INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Avenue was the center of Indianapolis' Black culture, but most of the buildings that could tell that story are gone. The best reminder is a small group of houses that are federally protected from the wrecking ball.
Ransom Place is all that remains of a once-sprawling neighborhood of homes and businesses built by Indianapolis' Black elite. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
The district was named after Freeman Ransom shortly before it achieved historic status. Ransom lived in the neighborhood and served as Madam CJ Walker's lawyer and business manager.
The homes in Ransom Place date back to the 1880s and are located near Indiana Avenue and the Walker Theatre. The remaining historic neighborhood is bounded by 10th, West, St. Clair, and Paca Streets.
Susan Hall Dotson of the Indiana Historical Society said it was extremely unlikely for the homes to survive after the urban renewal and demolition that hollowed out Indiana Avenue.
"Universities and medical centers all took homes, businesses, and land to expand their dreams. The land all around [Ransom Place] was not spared," Hall Dotson said. "Was it renewal or was it erasure?"
The homes were protected largely because of the efforts of Jean Spears, who formed the Ransom Place Neighborhood Association in 1991 and led the charge for the district's historic status.
"She preserved this place because it was necessary to remember correctly who had been here and how," said her daughter, fellow preservationist Claudia Polley.
Hall Dotson said Spears' mission helped save the homes and tell the complete story of Indiana Avenue's history.
"In spite of all of the things that were there to keep the neighborhood back including urban renewal and progress, they stood firm," Hall Dotson said.
-
Deputy's widow files wrongful death lawsuit against drivers involved in crash
The widow of Delaware County Deputy Blake Reynolds has filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging two trucking companies and their drivers were negligent.
Pacers trade Mathurin and Jackson to Clippers for Ivica Zubac, draft picks
The Indiana Pacers traded Bennedict Mathurin, center Isaiah Jackson and two draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for center Ivica Zubac, a person with knowledge of the deal said Thursday.
Breaking bread: Community celebrates Mary Rigg Food Pantry grand opening
Community leaders, partners and neighbors gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the expanded food pantry at the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center on Thursday morning.
National Wear Red Day is Feb. 6: Show your support for heart health
February marks American Heart Month, and Friday, February 6, is National Wear Red Day, a nationwide movement to raise awareness about heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
