Woodruff Place, Indianapolis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Woodruff Place
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A private residence in Woodruff Place
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 Location in Indianapolis
Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000012 |
| Added to NRHP | July 31, 1972 |
Woodruff Place is a special neighborhood in Indianapolis, Indiana. It's located about a mile east of the downtown area. A developer named James O. Woodruff started this community in the 1870s. It was one of the first suburbs of Indianapolis.
Woodruff Place has clear borders. 10th Street is to the north, Woodruff Place West Drive is on the west, Michigan Street is to the south, and Woodruff Place East Drive is on the east. For many years, this community was like its own small town. It stayed independent even as Indianapolis grew bigger around it.
Woodruff Place officially became its own town in 1876. It remained independent until 1962. At that time, it became part of the City of Indianapolis. This happened just before the city and county governments joined together in 1969.
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Discovering Woodruff Place
Woodruff Place is next to the campus of Arsenal Technical High School. This school opened in 1912. It was built on the site of the old Indianapolis Arsenal. The school still uses some of the historic buildings from the arsenal.
A Look at Its Past
Woodruff Place was once a very wealthy neighborhood in Indianapolis. But over time, things changed. When cars became popular, new fancy neighborhoods were built. This started in the late 1910s.
By the 1950s, many of the large homes in Woodruff Place were divided into apartments. Before this, the neighborhood only had a few duplexes and smaller apartment buildings. These were added starting in the early 1910s.
The neighborhood faced tough times in the 1960s. But people in the community worked together to make it better. They started to fix up the area in the early 1970s.
A Neighborhood Reborn
The 1980s and 1990s saw a lot of rebuilding and improvements. Today, Woodruff Place is a very popular historic neighborhood. It's known for its beautiful design. The developer wanted to create a special and important community.
Most of the homes in Woodruff Place are large, Victorian style houses. They were built in the late 1800s. The neighborhood has a simple layout. There are three main drives that run north and south: East, West, and Middle Drive. A street called Cross Drive connects them.
The streets are lined with lovely magnolia and oak trees. There's also a grassy area in the middle of the streets. You can find a fountain at each intersection. Smaller fountains are also placed along the middle grassy areas.
Inspiration for Stories
Woodruff Place even inspired a famous book! Booth Tarkington, who grew up in Indianapolis, wrote a successful novel called The Magnificent Ambersons. This neighborhood was the idea behind his story.
Artist T. C. Steele's son, Brandt Steele, also lived in Woodruff Place. Brandt was a well-known designer and architect. He designed the home where his family lived in the neighborhood.
Woodruff's Earlier Project
James O. Woodruff, the developer, also created another neighborhood called "Hendricks Place." In the spring of 1872, Thomas A. Hendricks became the governor of Indiana. He sold his land to Woodruff. Woodruff then started his first Victorian neighborhood there.
Later that year, Woodruff began "Woodruff Place." However, not many homes were built at first. A difficult economic time in 1873 stopped construction in both neighborhoods for almost twenty years.
Protecting History
In 1972, Woodruff Place was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important historical site. Then, in 2001, the City of Indianapolis officially named it a local historic preservation district. This helps protect its unique character and history.
