If you missed last night’s post, a.k.a. the first 5 of the top 10 reasons to live within King Park Area, check out the previous post. And probably should have mentioned that these 10 are in no particular order.
And the final five follow:
Above, The Gramse, 22nd and Broadway, Fall Creek Place
6. Widest variety of housing stock in the city! From grand mansions of the city’s wealthy pioneers to manageable rehabbed condos or apartments of just about any dimension you could dream up, the KPADC area has some of all of it. For example, condos in The Gramse, which incorporates a number of energy saving and green features, has pricing starting at less than $70,000. Myriad historic and other apartment buildings pepper the landscape through the area and more recently, live-work spaces have proven very successful (see Goose & Salon Orange Moon). There are many opportunities for every genre of dweller!
Below, the Samuel Merrill Mansion, 1500 block of Broadway, Old Northside
7. Parks- There are a number of wonderful parks within KPADC—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park even has an outdoor swimming pool; the Frank and Judy O’Bannon Old Northside Soccer Park encompasses 17 acres and borders the Monon Trail on the eastern edge of Old Northside—there are 5 soccer fields and basketball courts. Throughout individual neighborhoods within KPADC there are many other smaller parks—some for quiet reflection, others geared towards children and families; certainly there is something for all types of visitors.
Above, it’s part of an historic area and it’s a park, this one, created by the Herron-Morton Place Foundation.
8. Accessibility and Ease of Travel—since the south end of the area is essentially where I-70 and I-65 converge, and considering what a straight shot it is, utilizing so many of the main thoroughfares of the city’s grid to head north to Fall Creek and/ or other parts north, navigating this part of town is very convenient. It’s also an easy walk south to downtown. From the southern border of KPADC, you can easily walk to the circle in 15 minutes. People in NYC would kill to be in such easy walking distance of all the amenities of the heart of the city.
Below, a string of live-work spaces that includes Goose the Market
Above, also at 25th & Delaware in the live-work spaces, Salon Orange Moon anchors this corner.
9. Unique and thriving businesses—In Goose the Market, we have a nationally known rock- star purveyor of high qualiity food, garnering attention from the likes of Bon Apetit magazine (one of the top 10 sandwiches in the country). Every neighborhood in the country would be proud to have a creative, passion driven food boutique such as this among them. Wines, cheeses, rare meats, other produce to go or small batch gelatos and array of world-class sandwiches (to go or to stay) are all on offer here. Get there early on the beautiful days, outdoor seating fills up fast! Tea’s Me carries the widest variety of teas you will find in the city. Salon Orange Moon has become one of the most beloved salons downtown—the hand and scalp massage each client receives is an old-fashioned, quality touch you don’t normally see in such modern surroundings.
Above, Tea’s Me– at 22nd and Talbott–has the largest selection of teas you’ll find in the city!
Above, Indiana Landmarks Center, at 12th & Central
Above, two community theater groups operate out of the two theaters at 19th & Alabama Streets. The Civic Theater started life here.
10. Culture- Digging deeper into the aforementioned highlights, such as history and museums, brings to mind a couple other wow destinations you will find in any decent tour book of Indianapolis: The Propylaeum, one of the oldest women’s clcubs in the city serves lunch daily to both women and men. The other major recent addition, Indiana Landmarks Center, is the state headquarters for the second largest preservation organization in the country. And did you know the Civic Theatre started here also? It may have moved on to Carmel, but Footlite Musicals and Epilogue Players put stage a full season of community theater productions every year. First Fridays at the Harrison Center may be one of my faves, but there are other ‘cultural’ event/ offerings within the KPADC boundaries sprinkled throughout the year. Collectively, thousands visit the annual Talbot Street Art Fair, Wicket World of Croquet (and other events) at the Harrison Home, INDIEana Handicraft Exchange, neighborhood progressive dinners, Best Bite of King Park and myriad other events. This is fertile ground for bringing other events to fruition—it may just be waiting for your time and talents.
Below, The Propylaeum on Delaware Street
It’s an exciting time to live in an area brimming with so much activity and forward motion. If any of this piques your curiosity or if you are interested in becoming part of any of the greater downtown communities, stop by or call City Gallery. They can direct you to resources that will improve your journey.
Apologies in advance for not cataloging every positive thing in this area. If you have a favorite I missed, do tell! Hope to see you somewhere in KPADC sometime soon!
