Broad
Ripple is located on the northeast side of Indianapolis and bounded by
the White River, Keystone Avenue, Kessler Boulevard, and Meridian
Street. Since its founding as a village in the early 19th century,
canals and railroads, streetcars and interurbans, and finally the
automobile have influenced the development of the community. Each
form of transportation contributed unique elements to the emergence of
this settlement, both as a separate village and later as part of the
modern city of Indianapolis, thereby providing an interesting study in
how transportation can shape and influence community development over
time.
The
history of this small community along the White River conceivably can be
traced to 1816, when Indiana achieved statehood. Delegates to the
first constitutional convention had included a section within the
constitution that the permanent capital should be located in the central
part of the state. In June 1820 ten commissioners appointed by the
Indiana General Assembly assembled at the cabin of
fur-trader/landowner/entrepreneur William Conner in present-day Hamilton
County and traveled into the area where Fall Creek meets the White
River, seven miles southwest of present day Broad Ripple.
Commissioner John Tipton reported that after the commissioners had
signed their recommendations on June 7, 1820, to locate the capital at
the confluence of these two waterways, they witnessed several families
traveling upriver on flatboats loaded with their household goods.
With the site of the new capital finally located, the federal government
began selling land in what became Marion County. Among the first
buyers in the northern regions of the county were Jacob McKay and John
Calip, who acquired 147 acres and began farming their land in what would
become the Broad Ripple area.
[1]
The
state commissioners selected the new site for the state capital because
of the White River and the great potential for connecting central
Indiana to outside markets. The White River, which meandered
through the county, was shallow in spots. One such location was
near the land acquired by McKay and Calip. Here, the land was very
wide and broad and the river, when low, "rippled" over the stones in the
riverbed. Because it was easy to determine the water’s depth at
this point, the ripples became a popular river
crossing.
To
promote the economic development of Indiana, the General Assembly
embarked upon a massive program of internal improvements in the
1830s. In 1836 it passed the "Mammoth Internal Improvements Act,"
which proposed a statewide network of improved roads, canals, and
cleared rivers. One component of the plan, the Central Canal,
would link the state’s central region to the Wabash River, running north
and west of the capital, and ultimately to the canals in Ohio which
would provide links to points further east. The segment of the
canal located within Marion County was to begin at the ripple in the
river and continue south to the center of Indianapolis and beyond.
John Burke, involved in the earlier construction of the Wabash and Erie
Canal in the north central part of the state, surveyed the area for the
canal and began construction of the feeder dam on White River, just
north of where the canal and river intersect. Burke hired many
Irish immigrants to work on the canal and they resided nearby.
[2]
With
construction work begun on the Central Canal, the potential for growth
appeared promising. In 1836 Jacob Coil moved his family from
Virginia, purchased land from the McKays and Calips, and established a
ford at the "ripples." At the same time, John Wray built a home,
grocery, and saloon near the location of the dam; Robert Earl opened a
general store. On April 20, 1837, Jacob Coil laid out
forty-eight lots north of the canal route and called his new community
"Broad Ripple." Four weeks later, on May 17, James A. and Adam R.
Nelson platted a 32 lot-community on the south side of the canal
and named their town Wellington. Thus began an intense rivalry
between the two canal settlements.
[3]
On
June 27, 1839 local residents celebrated the opening of the canal, but
their revelry was short-lived. The State of Indiana went bankrupt
due to excessive expenses associated with the many internal improvement
projects and bad investments by the state. This halted all
construction on the canal, leaving slightly more than eight miles of the
canal completed between the villages of Broad Ripple and Wellington and
the capital city of Indianapolis to the south. Although this
effectively ended any hopes for a canal connector for central Indiana,
the existing section of the canal linked the northern part of the county
with the capital. In July 1839 Robert Earl advertised canal boat
service between Indianapolis and Broad Ripple.
[4]
Even
though construction had ceased, many residents of the area saw the
intersection of the canal and river as a prime location for commercial
interests and a focal point for a developing community. By this
time, Marion County had been divided into townships with Washington
Township organized in 1822. Given their location at the center of
the township, both Broad Ripple and Wellington seemed poised for
expansion. Within a few short years, the area blossomed.
John Burke, who had worked on the canal, opened a saw mill in
1843. Two years later Peter Koontz joined Burke and built a grist
mill. That same year a graded township school opened. In
1850 the U.S. Post Office Department established the Broad Ripple post
office with William Earl as its first postmaster. Over the next
thirty years the post office shifted between the two communities.
Finally, in 1884, the U.S. Post Office Department located the office in
Wellington but retained the name Broad Ripple. As a result of this
action, the two rival communities merged and incorporated as Broad
Ripple with some 150 residents.
[5]
In
the years prior to the merger and incorporation, the two communities
attracted a variety of professionals, merchants, businesses,
institutions, and organizations, all of which contributed to the
residential development of northern Marion County. The area’s
first physician, Dr. Harry Kerr, maintained an office from 1850 to
1880. Washington Township constructed a grade school in 1854 near
the present-day corner of Broad Ripple and Evanston Avenues in
1854. Local farmers organized a chapter of the Grange in 1873,
while the International Order of Odd Fellows opened Broad Ripple Lodge
No. 548 in 1877.
[6]
Religious
activities were present during the formative years of Broad Ripple and
Wellington, but permanent church buildings were not evident until at
least mid-century. Local histories report that the Reverend James
Haven, a Methodist, held a camp meeting in Broad Ripple in 1836 and that
several canal workers tried to disrupt that first meeting. It was
clear in the ensuing years of community development, however, that there
were insufficient numbers of any one faith to support a single
denominational church building. In 1851 local residents gathered
subscriptions to build the Union Church in Wellington (located on the
present site of a fire station at 6330 Guilford). Jacob Coil, son of
Broad Ripple’s founder, donated the land for the building. Canal
supervisor and local businessman John Burke joined Coil as the church’s
first trustees and Henry Coe, a Presbyterian, served as the church’s
first minister. Over the years, local Methodists, Presbyterians,
and Baptists used the church facility. Madison Hume was an early
preacher for the Baptists. The Reverend Frank Hardin served the
newly established Methodist class in 1852, which became known as the
Broad Ripple Methodist Episcopal Church.
[8]
Washington Presbyterian
Church organized in 1838, north of White River and present-day Malott
Park. Over the years, other churches representing the predominant
denominations of the day established congregations elsewhere in
Washington Township, though none located near Broad Ripple and
Wellington.
[9]
While
the structures of viable communities were clearly evident in both Broad
Ripple and Wellington during their first decades of existence, the
communities’ developers did not experience immediate success from
their investments. In 1851, after only a few years in operation,
the local sawmill was abandoned and torn down. Local historian
Berry Sulgrove, writing in his 1884 history of Indianapolis, noted by
that time that portions of the original village of Wellington had
reverted to farmland. Several floods over the years destroyed
local businesses and made it difficult to maintain business in the
area. An 1847 flood destroyed Burke’s mill; one in 1875 destroyed
the grist mill (one of the oldest standing houses) and a store.
Following the failure of its canal projects, the state in 1851 sold the
Central Canal to a private company. Over the ensuing years, the
canal changed hands several times. In 1867, however, the
forerunner of the Indianapolis Water Company purchased the canal as a
source of water for the rapidly growing city of Indianapolis.
[10]
Although
railroads had first appeared in Indianapolis in 1847, it was not until
1883 that the Indianapolis, Delphi, and Chicago Railroad established a
line extending through Broad Ripple. With its arrival and eventual
connection to Union Station in 1887, the railroad brought new business
to the Broad Ripple area. A hotel and several new stores soon
opened. In 1887 Kingan Meat Packers, an Ireland-based meat-packing
firm with a plant in Indianapolis since 1862, built several ice houses
along the river. Local residents harvested the ice from White
River and stored it in the large wooden structures. During the
summer months, the company transported the ice by rail to its main
packing plant on the southwest edge of Indianapolis’s
downtown.
Following
the arrival of the railroad in Broad Ripple and on the heels of a
statewide natural gas boom, local businessmen began drilling gas wells
in the Broad Ripple area in 1896. Among them was local physician
Dr. Robert C. Light, who formed the Broad Ripple Gas Company.
These developers soon met with success and designated their find as the
Broad Ripple Oil Field. Production from the local wells topped out
in 1898 with 102,987 barrels. Two years later production had
dropped to 36,194 barrels. By 1906 most investors had abandoned
their wells.
During
the heightened business activities of the 1880s and 1890s, the social
and institutional life of the community also expanded. Following
its incorporation in 1884 [This seems wrong. No reference is given here and I found that BR was incorporated in June 1894, per the Commissioners Records at the State Archives. -AH], Broad Ripple opened its own two-story brick
school on the south bank of White River. The school offered all
grades, including an advanced program of study. Two years later
Broad Ripple High School opened and quickly became a focal point for the
community; the Indiana Department of Education commissioned the school
in 1895.
[11]
Two new churches
opened - the Pentecost Church (1898) and the Christian Church
(1899). Robert Light helped to organize the Broad Ripple Band in
1900.
[12]
In
the midst of the community’s growing prosperity, Broad Ripple
encountered several disasters which disrupted business and residential
life. The train bridge over White River collapsed in 1884, killing
several people. That same year, the White River broke through
levees constructed after the 1875 flood, leaving the town under water
for several days. Another flood swept through town in 1903.
The Broad Ripple Hotel burned in 1889, and a gas explosion destroyed
several businesses in 1891. Broad Ripple High School, the pride of
the community, burned in 1896. During construction of the new
school, classes were held in local community buildings; the new school
opened in 1897. Kingan’s ice houses burned and were rebuilt in
1902; the company abandoned the facilities in 1917.
[13]
Broad
Ripple gradually developed as a recreation spot, attracting residents of
the surrounding area. As early as the 1860s the Jonas Huffman
farm, established in 1822 on 60 acres of land on the east side of White
River and owned by Huffman’s son James and partner Charles Dawson,
attracted picnickers to the riverbank. With the arrival of the
railroad in Broad Ripple in 1883 and its connection to downtown
Indianapolis in 1887, people had access to the Broad Ripple
community. The transportation boom did not occur, however, until
Dr. Light and William Bosson organized the Indianapolis and Broad Ripple
Transit Company, which replaced the mule-drawn cars with electrified
streetcars in 1894. Ten-cent fares attracted large numbers of
people to the banks of White River, where a park had been established
since 1890. The streetcar company, renamed the Broad Ripple
Traction Company in 1897, continued to provide regular service to Broad
Ripple, drawing more people from the city to this community along the
river.
In
the early 1900s, Indianapolis residents, aided by the availability of
the streetcar lines, began coming to the Broad Ripple area as a summer
retreat from the city. The Indianapolis Star in July 1911
described the many residents who had built summer homes - ranging from
rustic cottages to comfortable homes with electricity and indoor
plumbing - and the numerous recreational activities of summer visitors
along the banks of White River. By this time, some families had
become year-round residents and used the streetcars or their own
automobiles to commute to downtown Indianapolis workplaces.
Besides
the summer cottages, Broad Ripple supported many recreational
opportunities, which attracted day visitors. Boat clubs and
steamships offered opportunities to enjoy the river. The small
steamship "Sunshine" arrived in Broad Ripple and plied its way along
White River in 1897. Other small ships offered music, dancing, and
one-day trips on the river. Some encountered serious problems
navigating the river, running aground in shallow spots, being damaged by
ice, or - as in one peculiar case - sinking because the passengers all ran
to one side of the boat to view a pretty girl.
The
high point of Broad Ripple’s recreational development, however, was the
opening of White City Amusement Park on May 26.1906. The park
occupied land previously owned by the Huffman and subsequently
Dawson families. It had served as a popular picnic spot, until building
contractors Morton and Stanton bought the land and constructed the
amusement park. In 1907 W. H. Tabb and Robert C. Light formed the
White City Company of Indianapolis and obtained a nine-year operating
lease for the facility. The park offered a variety of mechanical
rides and amusements which rivaled those in New York’s Coney Island or
Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition (from which Broad Ripple’s amusement
park took its name "White City"). White City provided not only a
destination for visitors but also a source of employment for local
residents. The streetcars and inter-urbans ran regular schedules
between Broad Ripple and Indianapolis, primarily along College
Avenue. The turn-around for the College line, completed in 1894,
was located at the park’s front gate, which contributed to the growth
and popularity of the site. Over the next two years, the park’s
operators introduced new rides and attractions, completed a
concrete-lined bathing beach along the river, and constructed a
four-acre swimming pool, touted as "the largest affair of the kind in
the country." On June 26, 1908, the day before the pool was
scheduled to open, White City Amusement Park burned to the ground.
Owners estimated losses at $160,000, none of which was covered by
insurance.
Three
years after the fire the Union Traction Company, parent of the Broad
Ripple Traction Company, acquired the park and worked to reintroduce
rides and expand recreational activities. The company, which
operated the park for 11 years, erected a new boathouse and
10,000-square foot dance hall to complement the popular swimming
pool. The pool was the site of the National Swimming Event in 1922
and the Olympic tryouts in 1924, at which event Johnny Weissmuller, the
future Hollywood Tarzan, won the 100-meter freestyle
qualification. The pool hosted Olympic tryouts again in
1952.
In
May 1922 organizers of the newly formed Broad Ripple Amusement Park
Association filed a petition for articles of incorporation, proposing to
purchase the park from the traction company for an estimated
$200,000. The new corporation’s board of directors included James
H. Makin, operator of the Ma-Lo Chicken Dinner House at 49th and
Keystone, Denny Sullivan, Leo T. Hurley, George Christena, and Roy
Byers. These investors planned several new improvements to the
park, including athletic fields, bath houses, and a roller
coaster. In 1927 the group sold the park to Terre Haute brewery
executive Oscar Baur, who began an extensive modernization of the
park. After several successful seasons in the hands of private
operators, the Board of Park Commissioners for the city of Indianapolis
announced the purchase of the 60-acre park and their plans to dismantle
the amusement rides and develop the site as a city park amidst the
rapidly developing residential neighborhood.
[14]
The only remnant of the
old amusement park is the German-made carrousel, originally installed
around 1917 and now housed in the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
The
attractions in the area, the availability of transportation, and the
pleasant surroundings created interest in Broad Ripple as a residential
area. Real estate developers saw great potential for building
homes. Based on the dates of platted subdivisions, the first
occurred in 1886. By 1900 eight subdivisions had been
platted. During the 1910s ten additional subdivisions were platted
in the area, the largest being Warfleigh, located north of the canal
between Meridian Street and College Avenue. Residential
development peaked during the 1920s with thirteen new subdivisions. By
the 1940s, the area had become fully developed and was considered a
prime residential location in Indianapolis.
[15]
At
the turn of the century, residents of Broad Ripple began to explore the
possibility of becoming part of the city of Indianapolis. The
process of annexation brought forward issues of city services and, more
importantly, the economic impact of such a change. Between 1905
and 1922 local residents and then the city attempted to annex the Broad
Ripple area. After an annexation attempt in 1905 the town of Broad
Ripple found itself in financial trouble in January 1906, facing a loss
of $750 from the closing of five saloons by a Washington Township
remonstrance. If the residents were going to have to raise taxes
to pay the debt, they concluded that they might just as well pay city
taxes and receive city services. Three hundred Broad Ripple
residents signed a petition requesting annexation. Since the city
recently had extended its borders to 50th Street, many residents
considered it impossible to convince the city to extend the boundaries
further north.
[16]
A
side issue to the annexation process and possibly the underlying reason
for annexation was streetcar fares. The city regulated carfares
and limited them to five cents within city boundaries; the ride to Broad
Ripple on a Union Traction Company car cost ten cents. At a March
1906 hearing, the Traction Company expressed its opposition to
annexation, citing the fact that if they charged only five cents, and
three cents went to the Indianapolis Traction & Terminal Company,
Union Traction would go broke. At the same hearing, Robert Light
and William Bosson, owners of the Broad Ripple Bathing Beach Company,
spoke out in favor of annexation, claiming that it would be a greater
benefit to the residents of Indianapolis than for the residents of Broad
Ripple since the move would produce cheaper transportation to the
park. The city council approved the measure, but the mayor
subsequently vetoed it. The day before the vote to override the
mayor’s veto, charges of bribery by Councilman Sam Wood surfaced.
Newspapers reported that while Wood had encouraged Broad Ripple
residents to seek annexation, he had also approached a representative of
the Riverside Bathing Beach Company, a competitor, and requested bribes
for himself and other councilmen. While all denied the bribery
charges, the vote failed and Broad Ripple remained on its own.
[17]
Although
the 1906 annexation effort failed, Broad Ripple residents renewed their
annexation request in 1908. Editorials in the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News opposed the
effort. In one letter to the editor dated October 6, 1909,
Fletcher Johnson, a Broad Ripple businessman, made a case for
annexation, citing Broad Ripple’s assessed value of $1.7 million, which
would be a sizable tax base for Indianapolis. He again referred to
streetcar fares and argued that annexation would indeed assist the
residents of Indianapolis. The city council again voted for
annexation, and Mayor Bookwalter vetoed the annexation bill, which the
council failed to override. Among the reasons that Bookwalter cited for
his veto was that Broad Ripple would not contribute to the tax revenues
until 1911 and that city services such as ash and garbage collection to
outlying areas such as Broad Ripple would be too expensive.
Annexation attempts failed again in 1910. Opposition to annexation
included three groups - banks, large businesses, and those residents
living between Broad Ripple and Indianapolis, outside the official
borders of either community.
[18]
By
1914 the issue of annexation re-emerged. Car fares were not the
central issue in this attempt since the fare had dropped to five cents
each way when the town of Broad Ripple dropped a concession tax in
1911. The Union Traction Company took over the bathing beach and
promised park improvements, which certainly promised increased
revenues. But Broad Ripple found itself with a $2,775 debt and
only $1,239.53 in its coffers. Annexation, they believed, would
solve their financial problems, but again Broad Ripple residents faced
significant opposition. A local group, the Broad Ripple Commercial
Club, identified the principal opposition to annexing Broad Ripple
coming from the streetcar company that owned Fairview Park, the
Indianapolis Water Company, and real estate interests. The
Commercial Club charged that a petition opposing annexation, signed by
300 residents, had been circulated by Indiana Traction and Terminal
company employees. The council approved annexation and the mayor
agreed, but a remonstrance was subsequently filed in court with
seventy-seven signatures, six representing public service
corporations. In April 1915 the court overturned the annexation
measure, and Broad Ripple remained a separate town.
[19]
Amid
this political turmoil, development continued to expand throughout the
Broad Ripple area. In 1922 the city of Indianapolis began to
explore new annexation efforts again. The city viewed Broad
Ripple’s $3 million of taxable assessment as a major source of
income. Many city infrastructure projects had begun and were
required to go through the Broad Ripple area. But this time Broad
Ripple residents decided they were not interested in annexation.
They were already paying four cents more in their tax rate, and Broad
Ripple had begun an improvement project of their own, building seven
miles of sidewalks. Furthermore, Broad Ripple’s bonds were better
rated than those of Indianapolis. This time, however, Indianapolis
won and on June 20, 1922, Indianapolis officially annexed the town of
Broad Ripple. Local residents attempted a remonstrance but failed
in gathering enough signatures. The years of disagreement were
finally over.
[20]
Though
Broad Ripple now had become a part of Indianapolis, many residents
continued efforts to maintain a distinct identity for the northside
community. Local businessmen organized the Broad Ripple Chamber of
Commerce in 1922 and businesses began to open. The short-lived Ripple Booster newspaper and the
still-published North Side
Topics first appeared in this period. Likewise, Indianapolis
papers began to recognize the distinctiveness of Broad Ripple and
reported on its continued economic and residential
developments.
Between
the years 1922 and 1959 Broad Ripple came into its own as a
community. The arrival of Indianapolis city services such as
police and fire (the first fire station was completed in 1922)
encouraged residential development. The commercial areas and the
residential districts also witnessed growth. Broad Ripple’s
schools became part of the Indianapolis Public Schools system in
1923. Six years later, the system built a new grade school, School
#80, at 62nd Street and Guilford Avenue. A storefront branch of
the Indianapolis Public Library opened in 1930, which, because of
continued community growth, was replaced in 1949 with the first public
library branch to be constructed in the county since 1914. The
Vogue Theater opened as a first-run movie house in June 1938. A
new post office opened in 1940. Stores located in downtown
Indianapolis began establishing branches in Broad Ripple; the William H.
Block Company opened a store in 1954, and clothing retailer L. Strauss
followed in 1956. Kroger’s and Standard grocery stores also
opened. City directories of the period showed 100 businesses
present in 1930 and 252 in 1951.
[21]
During
these years of commercial and residential development on the north
side of Indianapolis, a major shift in the mode of transportation also
occurred. The automobile quickly replaced the streetcar, and to a
lesser extent the railroad, as the primary means of transportation.
Electric streetcars ended service in 1953 and were replaced by city
buses. By 1955 the Monon Railroad station had been was converted
into a store. The basic problem: cars and streetcars could not
share the same roadways. Over several months in 1952 the North Side Topics featured
photographs of encounters between autos and streetcars, congestion
attributed to the streetcars, and the poor roadbed conditions caused by
streetcar rails. While there was a brief mention of the last
streetcar, there was no outcry against the discontinuation of
service. But the growth of the commercial district and the
introduction of automobiles created parking problems for the
community. In 1957 the city of Indianapolis installed parking
meters and traffic lights and, to further relieve the problem,
constructed a parking deck over the Broad Ripple canal in 1961.
[22]
A
combination of parking problems and the opening of Glendale Shopping
Center at the southeast corner of 62nd Street and Keystone Avenue in
1958 led to a decline in business in Broad Ripple. The chain
stores, which had opened branches along the streets of Broad Ripple soon
relocated to the new mall where parking was abundant. By 1965 the
parking deck was reported to be empty during the day and those who did
park there often drove around the gate to avoid paying the twenty-five
cent parking fee. The absence of parking also led to the
encroachment of businesses into adjacent residential areas. Soon,
homes were being converted into small businesses. In the years
between 1960 and 1984, sixty-seven variances were granted to businesses,
with half involving changes from residential uses to commercial
uses. During the 1960s, the Vogue had begun to offer second-run
movies and by the end of the decade was running pornographic
films.
[23]
Contributing
to the changing community was the integration of Broad Ripple High
School. What had been an all-white school in the Indianapolis
Public Schools (IPS) system began to be integrated in 1965 when
Shortridge High School transferred students who failed academic entrance
tests to Broad Ripple High School. Although IPS abandoned the
Shortridge testing program in 1967, this action resulted in the complete
integration of Broad Ripple by that year. Four years later, the
high school had its first African-American principal, William
Jones. In October of 1971, 183 white students staged a "walk-out"
to protest perceptions of unfair treatment. Over the next several
years, confrontations continued to be a frequent occurrence at the
school. By 1985 the African-American student population had grown
to 65 percent of the student body. According to 1970 census
tracts, African-Americans comprised only 167 of 11,536 Broad Ripple
residents (or 1.4 percent). A 1980 census study, with more
restrictive borders, reported only 40 African-Americans within a total
population of 4,763 (or 0.8 percent). As the proportion of
African-American students in Broad Ripple High School grew and as
conditions within IPS gradually deteriorated, an increasing portion of
Broad Ripple residents (45 percent in 1985) had chosen to send their
children to private and parochial schools. What had once been a
neighborhood school now reflected the diverse population of the
expanding urban community.
[24]
The
combination of business decline and changing residential areas led to a
period when many believed Broad Ripple would disappear as a distinct
community within Indianapolis. As early as 1962, the Indianapolis Times observed that
Broad Ripple was in a situation similar to the period of the canal
failure in the 1830s and may not survive. During the late 1960s
and early 1970s, there were various attempts to improve the business
community and attract local residents. Local businessmen and
residents formed the Broad Ripple Village Association in 1969 to improve
the neighborhood. Special events, which had been sponsored by
local businessmen in 1940s and 1950s were re-introduced. The Broad
Ripple Art Fair began in 1971 and continues (under the auspices of the
Indianapolis Art Center since 1986) to attract thousands to the grounds
of the Art Center on White River every spring.
[25]
Since
the 1970s, the community has experienced what is commonly referred to as
the "Broad Ripple Revival." During this period, low commercial
rent stimulated the opening of small specialty stores and nightclubs,
giving Broad Ripple an atmosphere distinct from any other part of
Indianapolis. Teenagers and young adults began to frequent the
night spots. The Vogue, which re-opened in 1980 as a night
club highlighting both local and national artists, spurred additional
commercial development. IPS School #80, located in the heart of
Broad Ripple, closed its doors in 1980 but reopened in 1984 as
condominiums. Broad Ripple Park also underwent extensive
renovation in the mid 1980s with a new swimming pool and playground
equipment; a new branch library opened in 1986, as did a branch
office of the Indianapolis Police Department. To celebrate its
sesquicentennial in 1987, the community sponsored a parade and three-day
festival. More recently, Broad Ripple residents participated in
the opening of the new Monon Trail, a "rail-to-trail" project along the
old Monon Railroad line, originating at the canal and Broad Ripple
Avenue and extending north to 86th Street in Nora.
[26]
Witnessing
the expansion of an entertainment-based commercial center south of the
canal, which, compounded the age-old problem of parking and the absence
of an overall plan, the city of Indianapolis undertook the development
of a master plan for Broad Ripple in 1985. Rezoning and tighter
controls for parking became the principal focus of the master
plan. When it was released, however, local businesses were not
happy with the proposed changes. The continued development of
nightclubs and restaurants on the south side of the canal and the types
of customers that they attracted often conflicted with the specialty
shops found north of the canal. As one way of dealing with the
prevalence of teenagers "hanging out" in the village, Indianapolis
adopted an ordinance in 1995 that banned skateboarding in Broad
Ripple.
The
residential areas of Broad Ripple also witnessed a renaissance during
the 1970s and 1980s. Most houses in the area consisted of small,
attractive bungalows. The average cost of housing in 1970 was
about $20,000; by 1985 it had increased to $44,000. Although Broad
Ripple saw a 19.6 percent decline in population between 1960-1970 and
17.2 percent during the 1970s, the number of occupied housing units did
not decrease. Singles, adult couples without children,
and senior citizens dominated the population of Broad Ripple.
In a study conducted for the 1985 development plan, Broad Ripple’s
population was clearly older, more educated, and more financially secure
than surrounding neighborhoods.
[27]
Broad
Ripple’s 160 years of history have been influenced by the evolution of
transportation"from water to rail, from streetcar to the
automobile. Over the years, Broad Ripple has demonstrated the
ability to adapt as primarily external forces shaped the residential and
commercial character of the community. Because Broad Ripple
persevered during the early years of the 20th century, it acquired a
unique identity as a "community within a community." During the
1960s, it appeared that Broad Ripple might go the way of many small
towns and be swallowed by an urban entity.
But Broad Ripple in recent years
has been able to draw and build upon its uniqueness, setting itself
apart as a unique community within an ever-expanding metropolitan area.
As such, Broad Ripple continues to be a residential area attractive to
young families and a community with a vibrant nightlife, drawing
thousands to its streets and businesses.
[1]
Broad Ripple Village Plan,
(Indianapolis: Metropolitan Development Division of Planning
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, 1986), 3. For purposes of
this study Broad Ripple is defined as that which is bordered by Meridian
Street to the west, Keystone Avenue to the east, 56th Street/ Kessler
Boulevard on the south, and White River on the
north.
[2]
Paul Fatout, Indiana Canals, (West
Lafayette: Purdue University Studies, 1972),
76-92.
[3]
A History of Broad Ripple:
From Rough River Town to City Suburb, (Indianapolis: Junior
Historical Society and Riparian Newspaper, Broad Ripple High School,
1968), 7.
[4]
History of Broad Ripple,
9-10; Indiana Journal,
3 August 1839.
[5]
History of Broad Ripple, 12-13;
Berry Sulgrove, History of Indianapolis and Marion County (Philadelphia: L.H. Evert and
Company, 1884), 624.
[6]
History of Broad Ripple, 14, 18.
[8]
History of Broad Ripple17; Sulgrove, 645-648.,
[9]
Sulgrove, 637
[10]
ibid. Broad Ripple Village
Sesquicentennial 1836-1987 Walking Tour and Chronology,
(Indianapolis: Broad Ripple Village Association,
[11]
1987).
Broad Ripple High School: A
Centennial History, 1886-1986, (Indianapolis: Center for Humanities, Broad Ripple High School, 1987), 11.
[12]
History of Broad Ripple, 17, 21,
26; Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources. Indiana Department of Geology and
Natural Resources ... Annual Report, 22nd - 178-184, 25th - 510, 31st - 519.
[13]
BRHS: A Centennial
History, 11; History of Broad Ripple, 29.
History of Broad Ripple,
24-25; "Local Summer Colony Dares Heat to Do Its Worst," Indianapolis Star, 9 July 1911, 27.
[14]
"Contract is Let for Pool,"
Indianapolis Star, 19 May 1907,
18; "Broad Ripple Parks Tops in Heyday," Indianapolis Star Sesquicentennial
Edition, 7 November 1971, Sec. C., 6; History of Broad Ripple, 31-34;
"Commissioners Vote to Purchase Broad Ripple Park for $131,500," Indianapolis Star, 18 May 1945.
[15]
Broad Ripple Village Plan, 4b.
[16]
"Broad Ripple Seeks Annexation to City," Indianapolis News, 20 January 1906, 1.
[17]
"Car Fares Main Issue in Annexation Question," Indianapolis News, 22
March 1906, 16; "Says Councilman Wood Knows the Man Well,"
Indianapolis News, 19 October
1906, 1. "Says Wood Talked of Purchasable Votes," Indianapolis News, 18 October
1906, 1.
[18]
"Vetoes Broad Ripple
Annexation Ordinance," Indianapolis News, 13 October 1909, 1.
[19]
"Broad Ripple Citizens Asking
for Annexation," Indianapolis
News, 19 August 1914, 5; "Council Extends North Border," Indianapolis Star, 20 October
1914, 3; "Decides Against Annexation," Indianapolis News, 16 April 1915, 6.
[20]
"Broad Ripple is Now Part of
Indianapolis," Indianapolis News , 4 October 1922, 1.
[21]
Broad Ripple Project Files,
Dr. Susan Sutton, IUPUI Anthropology Department, 1988 & 1991.
[22]
Broad Ripple Village Plan,
55; "Hail Bus, Farewell Streetcar," North Side Topics, 8 January 1953, 1.
[23]
"What's In Vogue," At Broad Ripple.
(Indianapolis: Center for Humanities, Broad Ripple High
School: 1983); "City May Close Little Used Deck Over
Canal," North Side Topics, 23 September 1965, 1; James Rourke "Broad
Ripple: 125 Years Old and Still in Crisis," Indianapolis Times, 7 January
1962, 6; Stephen DeGoosh, Commercial Gentrification: An
Exploratory Case Study of Broad Ripple, Indiana (Terre Haute:
Indiana State University, Ph.D. diss., 1990, 84.
[24]
Census Figures, Broad Ripple
Project Files; Eric Parker "The Integration of Broad Ripple High
School," Broad Ripple Project Files, 1988; Broad Ripple Village Plan, Appendix A.
[25]
Walking Tour; R. Joseph
Geladarn, "City Officials Firm Up Plans for Hiking Trail, Linear
Park," Indianapolis Star, 27 May 1994, sec. C., 8.
[26]
Walking Tour; R. Joseph
Geladarn, "City Officials Firm Up Plans for Hiking Trail, Linear
Park," Indianapolis Star, 27 May 1994, sec. C., 8.
[27]
Broad Ripple Village Plan, 57,
Appendix A; Census Figures, Broad Ripple Project
Files. |