Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: History Paved Over

Although it’s heartbreaking to think about the buildings and businesses that have been lost over the years in Indianapolis, it is still exciting to discover a long lost building for the first time. Interstate 65 looms...

Read More 2 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Beware of the Witch

This 1960s-era postcard promises a country style meal served by the Sloan family. (Image: Amazon) A once-popular way to make your business stand out from the competition was to build a structure to look like...

Read More 1 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: At the Drive-in

This ticket advertises a free pass for the driver at the Shadeland Drive-in. (Image: eBay) For those who grew up in between the 1950s and 1980s, a summertime rite of passage always included a few...

Read More 16 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Inn the Huddle

The interior of a Huddle restaurant awaiting eager diners. (Image: Evan Finch) A twenty-four hour restaurant tends to bring out some of the more interesting examples of mankind, especially in the wee hours of the morning....

Read More 15 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: The Fading of the Orange Roof

A postcard showing the grandeur of the downtown Howard Johnson’s. (Image: Amazon) We often look towards chain businesses with a bit of disdain. Large corporations sending profits out of state while serving up conveniences with...

Read More 4 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: An Evening in Merry England

A postcard showing the Sheffield Inn. The single story section was a later addition as a large house stood in its place the year the inn opened. At some point this structure was replaced with...

Read More 2 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: A Stay off of The Circle

The Harrison Hotel located at Capitol and Market once featured a decorative limestone base and awning to protect guests from the afternoon sun. (Image: Amazon) The fate of a historic building dating back to 1928...

Read More

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Pardon my French

Not many would picture fine French dining at a roadside motel as this ad from the 1960s boasted. (Image: Indiana State Library) When Indy residents head out of the city on State Road 67 towards Vincennes,...

Read More 7 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: The Greatest of All Time?

Mobil Oil boasts three consecutive victories in this ad, including the 1953 race won by Bill Vukovich. Notice the wooden grandstands and brick front-stretch. (Image: eBay) Memorial Day weekend brings about another exciting edition of...

Read More 1 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Congratulations, Seniors!

Manual High School students enjoy a picnic, courtesy of Stark and Wetzel meats. The plant, located as  west Ray Street went through a couple of different names after being sold in 1974. In 2004 Hebrew...

Read More

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: The Hoosier Grand Prix

1965 Program (Image: eBay) This weekend, the month of May heats up at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the second straight year, fans will be treated to the Angie’s List Grand Prix as a precursor...

Read More 2 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Summertime Cruisin’

Happy May 1st! As spring heads into summer, we start thinking of how to take advantage of the warm weather. Some sixty years ago, area teenagers participated in a deeply-rooted cruising culture as way to...

Read More 3 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Last Train to Indy

No passengers can be seen waiting in this 1970 photograph. (Image: Library of Congress) Passing the Romanesque Union Station may create conflicting emotions for some. It is gratifying to see an impressive historic building restored–especially...

Read More 6 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: A Lost Roadside Beacon

The big green sign could once be seen by drivers exiting turn one at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Image: eBay) For anyone who may have grown up from the sixties through the eighties, childhood trips...

Read More 16 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Sorry, No Ladies Allowed

The long gone Ye Ark Saloon stood at 15 East Ohio Street, approximately where the Chase Tower lobby entrance is located today. (Image: Evan Finch) This past weekend, the nation’s eyes were focused on Indianapolis during...

Read More 4 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Final Four Fun in the Wholesale District

Saint Elmo’s Steakhouse doesn’t look nearly as inviting covered in plywood and a tacky mansard roof during the very early nineties.  (Image: Library of Congress) The NCAA Final Four returns to Indianapolis this weekend in...

Read More 2 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Why is that a Parking Lot?

The rooms and lobby appear to be very well appointed for 1960s standards. (Image: eBay) When enjoying a spring day on the War Memorial Mall, it is easy to become mesmerized by the vast island...

Read More 4 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Rebirth Along Tinker Street

The neighborhoods bordering Sixteenth and Meridian Streets are some of the next “in” places to be. Much like Massachusetts Avenue a decade ago and Fountain Square more recently, years of reinvestment in housing is paying...

Read More 7 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: From Films to Film Festivals

A 1940s view looking northwest on Virginia Avenue shows this recognizable building as the Granada Theatre. (Image: W. H. Bass Photo Company Collection courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society) With spring approaching, many are looking...

Read More 7 Comments

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Hoosier Hysteria in Indianapolis

It’s the first week of March in Indiana. Snow covers the ground in what will hopefully be the last stand of winter. This also marks the beginning of the Indiana State Tournament in boy’s basketball....

Read More 1 Comments