INDIANAPOLIS — Visit several homes and gardens, an art studio, and the treasured Town Hall at the Woodruff Place Home and Garden Tour June 29 and June 30 from noon-5 p.m.. Neighbors will provide a vintage fashion show at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 30 at 974 Woodruff Place West Dr., and there will be live entertainment, and much more for the two day event. Advance sale tickets (credit card sales) are available for $15 online through Eventbrite. The day of tour price is $20 at the Town Hall, 735 Woodruff Place East Dr.
Through the years, many traditions have evolved to unite neighbors: July 4th Parade, Lawn Chair Brigade, Umbrella Chicks, spring and fall neighborhood clean-ups, Halloween party, Easter Egg Hunt, Casino Woodruff, annual Flea Market, the biennial progressive dinner and others. The Home and Garden Tour, however, allows “outsiders” into the beautiful homes in the historic neighborhood, to learn about the previous and current owners.
In the late 1870s, James O. Woodruff laid out his grand plan for Woodruff Place. He was attracted to a quiet wooded location just east of the city and purchased seventy-seven acres. His plan included a Victorian version of formal Italian Renaissance gardens which were to include three boulevard drives bisected by grassy esplanades, spacious lots, picturesque homes, clusters of graceful cast-iron statues, and multi-tiered fountains. Fences and gates at the end of each drive were also part of Woodruff’s original plan.
Today’s Woodruff Place features stately Victorian, Arts & Crafts, bungalows and more modern architecture. Many homes are completely restored to their former glory and others have been completely re-envisioned on the inside while maintaining a classic exterior. Part of the fun of the Home Tour is talking to the homeowners and hearing their renovation stories. Be sure to check out the beautiful gardens in the neighborhood, which express another form of creativity.
The Woodruff Place neighborhood is located between Michigan and 10th streets north to south, west of Rural and east of the Arsenal Tech campus. Visit www.woodruffplace.org for more information about the tour and the historic neighborhood.
