Reader’s Question:
My great-grandparents lived first at 411, then at 417, Downey. I have a picture of my grandfather, perhaps 6-8 years old, standing in front of the home with his sister and mother. On the back is written “411 Downey.” Once married, my grandparents lived at 425 Downey. My mother was born in 1916 at 411 Downey; it’s written in her baby book. The listing of births in The Star the following day noted the parents resided at 425 Downey.
I can understand possible confusion of 411 and 417 appearing at varying times, because handwriting and the copying of old original documents can mislead. But do a Google search or an on-foot walk like I did today, and Downey (which is located in Irvington, south of Washington Street) stops after the 300’s. At that intersection Downey disappears and Burgess Avenue takes over.
There seem to be a multitude of questions here, starting with where the heck the 400 block went. My grandfather’s sister married into a family who lived at 516 Downey. When did the city or postal folks make these changes? How and why? ~ Lyle M., Indianapolis
Daughter Mamie Jasper, mother Christina (Sinker) Jasper, and son Herman Jasper stand in front of 411 Downey circa 1895 (photo courtesy of Lyle J. Mannweiler)
HI’s Answer:
Researching the locations of ancestors’ homes can be challenging. Although the center of Indianapolis was carefully laid out in 1821 by architect-surveyor Alexander Ralston, the rest of the city grew in a less systematic and more organic fashion. New streets with different names from those within the Mile Square were added in every direction. Small settlements sprang up in all nine townships of Marion County. Some were officially organized, so as to enable them to have post offices established in them. Others were never independent municipalities but were anointed with descriptive names by local residents. The streets in these villages were sometimes named the same names as the streets in Indianapolis, although they did not necessarily connect to one another.
As the city limits extended farther and farther from the core, and as these once remote places began to adjoin one another, it became evident that more consistency was needed in both the naming of streets and the numbering of addresses. Indianapolis began to grapple with this issue in the late 1890s, adopting conventions for both the naming of streets and the numbering of properties. For several years at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, street names were changed and house numbers were adjusted, so as to fall into line. Nonetheless, each time the city’s boundaries changed, name duplications and/or numbering irregularities arose.
Such was the case when the City of Indianapolis annexed the Town of Irvington on February 17, 1902. One of the streets in Irvington was named Downey Avenue. Downey was the married name of Mary Julian, the daughter of Jacob Julian. Jacob Julian and Sylvester Johnson were the men who conceived of Irvington and laid out the original streets and building lots. James and Mary Julian Downey were among the people who built homes in Irvington.
1898 city directory listed both Downey and Downey Avenue CLICK TO ENLARGE
However, Downey was already the name of a street on the south side of Indianapolis. This earlier Downey first appeared in an Indianapolis City Directory in 1867. It was about a mile-and-a-half south of Monument Circle. It started as a short, three-block stretch between the Madison Gravel Road (now Madison Avenue) and Japan (now S. East Street), but it ultimately ran from Bluff Road (now Meridian Street) on the west to Edgewood (now Leonard Street) on the east. There was no Interstate to truncate Downey in those days.
1887 map shows the three original blocks that were called Downey, from the Madison Road (now Ave) to Japan (now East St.) (1887 Sanborn map courtesy of Indiana University Bloomington Libraries)
For several years after Irvington’s annexation, both thoroughfares named Downey existed simultaneously. The winding north-south Downey in Irvington was called “Avenue” from its inception. The east-west Downey in Indianapolis did not have a type indicator following Downey when it was originally named, but “Street” was often added to the in-town Downey in the years after Irvington was annexed, so as to differentiate between the two.
The 1886 Indianapolis City Directory indicates first year William Jasper lived on Downey, although no address is given (scan courtesy IUPUI Digital Archives)
The address that is today 417 E. Orange Street was originally 411 E. Downey and later renumbered to 417 E. Downey. There is no 400 block of Downey Avenue in Irvington, nor was there ever one. The highest address on South Downey Avenue in Irvington is 392.
1898 Sanborn map shows former addresses of properties in parentheses (Sanborn map courtesy of IUPUI Digital Archives) CLICK TO ENLARGE
A 1914 map of the neighborhood shows the name of the street known as Orange Street today was called Downey then (Sanborn map courtesy of Indiana University Bloomington Libraries)
In 1916, Downey Street’s name was changed to Orange Street by an ordinance of the City of Indianapolis. Even though the Downey south of Downtown existed before the Downey in Irvington did, the Indianapolis Board of Public Works gave in to public pressure not to change the latter.
(Excerpt is from page 5 of the 1989 book Irvington: Three Windows on Irvington History, by Larry Muncie (scan courtesy of Indianapolis Public Library)
1920 city directory shows the residents of Orange Street after the street’s name was changed
1918 Indianapolis City Directory notes the change of name from Downey to Orange Street (courtesy IUPUI Digital Library)
The street called Downey on which earlier generations of the Jasper and Wallman families lived was not the Downey Avenue that’s in Irvington. It was the Downey Street that was renamed Orange Street in 1916. It is located a few blocks south of the Eli Lilly and Company Corporate Center in what today is known as the Bates-Hendricks Neighborhood.
Red arrow points to 417 East Orange Street, formerly called Downey Street until a 1916 city ordinance changed the name (map courtesy of Google) CLICK TO ENLARGE
All three of the homes referenced in the question still exist today, although they are now on Orange Street, rather than on Downey. They are today known as 417 E. Orange Street, 425 E. Orange Street, and 516 Orange Street. All three have been remodeled over the years. Doors have been deleted, windows replaced, decorative trim removed, and aluminum siding installed over the original clapboard.
417 East Orange Street is still standing today at the age of at least 127 years, although it’s been extensively remodeled (photo by Sharon Butsch Freeland)
425 East Orange Street has also been altered considerably from its original features, but it is still standing today, as well (photo by Sharon Butsch Freeland)
516 East Orange Street appears to have been built as a two-family residence but has been converted to a single-family home (photo by Sharon Butsch Freeland)
I have this very sanborn map printed out for my family. Gerard Herman Feltmann came to Indianapolis from Cincinnati around 1863 and eventually had a store at the southeast corner of Kennington and Downey (now Orange and Alabama). On this map you can see “shoemaker” on the house/store where they lived. Sadly my Great-great-grandfather’s building is gone. If anyone ever comes up with a photo of the area with the building still there, I’d love to see it.
Amazing! Thanks for another fascinating look into the history of our city. Great work, Sharon.
I thought the street name sounded familiar when I read this. I checked my family history and sure enough, my great grandparents lived at 317 Downey in 1900. I had been unable to find a present-day street that matched, and this solves that mystery! It is right in the heart of the old German neighborhood, so makes perfect sense and near some of the other addresses that occur for family members in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Perhaps someone could tell me where Fenneman is as I have been unable to find that street either.
Fenneman Street was named for a German family who lived in the area in the late 1800s. Brothers Herman and William Fenneman were brick manufacturers. Fenneman was a north-south street, immediately west of Madison Avenue. It ran from Palmer (about 1500) on the north to LeGrande Avenue (about 2100) on the south. It was renamed S. Delaware Street about 1916 — probably around the same time that Downey became Orange Street. If you have an address for your ancestors on Fenneman and the same or similar address for your ancestors on S. Delaware Street a few years later, the two seemingly different locations may actually have been the same house. Some blocks of S. Delaware Street were forfeited to the interstate, but it looks as if the 1700 and 1800 blocks (where George Sauer lived) block is still intact.
Thanks for this great information! We just moved onto Orange Street and these maps provide great information about our property. I will have to look into the sources to find out more!
I realize this is an old entry but just discovered this awesome website! My name is Mary Lucas. My mother and brother live in this house today and have for over 20 years.(417 Orange). She (we) would be interested in any other infomation regarding the house (who built or other pictures). It was exciting to see this house from the time of the picture above. Also I live at 1438 Kennington St. I was trying to find information regarding my house and discovered my mom’s instead. From the maps from this era it existed then and would love to see a photo or at least get the same info about my home. It is the only one on the street with an iron fence and we are 2 streets from the Bates-Hendricks House. Anything will help. Appreciate the research,information and stories about Indianapolis and its orgin. I am addicted to putting names of streets in and finding out if you have history. Keep up this great work! Thanks Mary
Anyone know where ‘corner of Hanway and Madison Avenue’ was in 1896? This was location of Indianapolis drop Forge [Forging] Company.
Street ordinance sites “Hanway’ being renamed Downey
was the company located in Irvington?
where exactly?
thanks for any help
Rita,
The Indianapolis Drop Forging Company was located at 1300 Madison Avenue, on the southwest corner of what are today Madison Avenue and Orange Street. The company was founded by Kurt Lieber. Just south of it was the Lieber Brewing Company (later called the Indianapolis Brewing Company), which was founded by Peter Lieber. Just south of the brewing company was H. Lieber’s picture frame factory, founded by Herman Lieber. It would appear from Baist and Sanborn maps that the Liebers owned all of the land between Madison Avenue on the east and the Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad tracks on the west, from Hanway aka Downey aka Orange Street on the north to Lincoln Street on the south. In answer to your question above, the Indianapolis Drop Forging Company was not located in Irvington.
Sharon
This is actually useful, thanks.