Article Archives: Building Blocks

Building Blocks is a monthly feature by historian Steve Barnett about historic properties on the east side of Indianapolis.

The Pennsy

June 23, 2016 | by Steven R. Barnett

Running through the middle of Irvington and extending to the east towards Cumberland is a ribbon of asphalt that walkers and bikers now enjoy as the “Pennsy Trail.” While today many find this serene byway a respite from daily life, for nearly 130 years a silver ribbon of steel rail … Read More

A Patch of Green

May 26, 2016 | by Steven R. Barnett

The end of May 2016 we will commemorate the 100th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and the 150th Memorial Day, the decorating of the graves of the fallen. Thousands will gather at the Speedway Oval to cheer on the fleet, the swift and at cemeteries across Indiana and … Read More

Ellenberger Park

April 28, 2016 | by Steven R. Barnett

Not all of the building blocks that make up our neighborhoods are brick and mortar. There are woods and meadows — green space to ease the eyes and refresh the soul. When my mother came to Indianapolis from the gritty industrial city of Akron, Ohio — Rubber City — she … Read More

EASTGATE: Suburban Main Street

March 24, 2016 | by Steven R. Barnett

Today it’s simply “THE ROC,” a two-story massive windowless white-painted stone sprawl surrounded by an asphalt parking lot, an array of solar panels, and a low, gray cement block perimeter wall. The Regional Operations Center (ROC) is the home of the Indianapolis Homeland Security Department and its state-of-the-art security equipment … Read More

Fidelity Farm Transformed

February 25, 2016 | by Steven R. Barnett

“What’s going on with all those trucks?” is a question that I often hear in connection with the row upon row of semis filling the lots at the old International Harvester (Navistar) facility along Brookville Road at Ritter Avenue. Once the production site for International truck engines, today only about … Read More