Article Archives: Building Blocks

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

The Angel of Norwood

March 28, 2024 | by Steven R. Barnett

Norwood, a mostly African-American neighborhood on the near southeast side of Indianapolis, bounded on the north by Prospect St., Terrace Ave. on the south, Sherman Dr. on the east and Vandeman St. on the west, takes its name from the Norwood family who farmed the area. For many years the … Read More

Thomas Carr Howe High School

February 22, 2024 | by Steven R. Barnett

Thomas Carr Howe High School opened its doors to its first class of students in the fall of 1938, marking the culmination of years of struggle by Irvington and east side citizens to secure a secondary school. Prior to being annexed by the city of Indianapolis in 1902, the town … Read More

The Portfolio

January 25, 2024 | by Steven R. Barnett

The Portfolio is one of the oldest, continuously active, social clubs in Indianapolis. It was organized in 1890 at the suggestion of Mary Steele, wife of artist T. C. Steele, with the object of bringing together the various art interests of Indianapolis and to “promote a spirit of art interest … Read More

Christmas on Julian Avenue

December 21, 2023 | by Steven R. Barnett

My mom and dad were married only months before Pearl Harbor. They were living happily in an apartment on Webster Ave. and my dad was working as a coremaker at the International Harvester plant on Brookville Rd. when their lives and the lives of millions were suddenly changed by the … Read More

The Color of Art

November 23, 2023 | by Steven R. Barnett

Indianapolis has a rich history of visual arts. The city’s cultural heritage has been enriched from the early days of settlement when German immigrant Samuel Rooker painted the city’s first signs and artist Jacob Cox painted portraits of leading citizens and the surrounding landscape. Later, the Hoosier Group artists — … Read More