( Available LOTS in The Old Northside )
The Old Northside is a residential neighborhood near downtown in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is bordered by 16th Street on the north, Pennsylvania Street on the west, Interstate I-65 on the south, and Bellefontaine Street on the east. The Monon Trail runs along the eastern edge of The Frank and Judy O'Bannon Old Northside Soccer Park.
Old Northside was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and is home to many residences from the Victorian era.
There are three parks related to Old Northside, all created with funding from the Old Northside Foundation. Great Oak Commons is a park created by the neighborhood from several empty lots and is landscaped as a Victorian walking park with a central fountain, gas lighting, a gazebo and a sensory garden filled with fragrant perennial flowers. Shawn Grove Park is a children's park with play equipment. The Frank and Judy O'Bannon Soccer Park was created by the city of Indianapolis on the east edge of the neighborhood, with the help of Old Northside Foundation. It is now maintained by Indy Parks. It was reclaimed from abandoned space near the former Monon train tracks and is used by several children's summer soccer leagues.
History (provided by Wikipedia)
Old Northside was a prominent residential neighborhood in the late 19th century, when many of Indianapolis' wealthier residents built mansions in the area. Old Northside was home to Benjamin Harrison (23rd President of the United States), Ovid Butler (founder of Butler University) and other notable figures, including magnates of the L.S. Ayres department store. Indiana author Meredith Nicholson was also a resident for many years and wrote his most noted work House of a Thousand Candles while in residence.
Old Northside was also the original location of Indianapolis' Butler University, then named North Western Christian University, which was later relocated to the town of Irvington.
The neighborhood began a slow decline in the early 1910s as architectural tastes changed and families built homes further north in Indianapolis. Over several decades, homes were demolished and others fell into disrepair. In the late 1960s, residents began restoring remaining buildings of architectural significance, and petitioned the city for historic recognition.
Old Northside received historic designation in late 1978 after adopting a historic plan for preserving the architecture and history of the neighborhood. Preservation of the neighborhood's history is overseen by the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.
Indianapolis Public Schools
Brian Rule is a Realtor and local neighborhood expert that can answer any questions you have about the The Old Northside neighborhood.
