Fountain Square

Posted in: Sunday Ads Sunday Ad’s: Hook’s for Drugs

Business: Hook’s Drugs Date of Ad: July 29, 1906 Location: Various Locations, Originally Prospect and East (demolished) Years of Operation: 1900-1994 Notable: A drugstore that became a household name across Indiana had humble roots. Started by a...

Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: Relaxing at Fireside

Indianapolis is a ‘meat and potatoes’ type of town. That tends to happen when you’re located some 600 miles from the nearest coastline. That’s why it’s not too hard to see why many of the...

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Posted in: At Your Leisure At Your Leisure: That’s the Spirit!

It’s easy to pick out an out-of-towner at the grocery store on a Sunday. Often times he or she will walk confidently up to the cash register holding a six-pack of beer or a bottle of...

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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...

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Posted in: Then & Now Then & Now: Buddenbaum Grocery / Santorini Greek Kitchen, 1413 Prospect Street

Courtesy of the Indiana State Library Fountain Square neighborhood on the southeast side is becoming one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Indianapolis with a mix of affordable housing, a thriving commercial district, interesting cultural...

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Posted in: Then & Now Then & Now: Finch Park and the 1700 Block of Fletcher Avenue

Playing football in what became Finch Park, ca. 1915 Finch Park, originally located on S. State Avenue between Spann and Fletcher Avenues, has long served the Fountain Square neighborhood as a playground and park. Photograph...

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Posted in: Then & Now Indianapolis Then and Now: Fountain Square Police Station No. 4 / Radio Radio, 1117-1119 Prospect

As Indianapolis expanded, it was necessary for the Indianapolis Police Department to move into the neighborhoods and by 1912 four substations had been established. This one-story cottage, located at 1117 Prospect Street in Fountain Square,...

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Posted in: Then & Now Indianapolis Then and Now: 871-75 Virginia Avenue / Fountain Square Gateway

While walking on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail near Fountain Square last week, I was reminded of one of the benefits of taking a stroll: really seeing the landscape that is overlooked when whizzing by at...

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Posted in: Friday Favorites Friday Favorite: To The Beat of a Different Drum

… a Bigger and Better Drum! Tucked away among the over-tight streets of the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood near Fountain Square, the SENSE Charter school lovingly serves children in grades Kindergarten through seventh. The school inhabits an interesting building. Rough, inconveniently-placed...

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Posted in: Sunday Ads Sunday Adverts: Granada Theatre

On April 8, 1928, the Granada Theatre, owned and operated by Universal Pictures, opened in Fountain Square. In 1932, it was the first Indianapolis theater to screen a foreign language film, an Italian picture...

Posted in: Mailbag HI Mailbag: St. Catherine of Siena Church

Reader’s Question: Hi, HI. Last weekend, I bought an old postcard of an Indianapolis church. Can you please tell me if the building pictured on the postcard is still standing today, and if it is, where it is located? ...

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Posted in: WTH WTH Weds – Near Fountain Square

Been doing a little end of the year tidying within the myriad photos on my computer and found this shot I took in May 2010. No clue what it’s looking like now, but I can’t...

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Posted in: Vintage Flats Flats Saved: Virginia Avenue

Renna, 1912, Bass Photo Co., courtesy Indiana Landmarks What’s your favorite bar or shop on Virginia Avenue? Chances are it’s a two-story building that used to contain flats or rooms for rent on the second...

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Posted in: Sunday Prayers Sunday Prayers: 931 Elm St.

It’s a quaint neighborhood, one of green grass and fenced yards. One where neighbors wave and wish each other a hearty “Good morning.” One with trees, with color, with renovations (and even a couple new...

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Posted in: Sunday Prayers Sunday Prayers: A Community on Cottage

These doubles are located at 1726 Cottage Ave. and have been vacant for some time. The development, constructed circa 1922, was once a mildly upscale area for newly married couples to start their lives. (photo...

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Posted in: Sunday Prayers Sunday Prayers: 1415 Olive St.

(photo by Dawn Olsen) Charm. It’s one thing this gambrel-roofed property still has, despite the plywood that protects the front windows. Though the word “foreclosure” has been associated with this home recently, its outer appearance...

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Posted in: Then & Now Indianapolis Then and Now: Fountain Square at Prospect and Virginia

1927 – Courtesy of the IUPUI University Library, Indianapolis Power and Light Collection loaned by Deedee Davis The Fountain Block Building at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Prospect and Shelby Streets in Fountain Square...

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Posted in: Vintage Flats Flats Saved: The Woessner

Corner facade, 2013, (c) photo by Kurt Lee Nettleton The Woessner Building, located at 902-910 Virginia Avenue and 843-849½ Grove Street, was built in 1915. The building is named after Jacob Woessner, a prominent Southside...

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Posted in: Vintage Flats Flats Saved: the L’Avon

What’s your favorite flatiron building downtown? This apartment building is a potential contender–one of the oldest apartment buildings in Indianapolis. Six years after the Blacherne was constructed, the L’Avon was built in 1901 at 615...

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Posted in: Family Tree Family Tree: Irish in Indianapolis

Poster recruiting workers for the Central Canal, via the Indiana Historical Society As a few HI readers pointed out last week, it’s hard to talk about early Indianapolis immigrants without mentioning the Irish. So today...

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