A portion of Martindale Brightwood could be Indiana’s next protected historic district, allowing the predominantly Black neighborhood to join a growing list of more than 500 Indiana communities recognized for the significance and contributions.
The potential Martindale-Douglass Park Historic District, bordered by 25th Street to the south, Arsenal Avenue to the west, 30th Street to the north and Keystone Avenue to the east, includes more than 600 homes and the Frederick Douglass Family Center, a busy hub in the area.
Establishment of the district comes at a fraught time for residents of the near northeast neighborhood. Gentrification is creeping in and industrial projects, like a controversial data center, are getting the green light despite having little support from the community.
At an Indiana Landmarks summit Saturday morning in the neighborhood, residents agreed that formal recognition could help cement their identity and architectural character but feared the potential for higher property taxes and rising home values.
About three dozen residents nodded in exasperation when someone mentioned phone calls pressuring property owners to sell their houses. They scolded developers moving in the area and belabored rising property tax bills. There’s also a near-constant distrust of city work, too, after community members felt left out by the approval of an industrial data center at 2505 N. Sherman Drive in April.
Indiana Landmarks officially submitted the application last year, and next, the district will go before the Indiana Preservation and Archaeology Commission, and then to the federal government to appear on the National Register of Historic Places. But there’s still some education to be done in Martindale Brightwood on what joining the list means – and what limits the designation has.
For instance, the National Register does not prevent developers from coming in and building houses that don’t match the existing character of the area. (That protection comes from a historic designation granted by the city of Indianapolis. Neighbors have not thus far sought city protection.)
Rather, for many, the title is a point of pride, said Paul Diebold, assistant director for preservation services at the Indiana Division of Preservation and Archaeology. It can also serve as a planning tool as neighbors can refer to documents included in the application to argue for or against what’s happening in their neighborhood.
Once established, historic districts are often more stable, Diebold said, however he recognizes that not all communities want the attention. Other historic districts in the city include Black neighborhoods like Ransom Place and Indiana Avenue.
In Martindale Brightwood, ranch houses proliferated the area in the post-World War II era and call back to a different time, Diebold said.
“It seems like it’s not all that long ago, but then you stop and think that’s 50, that’s 60, probably 70 years ago,” Diebold said.
Not all nearby homes are included in the district. Later, individual applications can be submitted for one-off properties that fall outside the bounds, or the state could ask for an expansion.
“My strategy is to come back and expand the district perhaps another day, but take what we can get now,” Eunice Trotter, director of the Black Heritage Preservation Program, told Martindale Brightwood residents.
Alysa Guffey writes business and development stories for IndyStar. Contact her at alysa.guffey@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Facing gentrification, Martindale could be next historic district
Reporting by Alysa Guffey, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Alysa Guffey, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
