themselves, the Kehrers
attention and love into the property, revitalizing the look of
the dining room and the menu while still holding on to the
The Northway, which eventually became the Steer-In, with its landmark
polar bear statue in front. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Collins Reed.
Neighborhood Mainstays 17
The original owners of the Northway Restaurant.
essence of the original drive-in. Barbara has her own fond memories of
growing up with Harold’s. As she put it, “I remember coming in through
high school, going through and getting root beers and ice cream.
Sometimes I was just driving through to see who was here, you know.”
Over the years, the restaurant once known as The Northway (and
nick-named “The Polar Bear” for a statue that then stood outside the
building), then as Laughner’s Drive-in and then as Harold’s Steer-
In and now “Historic Steer-In” has earned the loyalty of many an
Eastsider. Wilma Peacock, who lives right near the restaurant, was one
of many residents who were distraught when it looked as though the
restaurant would close. As she said, “the most popular times to go to
the Steer-In are on Saturday mornings, when people go for pancakes,
and Sunday morning when people go to have breakfast after church
services. It’s been a thriving neighborhood restaurant. When Harold
originally closed the restaurant, I got on the phone and pleaded with
Harold, ‘Don’t let our neighborhood down; don’t let our neighborhood
be without a restaurant’. And, bless his heart, he found a new owner
and the neighborhood is doing our best to keep it going and viable. In
my particular neighborhood – and I live just three doors north of the
restaurant – there’s 17 of us that meet regularly there every Friday night.
We eat there more often than that but every Friday night, those of us
from the ‘hood meet and we eat there as a group.”
The Kehrer family has maintained the tradition not only of welcoming
neighborhood residents but also of fostering a feeling of camaraderie
among the employees. Several of the current employees live on the
Eastside and also work in other local establishments. As Barbara told us,
the regulars become attached not only to the delicious food but also to
June (Meyer) Stahl shares her memories of
Harold’s.
18 Eastside Story
The original drive-in look of the Steer-In remains today.
Wilma Peacock enjoying a night out at the
Steer-In.
the employees. As she recalled, “We’ve got our share of characters … They sit at the counter and listen to everything
that’s going on. They catch all the gossip … if an employee leaves, then they want the scoop. They wanna know,
‘Why’d she leave?’ They’re funny. Yeah, they are.”
Today, Indy’s Historic Steer-In is still a popular destination for those from within and beyond the neighborhood’s
boundaries. As we stand up to leave our table a woman, sitting at the booth behind us recognized Harold and
stopped him to thank him for all of the good times she remembered from her high school days at Scecina. June
Stahl, who lives just west of Community Heights, was happy to share her thoughts about the Steer-In with us. As
she told us, “Anyone from my era remembers the Steer-In – whenever we go to reunions and get together, we always
reminisce about the Steer-in. This is where we’d go to meet the guys! We’d just order a coke and french fries and
would sit there for hours — Harold never got rich from us, that’s for sure!” Maybe Harold Phillips never got rich
from operating the Steer-In in terms of money, but he and his establishment created many rich memories for the
residents of the Eastside and much to the gratitude of the community, the Kehrer family is continuing on with that
tradition.
The Arlington Theater
Stephanie Yarian
Just as is the case for any other main thoroughfare in a community, Arlington Avenue has its historic landmarks.
The Ace Hardware at 1025 N. Arlington has been open since 1987, but before then it was the home of the Arlington
Theater. This 1949 Art Moderne theater was opened by an independent operator, and in 1951 the Arlington won a
The Arlington Theater today, which houses an Ace Hardware.
Neighborhood Mainstays 19
The original Arlington Theater in 1984. Photo courtesy of Classic American Images.
plaque from Theatre Magazine as one of the year’s best new theaters in the country. In 1953,
the Cinemascope screen and the sound was upgraded to four-track magnetic. The theater
became a showcase for Walt Disney movies until the early 70s when another theater began
outbidding the Arlington for the Disney movies.
Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end for the Arlington. In 1982 after being
leased to an independent operator, the theater tried to revive business by running discount
The Empire Strikes Back, with the hope of
salvaging the theater. When the operator lost the bid and was found in possible violation of state blind bidding
theater in 1983. Small venues and concerts were held at the theater until 1987, but due to poor promotion and lack
of attendance, the theater could no longer support itself and soon was sold and reopened as Ace Central Hardware.
Arlington; I think it was Bambi,” said Terry Fletcher, currently a salesman at Ace Hardware.
The Oriental Inn
Stephanie Yarian
The Oriental Inn at 1421 N. Arlington has been in business for over 40 years and under the current ownership for
the last 24 years. The actual building has not changed much over the years; it cannot be mistaken for anything other
than a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant originally served very Americanized versions of Asian dishes such as chop
suey. When they took over the business in 1985, the current owners, Gary Chang and his family, changed the menu
to include more traditional Cantonese foods. One regular, Joyce Freeman said, “I remember coming to the Oriental
Inn with my mom when I was a kid. This was her favorite restaurant. Now I like coming here so much that I bring
out-of-town guests with me when they visit. It seems like the Oriental Inn has gotten better with age.” But the best
thing about the Oriental Inn is not just the food; it is also the friendly atmosphere that the Chang family serves to
their guests. “They (the Chang family) always greet me by using my name when I eat here,” said Freeman.
p
Exterior of Oriental Inn on Arlington Avenue. Students enjoying a meal at the Oriental Inn. Owner Gary Chang.
20 Eastside Story
Millers’ Marathon Gas Station:
“I have customers that, in my lifetime, I don’t remember not knowing.”
Margaret Baurley
Built in 1969 and passed from father to son, Jim Miller is the proud owner of the Miller’s Marathon station located
across from Community East Hospital. Jim arrived in Community Heights at the age of 18 months old and stuck
customers that he has known his entire life. “They’ve become a part of my life that’s beyond any business. It’s more
of a relationship that you have with people. Because, like I say, I have customers that have somewhat shaped and
my wedding. And she was probably in her 70s then.”
As a kid, Jim lived on 18th Street and recalls feeling safe
in the area. “When the streetlights came on it was time to get
close to the house, but other than that we were just out running
around, not getting in a lot of trouble.” As for the troubles of
today, he sees Community Heights as committed to stability.
for the neighborhood … ‘We’re not going to put up with this.
We’re not going to deal with the thieving; we’re not going to deal
with the things that are dragging other parts of the city down.’”
Though he’s since moved from the area, his love for the
community has not waned. “Even if another station were to open
here, it doesn’t have the history that this station has,” Alicia said.
“Jim doesn’t care just about his property line; he also cares about
what goes on across the street and down the road and at the
schools and at the churches and in the surrounding community
because it goes so much further than just his business.” And
Community Heights residents agree.
Whittier Place resident Janet Frisbee who lives just blocks
away has been a customer since the beginning. “Yeah, my
husband and I went there (in 1969) and I’ve been going there
ever since because they’re honest and they do a good job. They
treat a woman nicely. He (Jim) is just like his dad. After my
husband died – and even when Chuck was alive – they never
treated me like, ‘There there, Dearie, we’ll deal with the man.’
little things and didn’t charge me. So, yeah, I’ve been going to
them ever since!”
Minutes away on 10th Street, Edith and Art Smit-Roeters
good people. And they come fairly regularly to the community
meetings. They’re fantastic people and their mechanic is
Alicia and Jim Miller, current owners of the Marathon at
16th Street and Ritter Avenue.
Neighborhood Mainstays 21
Janet, always a supporter of local businesses, recalls, “You could leave your car there and walk home. No biggie.
It was always handy to have them so close. And then there’s the drugstore, East Side Prescription Shop, just across
East Side Prescription Shop: Another Neighborhood Institution
By Margaret Baurley
In 1956, Walter Justus convinced eastside native Charles
McLaughlin to build the East Side Prescription Shop, and
it’s been in the family since, passed on to his son Jeff. In close
lacking the aisles of make-up and detergent that characterize
the chain drugstores. It is what one might call an old-fashioned
pharmacy because it specializes strictly in medicine and hard-
you need anything for a handicapped person, they’ve either got
it or they’ll get it for you. They’re really good about all that stuff.
I imagine that’s what keeps them going.” Her daughter Kathy
Evenson once had a crisis averted with the help of the East Side
Prescription Shop. “It was really amazing,” she recalled. “We
had a real special need on a weekend when we were visiting and
we needed something that you couldn’t pick up just anywhere.
So, we picked up the phone and called East Side Prescriptions
and they said, ‘Sure we have that.’ Just like that.”
The original Gulf station in 1969. Photo courtesy of Jim Miller. Miller’s Marathon station today.
22 Eastside Story
CHAPTER 6
HOUSING IN COMMUNITY HEIGHTS:
Oldest Home in the Neighborhood: Ellenberger Mansion
Margaret Baurley
John Ellenberger arrived in Indianapolis in 1853 and eventually bought a 240 acre tract that sprawled over what
is now Ellenberger Park, Pleasant Run Golf Course and everything in between. He made his home on what is now
the corner of 10th and Ritter Street, in what is known as the Ellenberger Mansion. John Ellenberger died in 1917 at
the age of 93 and the land was divided between his children, each getting roughly 20 acres. The home stayed in the
Ellenberger family until 1973, always inherited by daughters.
The house is currently occupied by Mark and Julie Stewart, as well as their seven children. As fate would have
it, Mark’s great-great-Grandfather Hilton U. Brown toured the home even before the Stewarts did. “We have
a newspaper article,” Julie says, “that talks about Hilton U. Brown coming here to sit and negotiate the sale of
Ellenberger Park to the city. So it’s cool to think that a hundred years ago his great-great-Grandfather was here and
now we live in the house.”
Though the home has gone through countless changes through the years, many aspects remain the same. The
backyard is sprinkled with apple, cherry, and persimmon trees as well as grape vines, which date back to the pre-
Civil War era. Hooks can also be found in the backyard, which were originally intended to hitch visiting horses.
bathroom sink dates back 90-100 years.
Ellenberger Mansion has many interesting features such as a service entrance and hallways which could be closed off
so maids could move about without disturbing the family and remain undetected by guests. The house also has maid’s
owners instructed her not to reveal its location to her children unless, of course, they someday become owners.
Ellenberger Mansion on a snowy day. Photo courtesy of Julie Stewart. Julie Stewart sharing stories about the Ellenberger haunting.
“A Roof Right Over Our Heads”: Justus Homes
Molly J. Dagon
“Walter E. Justus and his dad and his brother built a
lot of houses. They started this community.” Born at
1109 Kealing Street, John Cook recalls hunting rabbits
Union Station. He also remembers when there were no
on the Eastside began to change as the population of
Indianapolis grew and pushed out of the city. Walter
G. Justus, originally from Germany, began building on
Justus Homes ad from the 1954 Warren Central yearbook.
ilt n bits
e
n lter
24 Eastside Story
Original listing for a newly-built home in the Justus Addition.
and barns, but no bathrooms. The Justus Contracting Company, as it was originally named, was a family affair
and that tradition continues today with President Walter E. Justus. John Cook again reminisced about the Justus
the boss.” As home constructing technology changed so did the features that were included in a typical Justus
home. These features became the trademark of all Justus homes. The distinctive German architecture includes:
archways, keystones, sloping roofs, brickwork, and, after 1980, a Justus seal that is poured into the foundation of
every home.
For 100 years, Justus Homes dominated this
eastside neighborhood, especially after World War
II because it was such a prime location for single-family
homes. Deette Bennett, another lifelong
eastside resident, called the area a “hot spot”. What
made the Justus homes so desirable were their
affordability, quality, and location. The Eastside
was the employment hub of Indianapolis and
needed not only homes, but work. With the help of
the G.I. Bill, vets were able to purchase homes and
live close to work at places like Western Electric,
International Harvester and Naval Avionics. And,
as it was in the 1950s and ‘60s, this neighborhood
is still an ideal setting for young people who are
family.
opened on Gladstone Avenue in 1910. It remained
at that location until 1953, when it moved to 5055 E.
current location on Shadeland. Current residents
of Community Heights continue to appreciate their
solidly-built Justus Homes. As one resident, Dave
Stout, recalled, “Mr. Justus Sr., who is deceased
area. He built everything above and beyond what
the codes of the time required. That’s why these
houses have lasted so long. Modern houses aren’t
constructed as well. So, these Justus homes, they
don’t wear out. They are as sound as they were 60
years ago.”
Residents Andy and Pam Frazier are also
happy with their Justus home, and feel that the
homes should be eligible for historic preservation
designation, if residents wish to pursue that route.
They also note that the variety of styles of the
Housing In Community Heights 25
Deborah Law and Dave Stout in front of their Justus home
Justus homes adds to the appeal of the neighborhood and prevents the community from having the “cookie cutter”
these houses have so much more personality than houses in neighborhoods like Broad Ripple. You get much more
‘house’ for your money down here.”
According to an article in the Indianapolis Business Journal, over the past 100 years, Justus has built more than
20,000 single and multi-family homes, in addition to commercial and retail developments (Rettig, April 24, 2000).
Many of the single-family homes constructed by Justus are on the Eastside, adding to the distinctiveness of this
community (Rettig).
The Justus Company has remained a family business for 100 years as Guy Justus’ son, grandson and great-
Justus senior living center near the Community Heights neighborhood. Community Heights would not be the same
without the Justus Homes. Happy 100th Birthday to Justus Homes and here’s to another 100 years of building on
the eastside!
26 Eastside Story
Ad for Justus Homes from the 1953 Warren Central yearbook.
Happy 100th Birthday to Justus Homes and here’s
Second office of Justus Homes, located at
5055 E 10th Street, 1953.
Housing In Community Heights 27
The second generation of brick Justus Homes, built in the 1930s and ‘40s, were particularly known for the fine quality of stonework
that adorned the fronts of these houses.
Current Justus office on Shadeland Avenue.
Photos courtesy of Justus Homes.
First Jusus office on Gladstone, 1910.
to another 100 years of building on the Eastside!
CHAPTER 7
LOCAL LEGENDS
The Mysterious Mural
Stephanie Yarian
Every neighborhood has its own quirks and Community Heights is no
murals in the Collins’ home basement, “This neighborhood has it all,” said
Chris Collins.
Shortly after settling into his new home, Chris Collins had a house- warming
the basement walls were covered by wood paneling. One of the guests at the
party was leaning on the paneling, and her hand went right through it, which
another of Bohemian dancers not dated or signed.
some research, he discovered that the phrase written above the “beatnik”
dancers referred to the Left Bank neighborhood in Paris, a center for artists
and poets in post-World War II France. The mystery remains unsolved!
Chris Collins standing in front of his mysterious basement mural. If anyone has any information about the identity of the artist, please contact Chris!
Flash Gordon girl from the mural.
Swatts Up With That?
Stephanie Yarian
Another interesting piece of art with an unusual story concerns Chris and
Kristina Swatts’ home. One day Kristina found a business card on her front
door with a message on the back saying, “I have something you may want.
Call me.” Of course Kristina was a bit concerned about this and
thought, “Is this guy stalking me? What does he want?” After
a few weeks, curiosity got the best of Kristina so she plucked
up some courage and called the man to introduce herself.
The man told her that he had once lived in the house where
the Swatts now live and that he had a watercolor painting of
their house done sometime during the 1970’s. One evening,
the Swatts arrived home and found “this big painting, with a
frame and everything, sitting on the porch,” said Kristina.
Ellenberger Haunting
Stephanie Yarian
Clanking pipes and free rolling objects are just a few
mysterious happenings noticed by the Stewart family,
current owners of the Ellenberger Mansion located on
the corner of N. Layman Avenue and E. 10th Street. Julie
Stewart recounted one ghostly happening, “One time we got
locked out of the house and there was nobody else here. You
have to actually turn the knob for these doors to lock and we
all of us were outside. We had to break a window to get back
in the house.” The family has also noticed things moving
from room to room; “We’ve had lamps move from one room
to another while we were gone.” The family believes the
hauntings are kind of fun. So far, no ghosts have haunted
the family or “done anything evil so I think they’re ok with us
being here,” said Julie.
Kristina Swatts with the watercolor of her house.
Haunted Ellenberger Mansion, 1914. Photo courtesy of Julie Stewart.
Local Legends 29
Days of Dillinger
Stephanie Yarian
Community Heights has also had a brush with notorious bank robber John Dillinger in the
beginning of what the FBI called, “The 18 Months of Mayhem.” Dillinger, who was born
and lived on the near Eastside until his mother’s death, and gathered together his cohorts
in crime from the Eastside. In 1933 Dillinger and his gang robbed a Haag’s Drugstore on
E. Washington St., which is now the “Dufour’s in Irvington Café.” A few months later, the Dillinger gang robbed
the State Bank on Massachusetts Ave., where Dillinger earned the nickname “Jackrabbit” because he vaulted over
the cashier’s counter. These places are on either side of Community Heights. “They probably drove through the
streets here … they ran this area, I guess.” said Chris
Swatts. Dillinger and his gang, which included the
infamous Baby Face Nelson, continued robbing banks
until Dillinger was killed by FBI agents at Chicago’s
Biograph Theater in 1934.
Al Green’s Drive-In: “Same Day Service”
Daniel W. Branstrator
“If your date took you to Al Green’s you knew that he wanted more
than a pork tenderloin!” Kathy Rosenberg laughs as she reminisces
about the former eastside drive-in restaurant and movie theater. So
many stories and memories surround this former drive-in restaurant
and movie theater that it has become something of an eastside legend.
One of the more popular drive-ins throughout the 1950s and 60s, Al
Green’s became a used car dealership in 1994. However, many people
add to the mystery and legend of Al Green’s.
According to one legend, Al and his sister, Belle used to live in the
basement of the diner after it was closed:
Al opened the place in 1947. At that time you could drive right
into Al’s place off of Washington Street. Sometime, I think during
the middle 1950s or so, the State of Indiana Highway Department
built the four-leaf clover interchange where Shadeland Avenue
crosses Washington Street. When this was done, the State closed
the entrance to Al’s Drive-In off of Washington Street. Then to
gain entrance to his business, you had to go past it to Shortridge
Road, turn right onto Shortridge, and then turn down a lane that
ran along Washington Street to Al’s.
Al Green’s sign in its heydey. Photo courtesy of
Peter Tocco.
30 Eastside Story
By blocking the entrance to Al’s
and causing clientele to enter it in
the manner that they did caused
a very noticeable decline in Al’s
such a claim against the State, and
there was a settlement reached in
Al’s favor. Now here is where Al’s
shrewdness comes into the picture.
Instead of taking a one time lump
sum settlement from the State, it
was agreed that the State would pay
Al a yearly amount for as long as he
occupied the Drive-In. I was told
that Al had a very nice apartment
in the basement, and it was very
livable and nicely furnished. The
gent telling me this said, “Yeah,
Al came out smelling like a rose.”
and further adding, “The place has
been closed for years, and he is still
making good money and ain’t hit a
lick”. Of course, I’m thinking if the
State did cause Al a major reversal
in his business livelihood, “GOOD
FOR AL!”*
Kathy also remembers a story told to her by an eighty-nine year old Holocaust survivor who cut in on Al Green and
his date at a dance – and then married the woman Al had been dancing with! According to Kathy, Al never married
but they all remained friends.
Along with “tenderloins-as-big-as-your-head,” the legendary slogan, “same-day service,” and its reputation as a
“make out pit,” Al Green’s remains one of the most fantastical establishments ever to grace the Eastside.
*Taken from http://algreensdrivein.com/stories/RandyWilson1.html.
T-shirt with Al Green’s “Same Day Service” slogan. Photo courtesy of Peter Tocco.
Local Legends 31
CHAPTER 8
WALKING TO THE SHOPS:
Neighborhood Stores in Community Heights
Margaret Baurley, Molly Dagon and Susan Hyatt
Like many other urban neighborhoods,
Community Heights was once a community
where residents could walk to a range of
locally-owned shops. “In the 1950s the
area was dotted with small businesses,”
recalls Deette Bennett. “West of Emerson
on 21st Street were a small drug store, a
hardware shop, a barber shop, two grocery
stores, gasoline stations, a dentist and a
don’t have a car, you are really out of luck.
When I see a woman walking along with
shopping bags, I wonder how far she has
to go, carrying all of that stuff.”
Deette Bennett, Donna Parry and
Claudette Holcomb recalled where
neighborhood women went when they
really wanted something elegant for a
special occasion. Cecil’s Dress Shop at
10th Street and Arlington Avenue was
Ads from 1958 Warren Central yearbook.
L
C
wl
ar
o
hs
shop with quality merchandise.” Another shop located at 10th and
Arlington was Guidone’s Arlington Market, known for its gourmet
offerings.
In addition to the Steer-In, which has survived all of the
transformations in the neighborhood, and to the famous Al Green’s,
the Eastside was once home to a number of other restaurants and
drive-ins, including Laughner’s Drive In and Jack and Jill’s. Donna
Parry recalls that when she used to get off work at 11:00 pm after her
shift at Naval Avionics, she would head for the local Haag’s drugstore,
which had a counter that served food until late. “We used to order the
buffalo burgers,” she remarked, chuckling.
The memory of one restaurant in particular sparked some lively
recollections. Captain Jim’s Anchor Inn bordered Community Heights
on Arlington Avenue and 16th Street. It was a local hangout for both families and party-goers. Many wedding
receptions, birthday parties and graduation dinners were held at Captain Jim’s. Windsor Village resident Donna
Parry recalls that it was a popular spot for military men and Naval Avionics workers. She and her friends attended
many St. Patrick’s Day parties at Captain Jim’s.
“Captain Jim’s, now that’s a very interesting piece of our neighborhood history,” says Kathy Evenson. Interesting,
yes, but not always welcome as Janet Frisbee recalls. Janet was one of many Community Heights residents who
signed petitions when the Anchor Inn was applying for its liquor license. She says that citizens were concerned
about possible drunk driving in the streets of Community Heights after an evening of festivities at the Inn. But,
despite the petitions, the Anchor Inn acquired their liquor license, which initially left a few neighborhood residents
as salty as the Inn’s St. Patrick’s Day corned beef. “Our fears weren’t realized,” Janet admits and with their new
license, Captain Jim’s became a “happening place.” Another resident noted that even with the alcohol, Captain
Jim’s continued to cater to families.
senior year in high school my boyfriend took me on a date there and I found out it wasn’t such a bad place.”
Other people remembered it for an entirely different reason. “The guy that owned Captain Jim’s bought himself a
Lincoln Continental. A big two door,” says Bruce Evenson. “I mean that thing was a city block long. Huge! Banana
The Anchor Inn. Photo courtesy of Indy’s Eastside
Nostalgia Club.
A Healthy Eastside 33
Ad from 1958 Warren Central yearbook.
yellow with a white top. It was parked in front of that place for years and
years. It was always parked at Captain Jim’s.”
Beginning in the 1970s, shoppers began to prefer patronizing malls.
First, the opening of Eastgate Consumer Mall in 1957 drew businesses away
from neighborhood shopping strips. Small shops could not compete with
the department stores like Sears and H.P Wasson’s that anchored the new
malls. Then, in 1979, the Washington Square Mall opened, which led to the
eventual closing of Eastgate Mall. Despite the popularity of the new enclosed
malls, the older residents of Community Heights, however, still remember
with fondness the small, locally-owned businesses that neighborhood folks
could walk to and that were once such a vital part of the urban landscape.
34 Eastside Story
Ad from 1954 Warren Central yearbook.
CHAPTER 9
A HEALTHY EASTSIDE
Community Hospital East and the Marion County Health Department
Robyn Bullock and Barbara DeRose
To begin our story, imagine a Midwest America of the 1950’s. Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the
White House. The Space Age was just dawning. Rock ‘n’ roll was becoming the nation’s soundtrack.
The Salk vaccine to control polio was discovered… Here in Indiana, new shopping centers sprouted,
and Hoosiers had more of everything - more cars, more household appliances and more babies.
During this era of hope and boundless imagination, a modest group of neighbors on the Eastside
of Indianapolis had a vision. The idea was simple—a hospital closer to home. Volunteers began to
collect loose pocket change in a house-to-house campaign. Soon funds poured in from businesses and
civic organizations … In the summer of 1956, the dream became a reality when Community Hospital
opened its doors at 16th Street and Ritter Avenue—complete with the novelty of air conditioning.
— From Celebrating 50 Years, Community Health Network, 2006
As the quotation from the commemorative booklet above indicates, and as we learned through our own research,
Community Hospital East is much more than just a hospital: for the residents of Community Heights it is the major
institution in the neighborhood, as well as a facility that serves the health needs of the greater Eastside. As Peggy
Purvis, one of the active members of the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization and an administrative
assistant at Scecina Memorial High School told us, “Other than Community East, the other closest hospit
Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.
| Title | Eastside story : portrait of a neighborhood on the suburban frontier |
| Author(s) |
Branstrator, Daniel W. Baurley, Margaret Dagon, Molly Yarian, Stephanie IUPUI (Campus). School of Liberal Arts. Hyatt, Susan Brin, 1953- |
| Creator | Hyatt, Susan Brin, 1953- |
| Place of Publication | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Publisher | Neighborhood Alliance Press |
| Date | 2009, update 2010 |
| Description | 59 p. : ill; 21 cm. |
| Note(s) | "By members of the Spring 2009 class "Field Work in Ethnography" IUPUI Department of Anthropology." Based on research conducted by Margaret Baurley, Daniel Branstrator, Jesse Brown, Robyn Bulluck, Molly J. Dagon, Barbara DeRose, Autumn Langley, Olivia Lobdell, Andrea McLaughlin, Brad Miller, Courtney Singleton, Clare Smith, Stephanie Yarian. |
| Subject |
Community Heights Neighborhood Organization Neighborhoods -- Indiana -- Indianapolis Community Heights (Indianapolis, Ind.) |
| Type | Book |
| Digital Publisher | IUPUI University Library |
| Digital Collection | Indianapolis History |
| Digital Date | 2012-10-30 |
| Transcript | EASTSIDE STORY Portrait of a Neighborhood on the Suburban Frontier Project Director: Professor Susan B. Hyatt, IUPUI, Department of Anthropology Authored mostly by: Daniel W. Branstrator, Margaret Baurley, Molly Dagon and Stephanie Yarian. Based on research conducted by: Margaret Baurley Daniel Branstrator Jesse Brown Robyn Bulluck Molly J. Dagon Barbara DeRose Autumn Langley Olivia Lobdell Andrea McLaughlin Brad Miller Courtney Singleton Clare Smith Stephanie Yarian EASTSIDE STORY: Portrait of a Neighborhood on the Suburban Frontier By members of the Spring 2009 class “Field Work in Ethnography,” IUPUI Department of Anthropology ISBN-13: 978-1-934406-09-0 Copyright 2009, 2nd Edition with updates 2010, Department of Anthropology, IUPUI Neighborhood Alliance Press a division of Doulos Christou Press Indianapolis douloschristou@gmail.com TABLE of CONTENTS Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................. i Preface: From the Community’s Point-of-View......................................................................... iv by Scott Armstrong Foreword: The Post-War American Suburb............................................................................. v by Dr. Matthew Durington Introduction: “Come on in!”.................................................................................................... vii by Professor Susan B. Hyatt Chapter 1: Community Heights Neighborhood Organization: Neighbors and Friends............. 1 by Susan B. Hyatt Chapter 2: “Empty Fields and Rabbit Hunting”: The Early Days of Community Heights........... 5 by Courtney Singleton Chapter 3: Clocking in: Employment on the Eastside................................................................ 8 by Margaret Baurley Chapter 4: From all Four Corners: Immigration to Community Heights.................................. 13 by Courtney Singleton and Susan B. Hyatt Chapter 5: Neighborhood Mainstays......................................................................................... 16 by Stephanie Yarian, Margaret Baurley and Daniel Branstrator Chapter 6: Housing in Community Heights............................................................................... 23 by Molly J. Dagon and Margaret Baurley Chapter 7: Local Legends.......................................................................................................... 28 by Daniel Branstrator and Stephanie Yarian Chapter 8: Walking to Shops......................................................................................... ........... 32 by Margaret Baurley, Molly J. Dagon and Susan B. Hyatt Chapter 9: A Healthy Eastside................................................................................................... 35 by Robyn Bullock and Barbara DeRose Chapter 10: “All Aboard!” Trolleys, Trains and Street Cars....................................................... 39 by Molly J. Dagon Chapter 11: Making the Grades: Schools in Community Heights.................................... ........... 41 by Margaret Baurley, Molly J. Dagon, Robyn Bullock Chapter 12: Sunday Best: Churches in Community Heights...................................................... 44 by Margaret Baurley, Susan B. Hyatt and Stephanie Yarian Chapter 13: Next Door Neighbors: Windsor Village................................................................. 47 by Margaret Baurley Chapter 14: Community Heights Goes Green!.......................................................................... 51 by Heather Meloy Chapter 15: What We Learned: Comments from Student Researchers..................................... 54 Afterword: “Tulips, Air Conditioners and Doors”..................................................................... 61 by Reverend Scott Smith ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project could not have happened without the help and support of many, many individuals and organizations. First of all, our generous funders made this publication possible. This book was funded in part by the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative’s IMAGINE matching grant. Marc McAleavey and Josh Bowling of the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center provided technical assistance and guidance in preparing and implementing this grant. We received additional funding from The Venture Fund at the IUPUI Solutions Center; sincere thanks to Teresa Ann Bennett and Sarah Zike for their support. And, Justus Homes, Inc. came through with additional funding which has allowed us to have four color pages in the center of this booklet. Thank you to Justus Homes, Suzanne Dennis and Katie Heddon, in particular. Of course, our key partner in this endeavor has been Community Heights Neighborhood Organization (CHNO). Their generosity to us cannot be overstated. We particularly thank Scott Armstrong, President of CHNO during the period when this research took place, for facilitating all of our activities. Reverend Scott Smith, pastor of Arlington Heights Baptist Church made his church’s facilities available to us for class meetings and other activities. Community Hospital East, most particularly Dan Hodgkins and Nancy Chapman, were wonderful allies; Sherry McIntyre and Cheryl Larsen of the Parish Nursing Program also contributed their insights and Patti Matthews, Director of Creative Services for Community Health Network, provided the historic images of Community East for us to use here. Our archival research took place in many locations, and we thank the following people for their help: Warren Commission; Steve Barnett at the Bona Thompson Center; Georgia Stewart at the Warren Park Library; Bob Wilch at the Department of Metropolitan Development; and the Indiana Historical Society. Sven Schumacher of information as well. District 17 Councilwoman Mary Moriarty Adams was a believer in this project long before it came to fruition. And, we are also appreciative to Scecina Memorial High School and Little Flower School. publication looks so great! We thank the Department of Anthropology at IUPUI, under whose auspices the community research class was taught, and the Department of Geography at IUPUI, who loaned us their wonderful large-sized computer for us to use in compiling this book. Of course, essential to the success of any research that is based on interviews and observation is the willingness of people to talk! The residents of Community Heights truly touched us with their hospitality. We thank the following people for sharing their insights and resources with us: Deette Bennett Chad and Kate Gardner Kathy and Bruce Evenson DeEtte Schmidt Claudette Holcomb John Cook Chris and Kristina Swatts Art and Edith Smit-Roeters Jesse and Pam Bolte Paula and Chris Lord Kathy Williams Rita Chapman Chris Collins Barbara and Casey Kehrer Deb Law Mike Middleton Harold and Carol Phillips Dave Stout Joe Masterson Kathy Borcherding Rosenberg Suzanne Kisling Mickey Rogers Janet Frisbee Wilma Peacock Carolyn Collins Reed Susie Gammon Matt Heidelberger Julie Young Jim and Alicia Miller Andy and Pam Frazier Julie Stewart Jeff McLaughlin Jeff O’Berry Pastor Alan Blakeburn Donna Parry Gary Chang Pastor David Nicholson Peggy Purvis June Stahl Larry and Evelyn Wilson Peter Tocco Wes Booth Joyce Freeman John and Charlotte Justus Last but not least, as the instructor for this class, it was a privilege and pleasure to guide the thirteen students data until well after the semester had ended; we then faced the daunting task of organizing and presenting all of the material that everyone had collected. Four students in particular took it upon themselves to stay on through the summer to help pull this book together. Very special recognition is due to Daniel Branstrator, Margaret Baurley, Molly Dagon and Stephanie Yarian. They performed yeoman’s work in seeing this project through. We also had help over the summer from Courtney Singleton and Heather Meloy. It is always rewarding for me to see the high quality of the research that undergraduates are capable of carrying out. This class was no in this endeavor brought their great energy, enthusiasm and creativity to bear in completing this undertaking. The students came up with would have thought of. To give just one “Scan-a-Thon,” which allowed neighborhood residents to bring us their photos and other memorabilia to scan while they were attending the monthly community group meeting at the Arlington Heights church. I salute them all for their accomplishments; as is the case in the best of teaching situations, I hope they have learned as much from me as I have from them. Susan B. Hyatt Associate Professor of Anthropology August 7, 2009 The Famous Scan-a-Thon: neighborhood resident Claudette Holcomb sharing memorabilia with students Clare Smith and Autumn Langley. PREFACE: From the Community’s Point-of-View The book you are about to read represents to me not the end of a project, but rather a celebration of a wonderful collaboration that will have lasting impact on our neighborhood for years to come. Community Heights has enjoyed an incredible eighteen-plus months of working with Susan Hyatt and with two classes of her students; many of the results of their research are contained in the following pages. The book will not be able to do justice to the full effect that this partnership has had within our neighborhood, nor to the level of engagement that the students demonstrated during the course of their research. Many of the projects that had been struggling, or that were on the back-burner suddenly took off and have become by the students. Everyone involved in this collaboration contributed to the book and to the other outcomes. I hope that you enjoy reading the stories of our part of the City of Indianapolis. The students did an its future. We want to thank IUPUI, Professor Hyatt, and all of her students for sharing their time and talents to produce this narrative about our neighborhood. Scott Armstrong President 2006-2009 Community Heights Neighborhood Organization Resident Scott Armstrong shares his thoughts on the community with class members at Arlington Heights Baptist Church, our home base. Plat map of Community Heights. Courtesy Bona Thompson Center. FOREWORD: The Post-War American Suburb Dr. Matthew Durington, Towson State University Project Director’s Note: Dr. Matthew Durington was a student of Professor Susan Hyatt’s at Temple University. His area of expertise is American suburbs. He wrote this short introduction for our publication based on his research. Many of the aspects of suburbanization that he discusses below are also features shared by Community Heights and the Indianapolis metropolitan area more broadly. The development of the contemporary American suburb was not only a story about housing; it was also a story about the emergence of the American Dream, as it was shaped by programs and policies in the post-World War II period. Although there was settlement of towns outside of cities from the beginning of this country’s history, the movement of families from city centers out to the urban fringe accelerated greatly in the 1950s. As early as the 19th century, the rise of streetcars and other forms of public transportation linked these outlying areas to city centers, boosting the migration of families from the inner cities to the suburbs. After World War II, the availability of estate developers to build residential communities. Soldiers returning from the war were eager to settle down and begin their families, and they found economic assistance for buying a newly constructed home outside the city in the form of the guaranteed mortgages provided by the G.I. Bill. Unfortunately, this initial phase of suburbanization was also characterized by racial discrimination, as many of these new suburban developments prohibited the sale of homes to minorities. The movement of families out to the suburbs was also accompanied by an increasing reliance on automobiles. The Federal Highway Act of 1956 was the largest public works project in U.S. history. Then-President Eisenhower saw this massive program as essential to enhance the national defense in case of invasion by an enemy power. The consequence was to diminish governmental support for public transportation which began to languish, as families found they could afford a family car to facilitate the commute back into the city for work. Another outcome of the enormous road-building projects was that many urban neighborhoods — particularly those that were often home to immigrants, African-Americans and working-class folks — were crippled or demolished entirely by the interstate highways that now traversed their communities, tearing up homes and streets, displacing people and local institutions and dividing neighborhoods that had once had a sense of identity as a single community. In the contemporary period, many suburbs have now become part of the metropolitan areas they once ringed. Warren Township map showing its extensive network of roads and highways linking it to the interior urban core of Indianapolis. invest their resources in rehabbing old industrial buildings as loft apartments and condominiums. Other suburbs, however, have now become thriving and desirable urban neighborhoods, where people value both stores, restaurants and malls. These neighborhoods continue to be convenient to city centers, thanks to those massive interstate highways. Recently, however, there has also been a renewed interest in rebuilding public transportation systems, motivated by public concern about the cost of gasoline, the dependence on foreign oil and the effects of so many cars on global warming. Above all, the post-war suburbs and the city neighborhoods that many of them have become are still places where people go to live out the American sense of neighborliness and camaraderie that continue to characterize many of these communities. They are increasingly racially and ethnically diverse spaces, and will undoubtedly continue to play as important role in shaping the urban landscapes of the 21st century, as they did in the 20th. An advertisement for then-new Justus homes in Community Heights. Smith Real Estate ad from the 1959 Warren Central yearbook. Foreword: The Post-War American Suburb iii INTRODUCTION: “Come On In!” Professor Susan B. Hyatt, Department of Anthropology, IUPUI On an uncharacteristically bright and temperate day in February, about fourteen of us, one faculty member and thirteen students from the IUPUI Anthropology Department, found ourselves armed with notebooks, cameras and digital recorders, trooping down residential streets in a tidy neighborhood on the Eastside of Indianapolis. Our walking tour of the community was being conducted by Scott Armstrong, a resident of the neighborhood who also then served as the president of the local community group, the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization. Community Heights takes its name from one of the largest institutions located in its midst: Community Hospital East. From Scott, we learned that the northern part of the neighborhood had been built mostly in the post-World the American dream as families all over the country moved out from the urban core to live in modest houses on tree-lined streets just like those in Community Heights. At that time, there was a host of industrial jobs located in part of Indianapolis’ ambitious interstate road construction system which, in the 1960s and ‘70s, afforded the car-owning residents of the community a quick way to get downtown and to the outer suburbs. Community Heights is located in the western fringe of Warren Township, which was incorporated into the city of Indianapolis in 1970 as part of the reorganization of local government known as “Unigov.” Warren Township, and Community Heights, continue to combine both the elements of the outer suburbs — low-density, mostly single family houses with yards on quiet blocks — with easy access to downtown, shopping and other amenities. Many residents described Community Heights as “the best of both worlds.” As we walked through the streets, Scott stopped us several times in order to point out such landmarks as the local elementary school, the hospital and a newly refurbished apartment took notes. This walking tour was part of a community-based research class I teach every spring through the Department of Anthropology at IUPUI. This past spring the class met weekly at the Arlington Heights Baptist Church, located in the heart of the neighborhood, where residents stopped by regularly to chat with us. The students conducted over forty open-ended interviews in the neighborhood and devoted themselves to tracking down photographs and other material that would enhance our understanding of the neighborhood’s present and past. This book is the culmination of our work. While it is certainly not comprehensive, we hope it will provide readers with a portrait of the Community Heights neighborhood and of its very active and committed residents’ organization. In looking back on all of our activities, we agreed that the refrain we heard most often was, “Come on in!” as residents welcomed us into their homes and hearts and as they shared their stories and memories with us. We thank all of the members of the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization, Arlington Heights Baptist Church, Community Hospital East, Justus Homes, the Steer-In and many, many other neighborhood institutions for their hospitality and generosity. We were honored to engage in this collaborative endeavor with you and we hope our book communicates to everyone your community’s fascinating history, its lively present and its very bright future. CHAPTER 1 COMMUNITY HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION: Neighbors and Friends Susan B. Hyatt The Community Heights Neighborhood Organization actually had its origin in an earlier group, the Eastside Community Organization. From 1980-2006, ECO, as it was known, brought neighbors together to address a range of issues aimed at safeguarding the well-being of the neighborhood. The organization began informally, as just a Indianapolis Star (12/8/01), “the community organization persevered and the developer was defeated.” A more recent battle ensued in 1995, when the group again mobilized to prevent the establishment of a methadone clinic in the 5600 block of E. 16th Street. The city zoning board initially ruled in favor of the community group but the Hospital East (see Indianapolis Star -1/31/2003). organization’s many successes, the group’s attendance had begun to dwindle.There was a need for some new blood. That new blood appeared in the form of Scott Armstrong. In 2006, encouraged by Councilwoman Mary Moriarty Adams who was his neighbor and who rarely—if ever—misses a meeting of the group, Scott ran for the presidency of the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization and was elected. Enthusiastic residents of Community Heights, relaxing after participating in a neighborhood clean-up, June 2008. to change the name of the organization. Although they kept the same boundaries, Emerson Avenue to Arlington Avenue, 10th Street to 21st Street, there was a feeling that the name “Eastside Community Organization” was too general and didn’t really provide a clear sense of the neighborhood’s identity. After quite a bit of deliberation, the new name, Community Heights Neighborhood Organization, anchor, Community Hospital East. One of Scott Armstrong’s concerns was to begin to build up the organization by focusing on positive activities in the neighborhood and bringing in new people. As he put it: I never wanted to turn away from watching out for things but I am more a person who likes to take care of things that are wrong. We needed more people so we went out, and we started actively trying to recruit more people. The hospital helped us by sending out a mailing to every address they had in this mile square. So, at this point, two and a half years later, we have about 120 members, and we have about 60 people coming to meetings. We’re pulling grants, we’re doing projects. Our directors are all there because they want to be there. Since 2006, the organization has received three major grants: one for a community-school festival behind School 88 in the fall of 2007; one for this collaborative publication; and one for the new community garden which came to The community is fortunate to have a number of active residents who have lived in the neighborhood for many years. One such dedicated volunteer is Claudette Holcomb. She moved into the neighborhood on March 12, 1962. Mrs. lived there a long time and who weren’t so welcoming toward newcomers. She says that the new residents who have moved in since that time are much friendlier and have made the block an even nicer place to live. Mrs. Holcomb is a retired school teacher who still works as a substitute teacher when needed; she is also a dedicated volunteer at Bethel Food Pantry, located just east of the neighborhood. With the economic downturn, she says that the food pantry is now serving a lot of residents from Community Heights. As Mrs. Holcomb noted about the revival of the community organization, “I’ve been very happy with the neighborhood Once Community Hospital got behind reviving the organization, I started telling numerous people about the meetings and so, last I know, we had a hundred members or so. Paying members! … Lots of people have gotten involved, fairly young people, energetic people are taking part now.” Among those energetic newer residents are Pam and Jesse Bolte. As Pam told us, “We loved the houses and the warm community feeling. We both grew up in small towns; I grew up in southern Indiana. It felt like this was a community and within each street and on each block was another little community. Jesse is in construction and so he looked a lot at houses and this neighborhood was one Paula and Chris Lord. 2 Eastside Story District 17 Councilwoman Mary Moriarity Adams and Dan Hodgkins, Community Hospital East, discuss a local issue. Pam and Jesse Bolte. Members of Community Heights Neighborhood Organization: that just caught our eye with all the neat characteristics; it wasn’t a cookie cutter and all the houses were different. There are a lot of people here who really care about their community.” Pam also serves as the treasurer for the neighborhood organization. Kathy Williams has lived on the East side all of her life, mostly in Martindale-Brightwood. She moved into an apartment in Community Community Heights Neighborhood Organization. She notes that the absence of local churches is a social shift that has really altered neighborhood life everywhere. A lot of people now commute to their churches, outside of the neighborhoods where they live. She mentioned Martin University as a local resource, particularly for African-American residents but also for everyone. Ms. Williams noted the increasing diversity of the neighborhood. At one time, some of the older houses included deeds with restrictive covenants, meaning that they could not be sold to non-whites. Such covenants were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court as part of wave of Civil Rights legislation enacted during the 1960s and now Community Heights is a community that is proud of its growing diversity. Also among the younger members of Community Heights are the Swatts, Kristina and Chris. Kristina has been particularly active in organizing the community garden. Chris also participates in the meetings and other activities. As he put it, “In all honesty, everybody talks about the north side, the northeast side as the place to be. They might work down here but they live up there, and they don’t know what’s going on. Lately there’s been a shift are there; they know they have an audience.” Like Chris, many residents commented to us that they saw Community Heights as an affordable version of Broad Ripple. Some of the younger folks moved to Community Heights precisely because the housing was a much better value for the money. The older brick Dave Stout, another member of the CHNO Board of Directors, also emphasized the new bonds that have been forged as a result of the renewed activity in the neighborhood. As he put it, “People have started talking to each other more; we have dinners, picnics, we make use of the park and the community garden. The idea of the community garden is to get people to actually come together. People hiding behind their walls and driving back and forth to work, that is not a neighborhood. But when people actually talk that’s what makes a neighborhood. And so, the community garden is a place for people to talk, our Community Heights meetings are a place for people to talk, that’s how neighbors get to know each other. So I would like to see more involvement, people talking to each other and not being so isolated in their homes.” Like others, he also mentioned the solid, well-c0nstructed houses that make up the core of the Community Heights neighborhood. out of their way to pick up trash, to clean things up. Neighborhood associations are huge with volunteering during service days. People here take the Eastside to be a community; they don’t just think about it as the side of town that they live on.” Kristina Swatts presents Scott Armstrong with a token of the group’s appreciation for his three years of service as President of CHNO. Community Heights Neighborhood Organization 3 organization. For the past year, Chris has served as Vice President of the organization and he was just re-elected to that post. Paula has been active in forging a relationship with the Latino residents of La Casa apartments. Both have been involved with the community garden. As Paula told us, “Once people see us and what we’re doing, they’re going to come out of the woodwork … There are a lot of positive things happening right now on the east side of town. This along with one another. And here, you know your neighbors.” “This is a neighborhood where people take care of their homes and their property,” says Joe Masterson, who has lived in Community Heights since 1991. “They obviously have pride in what the area looks like. [When I moved here] I was looking for a place I could handle by myself. I didn’t want to have to spend hours mowing the lawn. I didn’t The group meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Arlington Heights Baptist Church. Each month the group collects canned food for local food pantries. After three years of dedicated service, at the July 2009 meeting of the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization, Scott Armstrong decided to “retire” as president. Everyone knows that he will certainly continue to be an active and involved member of the neighborhood and of the organization. A new young leader has stepped up to take the reigns from Scott. Chad Gardner was elected to serve as the new president, and he pledged to carry forward the various initiatives that were established under Scott’s leadership. Chad and his wife Kate have already been involved in many of the Community Heights activities to date, including the community garden and the clean-ups days. These are just a few of the people we met in the course of this research. All of them inspired us with their dedication and enthusiasm for their community and for their organization. There were many other voices that we just didn’t have the space to include here. We learned something from each and every one of them and we are grateful to them for their time, patience and hospitality toward us. Chad Gardner, the new President of CNHO, July 2009. 4 Eastside Story Community Heights residents listen attentively at one of the monthly meetings. Neighborhood resident Mickey Rogers. CHAPTER 2 “EMPTY FIELDS AND RABBIT HUNTING”: The Early Days of Community Heights Courtney Singleton Through the early 1900s, a majority of land lying within Community Heights’ boundaries remained farmland. The earliest farmers included John Ellenberger, William W. Lowe, the Shearer’s and Henry Coburn. These farms were the foundation of the community that was to develop on the east side of Indianapolis. Their large plots would eventually be sold to developers, but in different periods, resulting in several phases of neighborhood development and a distinctive difference in housing among the four squares of the community. One of the more prominent pioneering farmers was John Ellenberger. The Ellenberger Mansion, built in 1854, coincided with the building of Union Station which was constructed in 1852-53 (Indiana Historical Society). As the the same time as Union Station ... and I think that is why he was so successful because he started farming at a period in time when rail was really starting to become big in Indianapolis, and the rail goes through Irvington.” According And in the beginning, there were just fields: East 11th Street, 1919. Photo courtesy of Justus Homes. for farmers in and around the east side when it came to transporting their goods. Soon afterward, the area within Community Heights began to see a shift from large vast tracks of farmland to residential neighborhoods. John Cook, 91, was born on the Eastside in 1917 and witnessed this shift. “The Eastside neighborhood in the early 1880s, “Well not too long afterward when they started really building on 10th street.” The builder he was referring to here was Justus Homes, who built the majority of homes south of 16th Street. Though homes on the East side since 1910. There were many houses between 10th and 16th Streets and East of Ritter Avenue that were built later and by other builders. Joe Masterson lives in one of these homes. He told us that, “this house was built in 1962 by John Boucher, one of several builders who built in this area right here.” The Glick Company also built many homes and apartments on the Eastside. Farmland lying to the north of 16th street was owned by Coburn, John Shearer and W. W. Lowe. According to Ellenberger’s Title Abstract, Lowe’s property was to become the Arlington Heights addition around the same time that Ellenberger’s original farmland was being developed. It wasn’t until 1941 that the Coburn Farm, the northwest quadrant, was developed by the American Building and Supply Corporation into the Woodlawn addition. The wood lawn addition was designed as a neighborhood for the “pure white race.” “Then there was one ugly bit of our past in the title search ... it gets to this neighborhood, it’s actually a part of the Woodlawn addition,” said Mike Middleton, who lives on 21st street. Such restrictive covenants, which prohibited the selling of homes to non-whites, were common in Indianapolis until the mid-1960s. These four major farms, lead to the development of four distinctively different sections within Community Heights, each with its unique architecture and history. These distinctions are felt by those who live in Community crossroads, Ritter Avenue and 16th Street. Claudette Holcomb of her community by stating, “I think many people who lived right here in this area and who have been here a long time would say 10th to 16th, Emerson maybe even just to Ritter or maybe as far as Arlington. I don’t know, perhaps it has something to do with the way the houses are built I suppose.” On the other side of Ritter, Joe “My neighborhood is The Askren House in 1907. Photo courtesy of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission. 6 Eastside Story 10th to 16th, Arlington to Ritter … I don’t have much contact with people on the other side of Ritter or the other side the landscape within Community Heights, the neighborhood organization does draw everyone together. They are in fact coming together through this organization and creating a shared identity as members of the same community. One of the oldest houses on the Eastside is located just outside of Community Heights, on 16th Street, a few blocks east of Arlington. According to Indianapolis’ Department of Historic Preservation, the Askren house was originally built by Thomas Askren, who settled in Indianapolis in 1825 and began constructing the home by hand. The house was completed in 1850 and housed not only the family but a number of hired hands. In its heyday, the farm was sub-divided into smaller and smaller parcels. The Askrens maintained ownership of the home until 1989, when it was sold to a developer who intended to restore the historic home and convert it to condominiums. Sadly, these plans never came to fruition.* It is amazing to think that in such a short time period the eastside of Indianapolis was transformed from farm to city suburb, from gravel road to streetcars, from rabbit hunting to city commuting. Resident Edith Smit-Roeters recalled, “The lady that lived over here, she died years ago. She said when she came to live here as a girl; it was in the middle of the country. It was all corn and vegetables and I think it was half a century ago. I think it was longer than half a century ago … could have been 75 years ago.” Kathy Williams added, “It’s amazing to think that all of this could have been farmland. And so a lot of this — all this innovation in this neighborhood — a lot of it has really happened within my lifetime.” * The Askren House in 2005. Both photos courtesy of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission. Empty Fields and Rabbit Hunting 7 The Askren House in February 1983. CHAPTER 3 CLOCKING IN: EMPLOYMENT ON THE EASTSIDE “Those jobs were never going to go away...” Margaret Baurley short trip down 21st Street brings you to Shadeland Avenue, a busy road cluttered with hotels and warehouses. It’s not much to look at now, but to many, this area is one of tender memories. To some, it symbolizes the Eastside’s more prosperous times. Mention Shadeland Avenue to a Community Heights elder and they’ll probably recall Western Electric, RCA, Chrysler, the Eastgate Consumer Mall, or all of these plants became magnets, drawing people to the area which, in turn, caused the Eastside to boom. Western Electric made its home on 2525 N. Shadeland Avenue in 1950 and employed large number of eastside residents. This was a well known fact to Community Heights residents. As Kathy Western Electric and lots of my schoolmates had dads who worked at Western Electric and moms who worked for Western Electric. And those jobs were never going to go away because everybody had to have a phone and where’d you get your phone? Why, all phones are made at Western Electric for the whole country! They were made right there and they made the phones for the phone company. And you got your phone from the phone company. So those jobs were super secure. Those people were sure that they had a job for life because, you know, everybody had to have phones. That wasn’t ever going to go away.” Unfortunately, this was not the case. In 1986, Western Electric closed its doors, and at least 8,000 employees were back on the job market. A few blocks north of Western Electric stood the Chrysler Corporation plant which was built in the 1950’s. In prime condition, Chrysler on Shadeland employed an estimated years after Western Electric was closed, Chrysler ceased operations in Indianapolis. Just a few yards away, Jenn-Air, the manufacturing, research, and sales facility for Maytag, hung on a few more years until 1996 when it was announced that they too were out of business. Jenn-Air, which was founded in Indianapolis in the 1940s, would leave 600 workers jobless (See Indianapolis Star 2/10/1996). Western WesternElectric ad from 1954 Warren Central yearbook. Chrysler Corporation ad from 1954 Warren Central yearbook. South of the hustle and bustle of the factories stood the Eastgate Consumer Mall, in its heyday a beacon of success on the Eastside. Eastgate was built in in Indianapolis. It was an active hub for Eastside shoppers. Windsor Village resident Donna Parry went to work in the Wasson’s department store shortly after it opened and recalls times when there were lines to get into the then open-air mall. Kathy Evenson remembers Wasson’s as upscale shopping spot. “Wasson’s at Eastgate was the place to shop,” she recalled. “When you lived on the Eastside, you have your dressy dress for a graduation ceremony, Easter Sunday, or something like that; if you got it at Wasson’s at Eastgate you were really, really having something nice. Something everybody wanted was to get their clothes from there.” Most people who visited Eastgate in its prime described it as something remarkable. Kathy, who also worked at Eastgate in the Sears department store remembered it as a place to get anything. “It was wonderful. There was a brand new supermarket, a Standard supermarket … a beautiful store. There was a big G.C. Murphy’s and Woolworth’s, both of which had soda fountains. There was a Tom McCann’s and Kenny’s shoes. There was a Sears store – a two level Sears store, it had an escalator down to the basement … And there was Goodman’s Jewelers which is where we went to get our class rings for Howe High School. And several smaller boutique type stores…card and stationery shops and that kind of thing. Everything that the young family-raising boomer children would want was at that shopping center – absolutely everything. Kathy and Bruce Evenson and Kathy’s mom, Janet Frisbee. Clocking In 9 Western Electric ad from the 1958 Warren Central yearbook. You could get the kids their underwear, their shoes, their coats, their hats, everything.” But like the factories a short distance away, Eastgate would soon be in trouble when something new came along. “When I got married and left here New Year’s Eve of 1972- 73,” Kathy recalls, “Eastgate was a fully functional, thriving mall and when we moved back to the mainland United States in ’76, it already had the kiss of death about it. It’s because they were building Washington Square Mall.” Kathy’s mother, Janet Frisbee, recalls that when Washington Square Mall was built just a few miles away on East Washington Street in the 70s, Eastgate suddenly lost its luster. “Well, once they built Washington Square, Eastgate was doomed. They took the good stores. It was just attrition, you know. The things that moved in just weren’t money makers … Diehards like me would still go shopping there. We went, but you know, we didn’t spend the amount of money that they needed you to spend.” So Eastgate dwindled with a few stores hanging on into the 1990s, but in the minds of those who once waited in line to see it in its glory days, Eastgate was yesterday. Eventually, Eastgate, and all its employees and its shops, went out of business. When Shadeland businesses failed, they took money and Eastside residents with them. When asked about the closing of the Eastgate Consumer Mall, Bruce Evenson has a theory. “A hell of a lot of blue collar jobs down along Shadeland went away. The Chrysler plant closed, the Western Electric plant closed and all that income just ceased to be.” So, there just weren’t enough people to support the mall. Most Eastside residents can recall the better days when Shadeland was the heart of Eastside business. As former been a challenge. “That was key for this area … Western Electric and Chrysler,” Kathy says. “Those are places that have disappeared over the years, and I really don’t think that anything has come up as strong as any of those organizations right now which is what I think we’re facing over here.” But the Shadeland saga is not entirely tragic, although it has not been able to fully recover since the pinnacle days of past. In the past 5 years, the former homes of Jenn-Air, Chrysler and Western Electric have been bought into the former Jenn-Air building, anchoring its headquarters there (Inside Indiana Business -10/19/2005). In 2007, the former Chrysler plant was bought and transformed into the Shadeland Commerce Center, where several companies like Goodwill and Unisource have moved in. The massive Western Electric grounds are now Western 10 Eastside Story We wonder how that plan for the push-button phones worked out! Western Electric ad from the 1961 Warren Central yearbook. Select properties with numerous occupants including the Marion County Probation Department, the Indiana State Department of Health, even the Track Attack Racing School (Indianapolis Star – 2/17/07). The most recent Shadeland success story is the purchase of Eastgate Consumer Mall by Lifeline Data Centers. The center will be home to mainframe and backup computers as well as servers for numerous Indiana businesses. running. “What we basically are charged with is keeping computers don’t let the electricity go out.” The former Burlington department the white noise of the computers. The former mall storefronts will concrete roof and twelve inch concrete walls, capable of withstanding severe weather. Upon purchase and renovation of the mall, workers ran into a few snags, such as abandoned cars in the mall, homeless people who had made the mall their residence, and literally tons of trash. “We spent all of last year just getting stuff pulled out. We’ve Eastgate. “Me and my sisters, we would wait till the morning after Halloween or something like that and go up here to Woolworth’s and get all the candy we could get for like 15 cents on the dollar. That was our big thing.” Though the job losses, factory closings, and better days of Shadeland businesses may be a slow healing wound, with the fact that the hallowed grounds of the once booming businesses of Shadeland Avenue no longer lie vacant and they certainly will never be forgotten. Alex Carroll in front of the generators at Lifeline Data Centers, located in what used to be the Burlington Coat Factory at the Eastgate Mall. Clocking In 11 Eastgate Consumer Mall. Photo courtesy of Matt Heidelberger. We’re Still Here on former Eastgate Consumer Mall. Naval Avionics Along with the factories lining Shadeland Avenue, Naval Avionics was a powerhouse business for the area, often facility was originally ordered to be constructed by the Bureau of Ordnance for work on the Norden Bombsite in the post-WWII began focus on development, repair and upgrade of weapons and electronic equipment. The facility sits adjacent to the community of Windsor Village where, in the 1950s, a great many of its employees lived. It ceased to be a government-owned facility on December 31, 1996. It is now Raytheon Technical Services Company, LLC. According to former Naval Avionics employees Bruce and Kathy Evenson, the facility worked on a multitude of projects like helping to develop GPS, the Polaris missile program, airborne radio relays, smart bomb camera systems, ribbonized organized integrated wiring, F-15 Eagle bomb racks, and sonabuoy, used then for listening for unfriendly submarines and used now in the study of whales and dolphins. But there were secrets, and plenty of them. As Kathy will testify, “I can tell you when we were still Naval Avionics that there were electronic engineers that were doing top secret work. But what it was, I don’t know and we’re being done. I can say that that’s absolutely 100 percent true.” Another Community Heights resident, Art Smit-Roeters, got wind of the mystery at the plant: “Naval Avionics in the beginning period had a tremendous impact. There was a lot of high powered secret stuff going on in there. The data is old now, but I remember they were working very hard on applications for submarines.” Art recalled that once in a while, the facility would open itself to the community. “At one time they had an open house so that was neat. layer of just one atom. That’s precise.” And the job wasn’t a totally thankless one – at least once it wasn’t. “I never forgot though, one year, it must have been ’90,” Kathy said. “Either it was Christmas Eve Day or the day after Thanksgiving, I looked up and there was Senator Lugar walking down the aisle. He wanted to shake hands and say hello to every person who was working that holiday. And I was there and so he came over and said, ‘hello’. How about that?” Raytheon plant today. 12 Eastside Story The former Naval Avionics plant. CHAPTER 4 FROM ALL FOUR CORNERS: Immigration to Community Heights Courtney Singleton and Susan B. Hyatt People from many diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds have come to live and work in Community Heights, of Indianapolis. As one drives through streets that lead into the neighborhood, two things are immediately noticeable: the German architecture and the Catholic schools, mainly Little Flower and Scecina architecture can be credited to the role played by the Justus company in building many of the homes in Community Heights, the Justuses being one of the German families who came to live on Indianapolis’ rapidly growing Eastside. Many of the children who grew up in generation Irish-Americans and attended the private Roman Catholic Schools. Mary Moriarity-Adams reminisced about St. Patrick’s Day at Little Flower, a Roman Catholic private school on 13th street, “We were the only kids at Little Flower that had real Irish shamrocks on our lapels for St. Patrick’s Day, because my grandmother would send real ones - that’s when you could send anything through the mail- I always remember, Dad would always get real shamrocks from Ireland.” Not all of the memories of youth were so positive. As second generation Irish American Deette Bennet recalled from a job because “he had an Irish brogue.” Community Heights’ resident Donna Parry said her great grandmother was from Ireland and her family broke apart because she wanted to marry a protestant. Kathy Evenson recalled a discussion she had with her German professor while attending IUPUI, “And I told him where I lived and he said rough times, many people living in the neighborhood positively identify with their Irish roots. Those Irish Roman Catholic schools have become pillars of the community and still serve as a backbone of education for residents. In one of our interviews, Pam and Andy Frazier also mentioned that the strong Catholic infrastructure that shaped the neighborhood, particularly along the western border, as one of the factors that has contributed to the neighborhood’s stability. While Irish immigrants were dominant in Community Heights, they were not alone. District 17 Councilwoman the Holy Rosary area. There were several different ethnicities. Not so much far Eastern or Asian, but certainly Italian, German and Irish.” Mrs. Deette Bennett, named after her French neighbor, stated that in pre-WWII there was a large Irish population, especially in the Holy Cross Community on the near Eastside, around St. Phillips, Mary Moriarity Adams sharing her memories of growing up Irish on the Eastside. and in Fountain Square; to the south, there was a large German population. According to Mrs. Bennett, post WWII, soldiers came home and the sons and daughters of immigrants were railroaders and stuck by the tracks, and Eastern Europeans worked in the foundry. It is no wonder then that Community Heights would draw railroad workers as the rail kept Midwest. Kathy Evenson adds, “Basically if you sit here on a spring/summer/fall evening, the activity you see is the same activity you saw in the mid-50’s and 60’s, it’s just that the color of the people is a rainbow now where in the past it was all white.” Many people from outside the community do not realize that there is also a long-standing Dutch community in Community Heights. A few blocks west of Emerson is the Christian Park Reformed Church, originally established as the First Holland Reformed Church. According to the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, “by 1910 Indianapolis counted nearly 300 persons of Dutch stock” (p. 516), many of whom had settled in the eastern part of the city. Councilwoman Mary Moriarty Adams recalled growing up with many of the Dutch families who lived in Christian Park. Members of our class interviewed one of the more recent Dutch immigrants to Community Heights. Art Smit-Roeters came to live in the US from the Netherlands in 1960. He married his wife in the Netherlands in 1977, and she then joined him here on the East side. They both remain enthusiastic members of the Community Heights organization and community and love the cross-section of people in the neighborhood. Another group of early settlers to the Eastside were German immigrants. These immigrants established two churches that originally held services in their native German: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ and First United Church of Christ. These 14 Eastside Story Art and Edith Smit-Roeters, recent Dutch immigrants to Community Heights. Christian Park Church, which was originally founded by Dutch immigrants to the Eastside. German immigrants to the Eastside continued to use their native language until after WWII. These are minutes from St. Paul’s Church, now part of Ellenberger UCC, taken in 1931. churches ultimately merged to form Ellenberger Church of Christ, whose archives still include documents written in the original German. One of the more recent groups of newcomers to the Community Heights neighborhood is Latinos, mainly from formerly known as the Pleasant Run apartments, had been a Section 8, federally subsidized housing development. had fallen into such a state of disrepair that they were foreclosed and all of the residents were forced to leave. Steven Kollar, who has renovated the units and is renting the apartments out at market rates to Latino workers and others. Mr. Kollar is based in South Bend but he has been an active supporter of the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization. He has facilitated contact between the members of the organization and residents of La Casa and community garden, located right across the street from the people who came to this country with their dreams, as did the earlier waves of immigrants. Together, all of them - and many others - make up the diverse and ever-changing neighborhood that is Community Heights today. From All Four Corners 15 New Mexican restaurant and grocery store on 16th Street. Pleasant Run Apartments prior to renovation. Newly renovated apartments at La Casa. At Green’s Irish Pub, the spirit of the eastside Irish lives on. CHAPTER 5 NEIGHBORHOOD MAINSTAYS: The Historic Steer-In: “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” Daniel W. Branstrator It’s 4:00 in the afternoon and Indy’s Historic Steer-in is starting to bustle with the activity of another dinner service. I am sitting with Harold Phillips, the former owner of the restaurant, and his wife, Carol. The décor in which it sits: high school basketball jerseys, photos of local sports teams, and a “Community Heights Good Neighbor Award” plaque placed by the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization. More often than not, any patron who walks through the door of this neighborhood establishment is greeted by name by the staff and by others already dining at the counter, booths or tables available. Harold Phillips bought the restaurant from the Laughner family who had originally established the restaurant as Laughner’s Drive-In in this location in the late 1950s. The drive-in restaurant with curb service was at its pinnacle of popularity in America when Laughner’s became Harold’s Steer-In in 1964. The restaurant purchase was quite a deal: it came with a house directly behind it on Leland Street. Harold and his wife fondly recall how their children could watch all the cars cruising by the drive-in The former owners of the Steer-In, Harold and Carol Phillips, with the current owners from their windows. Eventually, Barbara Kehrer and her son, Casey Kehrer. fearing for the safety of their children, Harold and his wife sold the house. “The kids loved watching all the cars at the Steer-In … But then the cars would come up and down the alley behind our house, and our fence went right up to the alley; we were afraid that one of our children would step out into the alley...” Mr. Phillips opened a number of other Steer-Ins – one as to operate restaurants at so many locations. He eventually sold all of the other businesses to focus solely on the 10th Street restaurant. Harold owned the Steer-in for forty-four years and operated it for thirty-seven. In 1984, the restaurant ceased its curbside service and in 2000, it was sold to two sisters. They managed to keep the restaurant going for a few years but were forced to close it down in 2004, much to the disappointment of the neighborhood. Two former employees then bought it and made a go of it for awhile but everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Charlie and Barbara Kehrer and their son Casey leased the the name to “Historic Steer-In” but most regulars still know it as “Harold’s.” From the neighborhood themselves, the Kehrers attention and love into the property, revitalizing the look of the dining room and the menu while still holding on to the The Northway, which eventually became the Steer-In, with its landmark polar bear statue in front. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Collins Reed. Neighborhood Mainstays 17 The original owners of the Northway Restaurant. essence of the original drive-in. Barbara has her own fond memories of growing up with Harold’s. As she put it, “I remember coming in through high school, going through and getting root beers and ice cream. Sometimes I was just driving through to see who was here, you know.” Over the years, the restaurant once known as The Northway (and nick-named “The Polar Bear” for a statue that then stood outside the building), then as Laughner’s Drive-in and then as Harold’s Steer- In and now “Historic Steer-In” has earned the loyalty of many an Eastsider. Wilma Peacock, who lives right near the restaurant, was one of many residents who were distraught when it looked as though the restaurant would close. As she said, “the most popular times to go to the Steer-In are on Saturday mornings, when people go for pancakes, and Sunday morning when people go to have breakfast after church services. It’s been a thriving neighborhood restaurant. When Harold originally closed the restaurant, I got on the phone and pleaded with Harold, ‘Don’t let our neighborhood down; don’t let our neighborhood be without a restaurant’. And, bless his heart, he found a new owner and the neighborhood is doing our best to keep it going and viable. In my particular neighborhood – and I live just three doors north of the restaurant – there’s 17 of us that meet regularly there every Friday night. We eat there more often than that but every Friday night, those of us from the ‘hood meet and we eat there as a group.” The Kehrer family has maintained the tradition not only of welcoming neighborhood residents but also of fostering a feeling of camaraderie among the employees. Several of the current employees live on the Eastside and also work in other local establishments. As Barbara told us, the regulars become attached not only to the delicious food but also to June (Meyer) Stahl shares her memories of Harold’s. 18 Eastside Story The original drive-in look of the Steer-In remains today. Wilma Peacock enjoying a night out at the Steer-In. the employees. As she recalled, “We’ve got our share of characters … They sit at the counter and listen to everything that’s going on. They catch all the gossip … if an employee leaves, then they want the scoop. They wanna know, ‘Why’d she leave?’ They’re funny. Yeah, they are.” Today, Indy’s Historic Steer-In is still a popular destination for those from within and beyond the neighborhood’s boundaries. As we stand up to leave our table a woman, sitting at the booth behind us recognized Harold and stopped him to thank him for all of the good times she remembered from her high school days at Scecina. June Stahl, who lives just west of Community Heights, was happy to share her thoughts about the Steer-In with us. As she told us, “Anyone from my era remembers the Steer-In – whenever we go to reunions and get together, we always reminisce about the Steer-in. This is where we’d go to meet the guys! We’d just order a coke and french fries and would sit there for hours — Harold never got rich from us, that’s for sure!” Maybe Harold Phillips never got rich from operating the Steer-In in terms of money, but he and his establishment created many rich memories for the residents of the Eastside and much to the gratitude of the community, the Kehrer family is continuing on with that tradition. The Arlington Theater Stephanie Yarian Just as is the case for any other main thoroughfare in a community, Arlington Avenue has its historic landmarks. The Ace Hardware at 1025 N. Arlington has been open since 1987, but before then it was the home of the Arlington Theater. This 1949 Art Moderne theater was opened by an independent operator, and in 1951 the Arlington won a The Arlington Theater today, which houses an Ace Hardware. Neighborhood Mainstays 19 The original Arlington Theater in 1984. Photo courtesy of Classic American Images. plaque from Theatre Magazine as one of the year’s best new theaters in the country. In 1953, the Cinemascope screen and the sound was upgraded to four-track magnetic. The theater became a showcase for Walt Disney movies until the early 70s when another theater began outbidding the Arlington for the Disney movies. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end for the Arlington. In 1982 after being leased to an independent operator, the theater tried to revive business by running discount The Empire Strikes Back, with the hope of salvaging the theater. When the operator lost the bid and was found in possible violation of state blind bidding theater in 1983. Small venues and concerts were held at the theater until 1987, but due to poor promotion and lack of attendance, the theater could no longer support itself and soon was sold and reopened as Ace Central Hardware. Arlington; I think it was Bambi,” said Terry Fletcher, currently a salesman at Ace Hardware. The Oriental Inn Stephanie Yarian The Oriental Inn at 1421 N. Arlington has been in business for over 40 years and under the current ownership for the last 24 years. The actual building has not changed much over the years; it cannot be mistaken for anything other than a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant originally served very Americanized versions of Asian dishes such as chop suey. When they took over the business in 1985, the current owners, Gary Chang and his family, changed the menu to include more traditional Cantonese foods. One regular, Joyce Freeman said, “I remember coming to the Oriental Inn with my mom when I was a kid. This was her favorite restaurant. Now I like coming here so much that I bring out-of-town guests with me when they visit. It seems like the Oriental Inn has gotten better with age.” But the best thing about the Oriental Inn is not just the food; it is also the friendly atmosphere that the Chang family serves to their guests. “They (the Chang family) always greet me by using my name when I eat here,” said Freeman. p Exterior of Oriental Inn on Arlington Avenue. Students enjoying a meal at the Oriental Inn. Owner Gary Chang. 20 Eastside Story Millers’ Marathon Gas Station: “I have customers that, in my lifetime, I don’t remember not knowing.” Margaret Baurley Built in 1969 and passed from father to son, Jim Miller is the proud owner of the Miller’s Marathon station located across from Community East Hospital. Jim arrived in Community Heights at the age of 18 months old and stuck customers that he has known his entire life. “They’ve become a part of my life that’s beyond any business. It’s more of a relationship that you have with people. Because, like I say, I have customers that have somewhat shaped and my wedding. And she was probably in her 70s then.” As a kid, Jim lived on 18th Street and recalls feeling safe in the area. “When the streetlights came on it was time to get close to the house, but other than that we were just out running around, not getting in a lot of trouble.” As for the troubles of today, he sees Community Heights as committed to stability. for the neighborhood … ‘We’re not going to put up with this. We’re not going to deal with the thieving; we’re not going to deal with the things that are dragging other parts of the city down.’” Though he’s since moved from the area, his love for the community has not waned. “Even if another station were to open here, it doesn’t have the history that this station has,” Alicia said. “Jim doesn’t care just about his property line; he also cares about what goes on across the street and down the road and at the schools and at the churches and in the surrounding community because it goes so much further than just his business.” And Community Heights residents agree. Whittier Place resident Janet Frisbee who lives just blocks away has been a customer since the beginning. “Yeah, my husband and I went there (in 1969) and I’ve been going there ever since because they’re honest and they do a good job. They treat a woman nicely. He (Jim) is just like his dad. After my husband died – and even when Chuck was alive – they never treated me like, ‘There there, Dearie, we’ll deal with the man.’ little things and didn’t charge me. So, yeah, I’ve been going to them ever since!” Minutes away on 10th Street, Edith and Art Smit-Roeters good people. And they come fairly regularly to the community meetings. They’re fantastic people and their mechanic is Alicia and Jim Miller, current owners of the Marathon at 16th Street and Ritter Avenue. Neighborhood Mainstays 21 Janet, always a supporter of local businesses, recalls, “You could leave your car there and walk home. No biggie. It was always handy to have them so close. And then there’s the drugstore, East Side Prescription Shop, just across East Side Prescription Shop: Another Neighborhood Institution By Margaret Baurley In 1956, Walter Justus convinced eastside native Charles McLaughlin to build the East Side Prescription Shop, and it’s been in the family since, passed on to his son Jeff. In close lacking the aisles of make-up and detergent that characterize the chain drugstores. It is what one might call an old-fashioned pharmacy because it specializes strictly in medicine and hard- you need anything for a handicapped person, they’ve either got it or they’ll get it for you. They’re really good about all that stuff. I imagine that’s what keeps them going.” Her daughter Kathy Evenson once had a crisis averted with the help of the East Side Prescription Shop. “It was really amazing,” she recalled. “We had a real special need on a weekend when we were visiting and we needed something that you couldn’t pick up just anywhere. So, we picked up the phone and called East Side Prescriptions and they said, ‘Sure we have that.’ Just like that.” The original Gulf station in 1969. Photo courtesy of Jim Miller. Miller’s Marathon station today. 22 Eastside Story CHAPTER 6 HOUSING IN COMMUNITY HEIGHTS: Oldest Home in the Neighborhood: Ellenberger Mansion Margaret Baurley John Ellenberger arrived in Indianapolis in 1853 and eventually bought a 240 acre tract that sprawled over what is now Ellenberger Park, Pleasant Run Golf Course and everything in between. He made his home on what is now the corner of 10th and Ritter Street, in what is known as the Ellenberger Mansion. John Ellenberger died in 1917 at the age of 93 and the land was divided between his children, each getting roughly 20 acres. The home stayed in the Ellenberger family until 1973, always inherited by daughters. The house is currently occupied by Mark and Julie Stewart, as well as their seven children. As fate would have it, Mark’s great-great-Grandfather Hilton U. Brown toured the home even before the Stewarts did. “We have a newspaper article,” Julie says, “that talks about Hilton U. Brown coming here to sit and negotiate the sale of Ellenberger Park to the city. So it’s cool to think that a hundred years ago his great-great-Grandfather was here and now we live in the house.” Though the home has gone through countless changes through the years, many aspects remain the same. The backyard is sprinkled with apple, cherry, and persimmon trees as well as grape vines, which date back to the pre- Civil War era. Hooks can also be found in the backyard, which were originally intended to hitch visiting horses. bathroom sink dates back 90-100 years. Ellenberger Mansion has many interesting features such as a service entrance and hallways which could be closed off so maids could move about without disturbing the family and remain undetected by guests. The house also has maid’s owners instructed her not to reveal its location to her children unless, of course, they someday become owners. Ellenberger Mansion on a snowy day. Photo courtesy of Julie Stewart. Julie Stewart sharing stories about the Ellenberger haunting. “A Roof Right Over Our Heads”: Justus Homes Molly J. Dagon “Walter E. Justus and his dad and his brother built a lot of houses. They started this community.” Born at 1109 Kealing Street, John Cook recalls hunting rabbits Union Station. He also remembers when there were no on the Eastside began to change as the population of Indianapolis grew and pushed out of the city. Walter G. Justus, originally from Germany, began building on Justus Homes ad from the 1954 Warren Central yearbook. ilt n bits e n lter 24 Eastside Story Original listing for a newly-built home in the Justus Addition. and barns, but no bathrooms. The Justus Contracting Company, as it was originally named, was a family affair and that tradition continues today with President Walter E. Justus. John Cook again reminisced about the Justus the boss.” As home constructing technology changed so did the features that were included in a typical Justus home. These features became the trademark of all Justus homes. The distinctive German architecture includes: archways, keystones, sloping roofs, brickwork, and, after 1980, a Justus seal that is poured into the foundation of every home. For 100 years, Justus Homes dominated this eastside neighborhood, especially after World War II because it was such a prime location for single-family homes. Deette Bennett, another lifelong eastside resident, called the area a “hot spot”. What made the Justus homes so desirable were their affordability, quality, and location. The Eastside was the employment hub of Indianapolis and needed not only homes, but work. With the help of the G.I. Bill, vets were able to purchase homes and live close to work at places like Western Electric, International Harvester and Naval Avionics. And, as it was in the 1950s and ‘60s, this neighborhood is still an ideal setting for young people who are family. opened on Gladstone Avenue in 1910. It remained at that location until 1953, when it moved to 5055 E. current location on Shadeland. Current residents of Community Heights continue to appreciate their solidly-built Justus Homes. As one resident, Dave Stout, recalled, “Mr. Justus Sr., who is deceased area. He built everything above and beyond what the codes of the time required. That’s why these houses have lasted so long. Modern houses aren’t constructed as well. So, these Justus homes, they don’t wear out. They are as sound as they were 60 years ago.” Residents Andy and Pam Frazier are also happy with their Justus home, and feel that the homes should be eligible for historic preservation designation, if residents wish to pursue that route. They also note that the variety of styles of the Housing In Community Heights 25 Deborah Law and Dave Stout in front of their Justus home Justus homes adds to the appeal of the neighborhood and prevents the community from having the “cookie cutter” these houses have so much more personality than houses in neighborhoods like Broad Ripple. You get much more ‘house’ for your money down here.” According to an article in the Indianapolis Business Journal, over the past 100 years, Justus has built more than 20,000 single and multi-family homes, in addition to commercial and retail developments (Rettig, April 24, 2000). Many of the single-family homes constructed by Justus are on the Eastside, adding to the distinctiveness of this community (Rettig). The Justus Company has remained a family business for 100 years as Guy Justus’ son, grandson and great- Justus senior living center near the Community Heights neighborhood. Community Heights would not be the same without the Justus Homes. Happy 100th Birthday to Justus Homes and here’s to another 100 years of building on the eastside! 26 Eastside Story Ad for Justus Homes from the 1953 Warren Central yearbook. Happy 100th Birthday to Justus Homes and here’s Second office of Justus Homes, located at 5055 E 10th Street, 1953. Housing In Community Heights 27 The second generation of brick Justus Homes, built in the 1930s and ‘40s, were particularly known for the fine quality of stonework that adorned the fronts of these houses. Current Justus office on Shadeland Avenue. Photos courtesy of Justus Homes. First Jusus office on Gladstone, 1910. to another 100 years of building on the Eastside! CHAPTER 7 LOCAL LEGENDS The Mysterious Mural Stephanie Yarian Every neighborhood has its own quirks and Community Heights is no murals in the Collins’ home basement, “This neighborhood has it all,” said Chris Collins. Shortly after settling into his new home, Chris Collins had a house- warming the basement walls were covered by wood paneling. One of the guests at the party was leaning on the paneling, and her hand went right through it, which another of Bohemian dancers not dated or signed. some research, he discovered that the phrase written above the “beatnik” dancers referred to the Left Bank neighborhood in Paris, a center for artists and poets in post-World War II France. The mystery remains unsolved! Chris Collins standing in front of his mysterious basement mural. If anyone has any information about the identity of the artist, please contact Chris! Flash Gordon girl from the mural. Swatts Up With That? Stephanie Yarian Another interesting piece of art with an unusual story concerns Chris and Kristina Swatts’ home. One day Kristina found a business card on her front door with a message on the back saying, “I have something you may want. Call me.” Of course Kristina was a bit concerned about this and thought, “Is this guy stalking me? What does he want?” After a few weeks, curiosity got the best of Kristina so she plucked up some courage and called the man to introduce herself. The man told her that he had once lived in the house where the Swatts now live and that he had a watercolor painting of their house done sometime during the 1970’s. One evening, the Swatts arrived home and found “this big painting, with a frame and everything, sitting on the porch,” said Kristina. Ellenberger Haunting Stephanie Yarian Clanking pipes and free rolling objects are just a few mysterious happenings noticed by the Stewart family, current owners of the Ellenberger Mansion located on the corner of N. Layman Avenue and E. 10th Street. Julie Stewart recounted one ghostly happening, “One time we got locked out of the house and there was nobody else here. You have to actually turn the knob for these doors to lock and we all of us were outside. We had to break a window to get back in the house.” The family has also noticed things moving from room to room; “We’ve had lamps move from one room to another while we were gone.” The family believes the hauntings are kind of fun. So far, no ghosts have haunted the family or “done anything evil so I think they’re ok with us being here,” said Julie. Kristina Swatts with the watercolor of her house. Haunted Ellenberger Mansion, 1914. Photo courtesy of Julie Stewart. Local Legends 29 Days of Dillinger Stephanie Yarian Community Heights has also had a brush with notorious bank robber John Dillinger in the beginning of what the FBI called, “The 18 Months of Mayhem.” Dillinger, who was born and lived on the near Eastside until his mother’s death, and gathered together his cohorts in crime from the Eastside. In 1933 Dillinger and his gang robbed a Haag’s Drugstore on E. Washington St., which is now the “Dufour’s in Irvington Café.” A few months later, the Dillinger gang robbed the State Bank on Massachusetts Ave., where Dillinger earned the nickname “Jackrabbit” because he vaulted over the cashier’s counter. These places are on either side of Community Heights. “They probably drove through the streets here … they ran this area, I guess.” said Chris Swatts. Dillinger and his gang, which included the infamous Baby Face Nelson, continued robbing banks until Dillinger was killed by FBI agents at Chicago’s Biograph Theater in 1934. Al Green’s Drive-In: “Same Day Service” Daniel W. Branstrator “If your date took you to Al Green’s you knew that he wanted more than a pork tenderloin!” Kathy Rosenberg laughs as she reminisces about the former eastside drive-in restaurant and movie theater. So many stories and memories surround this former drive-in restaurant and movie theater that it has become something of an eastside legend. One of the more popular drive-ins throughout the 1950s and 60s, Al Green’s became a used car dealership in 1994. However, many people add to the mystery and legend of Al Green’s. According to one legend, Al and his sister, Belle used to live in the basement of the diner after it was closed: Al opened the place in 1947. At that time you could drive right into Al’s place off of Washington Street. Sometime, I think during the middle 1950s or so, the State of Indiana Highway Department built the four-leaf clover interchange where Shadeland Avenue crosses Washington Street. When this was done, the State closed the entrance to Al’s Drive-In off of Washington Street. Then to gain entrance to his business, you had to go past it to Shortridge Road, turn right onto Shortridge, and then turn down a lane that ran along Washington Street to Al’s. Al Green’s sign in its heydey. Photo courtesy of Peter Tocco. 30 Eastside Story By blocking the entrance to Al’s and causing clientele to enter it in the manner that they did caused a very noticeable decline in Al’s such a claim against the State, and there was a settlement reached in Al’s favor. Now here is where Al’s shrewdness comes into the picture. Instead of taking a one time lump sum settlement from the State, it was agreed that the State would pay Al a yearly amount for as long as he occupied the Drive-In. I was told that Al had a very nice apartment in the basement, and it was very livable and nicely furnished. The gent telling me this said, “Yeah, Al came out smelling like a rose.” and further adding, “The place has been closed for years, and he is still making good money and ain’t hit a lick”. Of course, I’m thinking if the State did cause Al a major reversal in his business livelihood, “GOOD FOR AL!”* Kathy also remembers a story told to her by an eighty-nine year old Holocaust survivor who cut in on Al Green and his date at a dance – and then married the woman Al had been dancing with! According to Kathy, Al never married but they all remained friends. Along with “tenderloins-as-big-as-your-head,” the legendary slogan, “same-day service,” and its reputation as a “make out pit,” Al Green’s remains one of the most fantastical establishments ever to grace the Eastside. *Taken from http://algreensdrivein.com/stories/RandyWilson1.html. T-shirt with Al Green’s “Same Day Service” slogan. Photo courtesy of Peter Tocco. Local Legends 31 CHAPTER 8 WALKING TO THE SHOPS: Neighborhood Stores in Community Heights Margaret Baurley, Molly Dagon and Susan Hyatt Like many other urban neighborhoods, Community Heights was once a community where residents could walk to a range of locally-owned shops. “In the 1950s the area was dotted with small businesses,” recalls Deette Bennett. “West of Emerson on 21st Street were a small drug store, a hardware shop, a barber shop, two grocery stores, gasoline stations, a dentist and a don’t have a car, you are really out of luck. When I see a woman walking along with shopping bags, I wonder how far she has to go, carrying all of that stuff.” Deette Bennett, Donna Parry and Claudette Holcomb recalled where neighborhood women went when they really wanted something elegant for a special occasion. Cecil’s Dress Shop at 10th Street and Arlington Avenue was Ads from 1958 Warren Central yearbook. L C wl ar o hs shop with quality merchandise.” Another shop located at 10th and Arlington was Guidone’s Arlington Market, known for its gourmet offerings. In addition to the Steer-In, which has survived all of the transformations in the neighborhood, and to the famous Al Green’s, the Eastside was once home to a number of other restaurants and drive-ins, including Laughner’s Drive In and Jack and Jill’s. Donna Parry recalls that when she used to get off work at 11:00 pm after her shift at Naval Avionics, she would head for the local Haag’s drugstore, which had a counter that served food until late. “We used to order the buffalo burgers,” she remarked, chuckling. The memory of one restaurant in particular sparked some lively recollections. Captain Jim’s Anchor Inn bordered Community Heights on Arlington Avenue and 16th Street. It was a local hangout for both families and party-goers. Many wedding receptions, birthday parties and graduation dinners were held at Captain Jim’s. Windsor Village resident Donna Parry recalls that it was a popular spot for military men and Naval Avionics workers. She and her friends attended many St. Patrick’s Day parties at Captain Jim’s. “Captain Jim’s, now that’s a very interesting piece of our neighborhood history,” says Kathy Evenson. Interesting, yes, but not always welcome as Janet Frisbee recalls. Janet was one of many Community Heights residents who signed petitions when the Anchor Inn was applying for its liquor license. She says that citizens were concerned about possible drunk driving in the streets of Community Heights after an evening of festivities at the Inn. But, despite the petitions, the Anchor Inn acquired their liquor license, which initially left a few neighborhood residents as salty as the Inn’s St. Patrick’s Day corned beef. “Our fears weren’t realized,” Janet admits and with their new license, Captain Jim’s became a “happening place.” Another resident noted that even with the alcohol, Captain Jim’s continued to cater to families. senior year in high school my boyfriend took me on a date there and I found out it wasn’t such a bad place.” Other people remembered it for an entirely different reason. “The guy that owned Captain Jim’s bought himself a Lincoln Continental. A big two door,” says Bruce Evenson. “I mean that thing was a city block long. Huge! Banana The Anchor Inn. Photo courtesy of Indy’s Eastside Nostalgia Club. A Healthy Eastside 33 Ad from 1958 Warren Central yearbook. yellow with a white top. It was parked in front of that place for years and years. It was always parked at Captain Jim’s.” Beginning in the 1970s, shoppers began to prefer patronizing malls. First, the opening of Eastgate Consumer Mall in 1957 drew businesses away from neighborhood shopping strips. Small shops could not compete with the department stores like Sears and H.P Wasson’s that anchored the new malls. Then, in 1979, the Washington Square Mall opened, which led to the eventual closing of Eastgate Mall. Despite the popularity of the new enclosed malls, the older residents of Community Heights, however, still remember with fondness the small, locally-owned businesses that neighborhood folks could walk to and that were once such a vital part of the urban landscape. 34 Eastside Story Ad from 1954 Warren Central yearbook. CHAPTER 9 A HEALTHY EASTSIDE Community Hospital East and the Marion County Health Department Robyn Bullock and Barbara DeRose To begin our story, imagine a Midwest America of the 1950’s. Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House. The Space Age was just dawning. Rock ‘n’ roll was becoming the nation’s soundtrack. The Salk vaccine to control polio was discovered… Here in Indiana, new shopping centers sprouted, and Hoosiers had more of everything - more cars, more household appliances and more babies. During this era of hope and boundless imagination, a modest group of neighbors on the Eastside of Indianapolis had a vision. The idea was simple—a hospital closer to home. Volunteers began to collect loose pocket change in a house-to-house campaign. Soon funds poured in from businesses and civic organizations … In the summer of 1956, the dream became a reality when Community Hospital opened its doors at 16th Street and Ritter Avenue—complete with the novelty of air conditioning. — From Celebrating 50 Years, Community Health Network, 2006 As the quotation from the commemorative booklet above indicates, and as we learned through our own research, Community Hospital East is much more than just a hospital: for the residents of Community Heights it is the major institution in the neighborhood, as well as a facility that serves the health needs of the greater Eastside. As Peggy Purvis, one of the active members of the Community Heights Neighborhood Organization and an administrative assistant at Scecina Memorial High School told us, “Other than Community East, the other closest hospit |
|
|
| A |
| B |
| C |
|
| E |
| F |
| H |
| I |
|
| J |
| K |
| N |
| O |
| P |
| R |
| S |
| T |
| U |
| W |
|
|