Indianapolis & Central Indiana--Summer 2021

[MplsTodd]

My wife was teaching a pilates class in Indianapolis for three days, so I had a chance to really explore Indianapolis & surrounding cities such as Columbus, Bloomington, Anderson, Muncie, Noblesville and Zionsville. A special call out to Chris (ColDayMan) for his company and knowledge in checking out Columbus & Bloomington!

Walker Theater, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Downtown Indianapolis from Indiana Avenue by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Downtown Indianapolis from IUPUI Campus by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indianapolis Skyline from S Missouri Street by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Downtown Indianapolis from Alabama Street by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

City-County Building, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Cummins Distribution Headquarters, 301 East Market Street, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Whole Foods Market, East Market Street, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

East Market Street, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

New Sidewalks along East Market Street, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

View from City Market, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

City Market, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Parking Lot Shack, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Former Municipal Garage, 235 N Alabama Street, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Kurt Vonnegut Mural, Massachusetts Avenue, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Stout's Shoes, Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Burnside Inn, Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Former Sears Store, Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Homeless Jesus Sculpture, Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Separate Biking & Walking Pathways, N. Alabama Street, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Chatterbox Jazz Tavern, Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Old National Centre (Former Murat Shrine Temple), Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Das Deutsche Haus (also known as The Athenaeum), Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Looking SW along Massachusetts Avenue to downtown, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Park Avenue Homes, Lockerbie Square, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Front Garden to Lockerbie Square Home, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Alley off of Vermont Street, Lockerbie Square, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indiana Paver Brick, Lockerbie Square Neighborhood (near downtown), Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Massachusetts Avenue Buildings, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Brick Home, Arch Street, Chatham-Arch Neighborhood, downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Former White Castle Restaurant, Fort Wayne Avenue at East Walnut Street, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Riley Towers from Saffron Cafe, Ft Wayne Avenue, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indianapolis from Obelisk Square by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Scottish Rite Cathedral, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Masonic Temple, Illinois Street Entrance, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Illinois Street, Looking to downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indiana World War Memorial, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indiana World War Memorial & Museum, 50 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Blacherne at Vermont Place Apartments, Meridian Street, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indiana World War Memorial & Museum, 50 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Depew Memorial Fountain, University Park, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Chamber of Commerce Building, Meridian Street, downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Salesforce Tower, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Along Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Outdoor Seating, Columbia Club, Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Soldiers & Sailors Monument, Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

TO BE CONTINUED...

[EastSideHBG]

Wonderful! It's been years since I have been there but I was pleasantly surprised by it.

[Mr. Franks]

Nice set! I've been through there a few times, but I have never explored it. I'll have to check it out sometime. The only area of Indiana that I have explored is Gary. This is definitely seems a little nicer.

[MplsTodd]

Here's Round 2 of the Central Indiana Tour: This covers Monument Circle, State Capitol, The Historic Indiana Theater, Circle Center Mall, Union Station and Washington Street. Downtown Indianapolis has always been one of my favorite midwestern downtowns--benefitting from a great layout with numerous squares, monumental buildings and of course Monument Circle. Although clearly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, downtown seemed reasonably vibrant. It has a relatively small office base, but has great interaction between the convention center, sports facilities and downtown retail/restaurants. The City Market/Whole Foods adds a great amenity, and helps to tie the Massachusetts Avenue retail/restaurant scene to the downtown core. They have a great network of separate bike pathways through the downtown.

Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Guaranty Building, S Meridian Street, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Soldier's and Sailors Monument, Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Former William H Block Department Store, Market Street at Illinois, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

West Market Street, Looking to Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

State Capitol, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Cultural Trail-Walking/Biking along Washington Street: downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indiana Repertory Theater, Washington Street, downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Embassy Suites & Conrad Hotels, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

St. Elmo's Steakhouse, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Union Station, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Meridian Street, downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Circle Center Mall, downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Circle Center Mall, Downtown Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Washington Street, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Separate Pedestrian & Biking/Scootering lanes, Washington Street, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Former L.S. Ayres Department Store, Washington Street, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

C.A. Schrader Building, Pennsylvania Avenue, downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Majestic Building, East Maryland Street, Downtown Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr


On the northeast edge of downtown is The Bottleworks, an adaptive reuse of the former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant.

Former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Bottleworks Hotel, Former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Bottleworks District, former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Here's a few photos from the northern edge of the city: Keystone Crossing, a 1980's vintage office/apartment/retail development and the Pyramids (a unique 1970's-era office development)

Keystone Crossing , Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

The Pyramids, College Park, Indianapolis, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

[MplsTodd]

Here's photos from Columbus and Bloomington, Indiana. Although a small city (population 44,000 in 2010), Columbus, Indiana has established a worldwide reputation for its collection of modern architecture. Credit for this due to J. Irwin Miller, the CEO of Cummins, Inc.(a manufacturer of Diesel engines). Back in the 1940s, his firm paid architects fees for local schools, allowing them to afford hiring well-known architects. The community responded very positively to the buildings and it was continued through to the present.

First Christian Church, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Cleo Rogers Public Library, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Irwin Gardens, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

St. Peter's Lutheran Church & School, 5th Street, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Cummins Corporate Offices, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Cummins Corporate Office Building, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Cummins Corporate Office Building, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Washington Street, downtown Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Washington Street, downtown Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Fountain at Bartholomew County Courthouse Grounds, downtown Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Former Republic Newspaper Office, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

City Hall, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Bartolomew County Courthouse, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Crump Theater, Third Street, Columbus, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Bloomington, Indiana is home to Indiana University and has a vibrant downtown centered on the historic courthouse square. The university campus is beautiful, filled with Indiana limestone buildings:


CVS Pharmacy, E Kirkwood Avenue at N Washington Street, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indiana Theater, East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Walnut Street, downtown Bloomington, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Monroe County Courthouse, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

College Avenue along Courthouse Square, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Along College Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

8973A9B1-8251-43D8-91A9-52D267CA0F3E by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

6th Street along Courthouse Square, downtown Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Along Courthouse Square, Bloomington, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

West 6th Street with BLM Street Mural, Bloomington, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Walnut Street at W 6th Street, downtown Bloomington, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Book Corner, Kirkwood at Walnut, downtown Bloomington, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Nick's English Hut, East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Kirkwood Avenue Entrance to Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Student Building, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

IU-custom Lampposts, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

IntraMural Center, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Creek, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Ernie Pyle Statue, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

People Posing at University Gateway, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

[craigs]

Great pics, awesome thread!

[DetroitSky]

Cool! I was also recently in Indy. Was the monument's observation deck still closed when you visited?

[jmecklenborg]

I finally drove through Columbus, In this past summer, after having heard about it my entire life, but was underwhelmed.

[Coldrsx]

Nice tour.

I really enjoyed my visit to Indy and could see it being very appealing to many.

[BnaBreaker]

Thanks for sharing! Columbus and Bloomington both punch above their weight in terms of architecture and urbanity.

Indianapolis really has a surprising amount of high quality and unique historic architecture, and has a truly 'grand capital city' feel to parts of it's downtown, which is more than most state capitals can say. Also, they've got a really impressive level of bicycle infrastructure.

[MplsTodd]

Thanks for your comments everyone!

The Soldiers & Sailors Monument did not appear to be open when I was there. This is kind of a running joke as I've tried numerous times to go the top and its always been closed (I've had the same experience with trying to go to the top of City Hall in Philadelphia).

I know that Columbus gets a lot of press about its architecture so I can see how it may not live up to high expectations established by certain articles. But that said, for a small city in Central Indiana, it does have a great collection of modern-era architecture and a reasonably active downtown

I absolutely agree that Indianapolis has an impressive series of bike trails through downtown. The Monon Trail is especially noteworthy as it connects up to Broad Ripple and all the way to Carmel.

And yes, Indianapolis has a lot more to see than Gary.

Here's photos from my third day. On this day, I covered a wide range of communities from affluent new-urbanism to challenged rustbelt towns to historic towns. I started in Fishers, a newish suburb on the northeast side of Indy. It's very similar to Carmel in many respects. I liked their town center--it's undergoing a lot of growth and has had a farmers market going on which attracted a lot of people. Pendleton was a small town with a classic Main Street. Anderson looked like a struggling town. They had a few nice theaters and a few impressive public buildings, but it frankly looked pretty tough. Muncie looked like it had seen better days, but many buildings in their downtown seemed to have been fixed up recently. I also was super-impressed to see an actual map store in downtown Muncie! Unfortunately, it was closed on the Sunday I was there, but that was awesome to see. Noblesville had a classic Indiana-style courthouse square ringed with historic commercial buildings. Zionsville reminded me a bit of Lambertville NJ/New Hope PA or even small towns you's see in Napa (Calistoga?). It had a nice collection of artsy businesses, restaurants, wine bars, inns. etc...

Town Center, Fishers, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

View of Nickel Plate Trail (Biking/Pedestrian), Fishers, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Nickel Plate District, Fishers, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Older businesses amid developing Town Center, East 116th Street, Fishers, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

I really liked the quasi-loft style design of this office building under construction in Fishers:

First Internet Bank Headquarters, E 116th Street, Fishers, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Nickel Plate District , Fishers, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Jet spray fountain, Fishers, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Farmers Market at Fishers, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Downtown Pendleton, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

D60A6141-8849-48B3-A3A7-685691E571A9 by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Meridian Street, downtown Anderson, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

State Theater, Meridian Street, downtown Anderson, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Lee Block Buildings, downtown Anderson, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Ghost Signs on Lee Block Building, Meridian Street, downtown Anderson, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

The Graces Statue, Dickman Town Center, Anderson, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Paramount Theater, Meridian Street, downtown Anderson, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Tower Hotel, 1109 Jackson Street, Anderson, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Public Library, Anderson, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Entrance Arch to Beech Grove Cemetery, Muncie, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Royce Block, downtown Muncie, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Walnut Street, downtown Muncie, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Patterson Block Muncie, 108 South Walnut Street, Muncie, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Downtown Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Pazols Jewelry Store, downtown Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

The Mitchell Building, S Walnut Street, downtown Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Muncie, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Muncie Map Company, downtown Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Support Your Local Cartographer--Muncie Map Co., downtown Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

McDonald's Golden Arch, Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Muncie, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

IAFF Local 1348, Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Masonic Temple, Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Ball State University, Muncie, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Noblesville Square, (N. 9th Street), downtown Noblesville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

868-874 Logan Street, downtown Noblesville, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

A.H. Lacy Building, Logan Street, downtown Noblesville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Logan Street Businesses, Noblesville Square, downtown Noblesville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Old Building, Logan Street at N 8th Street, downtown Noblesville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Syd's Bar, Noblesville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Hamilton County Courthouse, Noblesville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Along Conner Street, downtown Noblesville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Mormon Temple, 116th Street, Carmel, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Bench, Zionsville, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Bender Square, Main Street, Zionsville, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Main Street Storefronts, downtown Zionsville, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Main Street Storefronts, downtown Zionsville, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Main Street, Zionsville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Poplar Street Homes, Zionsville, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Old Town Hall, Zionsville, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Bender's Alley, Main Street, downtown Zionsville, IN by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Main Street, downtown Zionsville, Indiana by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

[JMKeynes]

Very nice!!!

[mrnyc]

great to see this. i havent been to indy in quite awhile and there are a lot of changes around downtown that is for sure.

aah the charms of indiana, did u happen to bump into john mellencamp? ha.

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures of all those places! You can see some of that eastern Midwest vibe in the houses, indicating the people moving west from upstate New York and all.

[edale]

There are lots of nice little towns in Indiana. Madison, down on the Ohio River, is also really beautiful and well preserved. I never made it to Bloomington or Columbus, much to my regret.

Growing up in the 90s/00s, Indianapolis had a really vibrant downtown-- much more vibrant than Cincinnati. Their downtown mall was hugely popular, and there were lots of restaurants and shops near the Pacer's arena, too. My family did a weekend in Indy and I remember thinking it was a pretty cool city. I can't really remember what we did besides go to the Children's Museum, which I think is pretty impressive, and ride pedal boats on the canal area downtown. It's a great downtown, but I've come to learn there isn't too much of note outside of downtown Indy. At least from an urban perspective.

Nice photos, thanks for sharing!

[Urban Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by [url=https://flic.kr/p/2mjaSC4

[/url]Downtown Indianapolis from IUPUI Campus by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

Canal Square Apartments. . . that is where I used to live! Thanks for sharing these. It has been a long time since I was in Indy. A lot has changed.

[harryc]

Nice collection - I'll be there in a few weeks - need to visit circle sta in the daytime. For the first time I won't be dragging the kids around so I should get a few more shots.

It's a bit of a juxtaposition with Indianapolis in general, and the convention center in particular, trying so hard to be the open welcoming to all 21st century city while the state government works in the opposite direction. Still the only place I have seen large scale mixed gender bathrooms.

[geomorph]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

City Market, Indianapolis by Todd Jacobson, on Flickr

This looks like an impressive market, and I can't believe I missed this when I visited!

[JMKeynes]