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Timeline

Timeline of Broad Ripple History

1822 - Jesse McKay and John Colip purchase the land that will become Broad Ripple (Sept) (4)
1836 - Jacob Coil of Virginia buys the land from McKay and Colip
1836 - work begins on the Central Canal and the dam on the White River to create flow for canal
1837 - White River Dam completed (48)
1837 - Coil plats Broad Ripple (April 20) (5)
1837 - Nelson plats Wellington south of the canal
1837 - Coil dies (Dec 8)
1847 - Canal opens
1843 - Washington Township Graded School #5 built
1843 - John Burk (with Peter W. Koontz) builds saw mill on White River (7)
1847 - Canal project bankrupt
1850 - Post office opens in Broad Ripple
1851 - Dr. Harvey Kerr is first physician in Broad Ripple (6)
1851 - Union Church built on NW corner of Westfield and Guilford (26)
1860s - Land now Broad Ripple Park becomes popular picnic spot on White River
1867 - Canal sold to the Hydraulic Company
1875 - river floods town, levee built
1877 - International Order of Odd Fellows Lodge 548 organized
1884 - flood breaks the levee
1884 - Wellington merges into Broad Ripple
1885 - Iron Westfield Bridge over White River built
1886 - Broad Ripple High School established
1894 - Broad Ripple is incorporated as a town [previously listed as 1884 per Polis Center Narrative](33)
1894 - Post Office created in Broad Ripple, named "Ripple" (Dec. 8) (35)
1894 - Monon Train Depot built on 64th Street in Broad Ripple
1894 - Broad Ripple Transit Company (street cars) established by Dr. Light - first car runs Sept 14 (44)
1897 - Watt's Drug Store/Gresh Grocery/Christian Church explosion - 7 killed Sept 4 (47)
1900 - Post Office created in Broad Ripple, named "Broad Ripple" (Apr 28) (36)
1902 - Broad Ripple Lodge #643 is chartered
1906 - White City Amusement Park opens (May 26) (1)
1906 - Broad Ripple annexation ordinance introduced (28)
1908 - Broad Ripple Masonic Temple, officially named J.S. Mustard Hall, opens
1909 - Broad Ripple annexation fails (27)
1909e - Broad Ripple Post Office inside Watt's Drug Store (25)
1909 - Union Traction Co official opens Broad Ripple Park to the public (42)
1909 - Broad Ripple State Bank to open (43)
1911 - Union Traction Co buys White City Amusement Park (? see 1909 item)
1913 - worst flood hits Broad Ripple
1913 - Broad Ripple Town Council renames and renumbers 26 streets, increasing most numbered streets up one (53rd becomes 54th)
1914 - Broad Ripple annexation ordinance again passed by City Council (29)
1915 - Broad Ripple annexation stopped by judge (April)(34)
1919e - Broad Ripple Post Office moves to 806 E. 63rd (BR Ave) from Watt's Drug Store (25)
1922 - Town of Broad Ripple successfully annexed by Indianapolis
1923 - Broad Ripple Park dis-annexed by City of Indianapolis (April) (32)
1924 - Olympic swimming tryouts held at White City Amusement Park (2)
1925 - Lobraico's Rexall Drug Store opens
1925 - Broad Ripple Post Office moves to new building at 815 E. 63rd (BR Ave - now west end of 827) (25)
1928 - Kassebaum Building completed at SE corner of Guilford and Westfield Blvd (24)
1928 - Pyramid Building completed at NE corner of Guilford and BR Ave (24)
1928 - 63rd Street widened (Broad Ripple Avenue) (24)
1929 - School 80 is built
1929 - Lincolnshire Apartments open (Sept) (19)
1929 - Ashland Avenue renamed Carrollton Avenue from 59th to 63rd (Jun 3) (45)
1930 - Library opens in storefront at 917 63rd Street (BR Ave) (Dec 15)(11)
1931 - Broad Ripple Christian Church opens at 62nd and Carrollton Avenue (Feb 15)(20)
1931 - 65th west of College becomes 66th (46)
1932 - Jail is torn down (Winthrop, Monon Rail, north of BR Ave)
1934 - Broad Ripple Standard Grocery opens Guilford and BR Ave (Oct 27)(21)
1938 - The Vogue Movie Theater opens (June 18)
1938 - Library moves into Mustard Hall 6235 Bellefountaine (Guilford) (8)
1940 - Broad Ripple Post Office open on Carrollton (Feb 10) (16)
1945 - City buys Broad Ripple Park and removes amusement rides (May 18) (3)
1947 - Carter Building built on southwest corner of Westfield Boulevard and Guilford Avenue (22)
1947 - Atlas Supermarket open at 54th and College Avenue
1947 - 63rd and 62nd streets renamed Broad Ripple Avenue from College to Evanston (March 17) (30)
1947 - Riviera Drive renamed to Westfield Boulevard from College to Winthrop (March 17) (30)
1947 - Winthrop Avenue and Westfield Road renamed to Westfield Boulevard from Riviera to White River (March 17) (30)
1947 - Broad Ripple Park annexed by City of Indianapolis (May 21) (31)
1949 - Library moves into new building next to School 80, 6219 Guilford Ave (March 28) (10)
1950 - G.C. Murphy Co open at 63rd & College (June 23) (15)
1953 - Broad Ripple United Methodist Church moves into new building at 6185 Guilford Avenue
1954 - Kroger opens at 6220 Guilford Avenue (May 27) (17)
1955 - Nickel Plate engine 587 installed at Broad Ripple Park
1955 - Flanner and Buchanan opens on site of Harley Horton house at 1305 BR Ave
1957 - Northminster Presbyterian Church opens at 1660 Kessler Blvd
1957 - Parking meters installed
1958 - Glendale Mall Opens - it is an open-air mall (Aug 14) (14)
1958 - Canal parking deck is built (October) (13)
1960 - Whistle Stop Deli opens in original Monon train station
1967 - Nickel Plate engine 587 gets a shelter built over it at Broad Ripple Park
1969 - Broad Ripple Village Association is founded (BRVA)
1971 - 1st Broad Ripple Art Fair. Held on canal parking deck
1974 - Stenzdale fire at 62nd and Carrollton
1976 - Art League opens on 67th Street in Broad Ripple (37)
1976 - Iron Westfield Bridge over White River closed
1977 - New Westfield Bridge over White River built
1977 - Vogue Theater becomes night club (Dec 31)
1980 - School 80 closed
1971 - Broad Ripple Art Fair moves to Indianapolis Art League (38)
1981 - Early photo shows the red caboose on Cornell at 65th
1982 - DOT changes College/Westfield intersection. Cars traveling SW can now only turn north on College. (23)
1983 - Haulenwood Oak Shop fire on Broad Ripple Avenue
1983 - Nickel Plate engine 587 moved from Broad Ripple Park to museum in Noblesville
1985 - School 80 becomes apartments
1986 - Library moves into Broad Ripple Park, 1550 Broad Ripple Avenue (March) (9)
1987 - The Village Sample newspaper begins publication - Lilian Barcio (June)
1987 - Broad Ripple celebrates Sesquicentennial
1989 - First Broad Ripple Art Walk / Gallery Tour (18)
1990 - Lobraico's Drug Store closes
1994 - Indianapolis Art League becomes Indianapolis Art Center (39)
1995 - Monon Trail opens from Westfield Boulevard to 86th Street
1995/6 - First Broad Ripple Farmers Market (differing opinions) (18)
1996 - Michael Graves-designed Indianapolis Art Center complex opens (40)
1996 - School 80 becomes condos
1999 - Bark Park opens at Broad Ripple Park
1999 - Canal parking deck is removed
c. 2000 - Roselyn Bakery closes in Broad Ripple
2000 - new pedestrian bridge added across canal just east of College
2000 - Library moves into Glendale Mall, 6101 N. Keystone Ave (Oct 23) (12)
2002 - www.BroadRippleHistory.org launches
2002 - Olympic Torch comes through Broad Ripple
2002 - Deering Cleaners burns
2002 - Atlas Grocery closes (May 11)
2003 - McDonald's reopens with new concept store (Jan 20)
2003 - Indianapolis North Flood Damage Protection Project - levee reconstruction
2003 - Broad Ripple Avenue restriping to two lanes with a center turn lane (Mar 26)
2003 - Patio Nightclub closes
2003 - First Broad Ripple Lights Up! (18)
2004 - The Tin Star Jail restaurant closes after 25 years
2004 - Broad Ripple Gazette starts publication of bi-weekly newspaper
2004 - Broad Ripple Gazette starts History Saturday meetings at The Whistle Stop, later McDonald's and White River Yacht Club
2005 - Taxi zones established on Broad Ripple Avenue (January)
2005 - Broad Ripple Farmers Market moves to the Indianapolis Art Center (May)
2005 - ARTSPARK opens at Indianapolis Art Center complex opens (41)
2005 - First Bungalows of Broad Ripple Home Tour (Oct 8)
2005 - IFD Station 32 loses engine
2006 - Whistle Stop Deli closes at original Monon train station
2006 - Broad Ripple Farmers Market moves to BRHS
2007 - Glendale Mall construction begins for new concept
2007 - First Ripple Effect Run
2007 - Ossip eyeglasses art billboard removed
2009 - Barber shop fire at 52nd and College
2009 - First Broad Ripple Lights Up Parade
2010 - BRICS opens in original Monon train station
2002 - VirtualBroadRipple.com launches with clickable photo archive map
2011 - Evening Broad Ripple Farmers Market opens at Broad Ripple Park
2011 - IFD Station 32 on Historic Register
2011 - Aristocrat fire at 52nd and College
2012 - first duck race was at Broad Ripple's 175th anniversary celebration (Apr 21)
2012 - Parking meter system added to Westfield Boulevard from College to Guilford
2013 - Parking garage built at College and Westfield Boulevard
2014 - Cornell gets back-in diagonal parking
2015 - Broad Ripple Winter Farmers Market opens at Bent Rail
2016 - IFD Station 32 gets engine back
2016 - Glendale penguins gone!
2016 - First Broad Ripple Carnival
2017 - Glendale penguins - Wynken, Blynken and Nod - are installed at the Indianapolis Zoo
2017 - McDonald's rebuilds again
2017 - Fresh Thyme Farmers Market opens on canal
2017 - 20 Tap fire at 54th and College
2017 - School Board votes to close BRHS for an eventual sale of the property
2018 - Final senior class graduates from BRHS
2019 - IndyGo builds Red Line through Broad Ripple on College Avenue
2019 - BRHS Alumni Association holds its first Homecoming Celebration & Parade since the school closed
2019 - A Broad Ripple Park Master Plan is approved
2019 - Steve Ross sells Vogue and retires
2020 - Corona Virus restrictions shut down most businesses (March)
2020 - Broad Ripple Avenue closed to traffic for street dining during social distancing (May)
2021 - Broad Ripple Park Family Center razed (July)
2022 - Broad Ripple Park Family Center / Community Health Open House (January)
2022 - Broad Ripple United Methodist Church, 6185 Guilford Avenue, closes to become St. Lukes Midtown (May)
2022 - Broad Ripple Avenue closed for Phase One of new sewers and sidewalks
2022 - St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Midtown Campus, opens at 6185 Guilford Avenue (Dec)
2023 - Broad Ripple Avenue closed for Phase Two of new sewers and sidewalks
2024 - Glendale Library opens at 3660 East 62nd St. (March 30)
2024 - Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) closes for construction of new schools. (May)

Sources:
1 - Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, p353
2 - Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, p354
3 - Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, p354
4 - History of Indianapolis and Marion County - Sulgrove, p65
5 - History of Indianapolis and Marion County - Sulgrove, p637
6 - History of Indianapolis and Marion County - Sulgrove, p637
7 - History of Indianapolis and Marion County - Sulgrove, p637
8 - A Live Thing in the Whole Town - p161
9 - A Live Thing in the Whole Town - p162
10 - A Live Thing in the Whole Town - p161
11 - A Live Thing in the Whole Town - p160
12 - IMCPL Web Site - http://www.imcpl.org/gld_serv.htm
13 - North Side Topics - Oct 23, 1958 - p1
14 - North Side Topics - Aug 14, 1958 - p1
15 - North Side Topics - June 22, 1950 - p11
16 - North Side Topics - April 20, 1950 - p6
17 - North Side Topics - May 27, 1954 - p13
18 - According to the BRVA website. (John Hill says it was in his parking lot in 1996 the first year)
19 - Indianapolis Star - 1929 Sep 15, p. 32
20 - Indianapolis Star - 1931 Feb 7, p. 9
21 - Indianapolis Star - 1934 Oct 26, p. 11
22 - per Earl Carter on Sept 27, 2019
23 - Indianapolis Monthly - January 1983, p. 76
24 - Indianapolis Star - 1928 Oct 21, p. 78
25 - Indianapolis Star - 1925 Jul 19, p. 8
26 - https://digital.library.in.gov/Record/ISL_p16066coll31-1447 27 - Indianapolis News - 1909 Oct 19, p. 1
28 - Indianapolis News - 1906 Feb 6, p. 16
29 - Indianapolis Star - 1914 Nov 17, p. 1
30 - Journal of Common Council - 1947, p. 184
31 - Journal of Common Council - 1947, p. 342
32 - Journal of Common Council - 1923, p. 235, 236
33 - Commissioner Reports Book 30 at State Archives - June 4, 1894 p. 271
34 - Indianapolis News - 1915 Apr 15, p. 1
35 - National Archives - Post Office Collection - , p. 212
36 - National Archives - Post Office Collection - , p. 210
37 - Fanning The Flames - Berry, p20
38 - Fanning The Flames - Berry, p23
39 - Fanning The Flames - Berry, p30
40 - Fanning The Flames - Berry, p35
41 - Fanning The Flames - Berry, p61
42 - Marion County Mail - 1909 May 28
43 - Marion County Mail - 1909 May 28, p. 1
44 - Indianapolis Star - 1913 Jan 6, p. 5
45 - Journal of Common Council - 1929, p. 235, 270
46 - Journal of Common Council - 1931, p. 1084
47 - The Indianapolis Journal - 1896 Sep 5, p. 1, 7
48 - The Indianapolis Times - 1924 Jul 28, p. 7