Ok, south side, you win, I give up: what IS this? A giant garage? For motorbikes? (Note the regular, person-size door). Is it Indy’s version of Vegas (no windows)? My furrowed brow and I have no idea. Anyone else?
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Hi Tiffany, I left comments on Facebook also. This is around the corner from my house. This is an example of what I think of as street car/trolley architecture from the early 20th century. Most likely this was a trolley stop and some sort of commercial building, probably a small neighborhood store. When I first moved to Indy 20 years ago I noticed this phenomenon. I am not sure if this is common in other cities but in Indy it happens quite a bit, especially in Fountain Square and the east side. David Flowers commercial/apartment building on Pleasant Run Parkway near Spades Park and the Vollrath are prime examples. Though these seem like anamolies to our modern eyes, 100 years ago these types of buildings were prime real estate.
I get that it was once commercial, and I love the idea of small neighborhood serving businesses, but the no windows, 1 small door, unappealing aesthetic is the WTH part to me.
Judging from the design, I’m betting that it was originally a corner grocery that was eventually all covered up with lap siding. Maybe there’s something really cool inside now, and the owner went to the extreme to protect it from public view! It’s like in Terre Haute, there’s this one unassuming brick building downtown with boarded up windows and no signage that secretly houses one of the most amazing antique and vintage car collections I’ve ever seen. Serious car collectors (and newspaper reporters) are the only ones who get to see it!