New book explores Indy's urban history
- Indiana Historical Society
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read

A book about the urban history of Indianapolis has hit the shelves of the marketplace at the Indiana History Center in downtown Indianapolis.
Taken from columns that appeared monthly in the Urban Times newspaper between November 2007 and October 2016, An Unusual Urban History of Indianapolis, by Connie J. Zeigler, features the unsung, underappreciated, or lost-to memory people, places, and culture of the Hoosier State's capital.
Individuals profiled include, among others, The New Yorker columnist Janet Flanner, designer Norman Norell, editor Margaret Anderson, singer Flo Garvin, and architect Leslie Ayres.
Also examined are such city neighborhoods as Emerson Heights and the Grandview Addition, as well as such individual homes as Tuckaway and the multifamily developments of Lockefield Gardens, Riley Towers, and Marcy Village. The city's story is also told through the history of public buildings, including the Indiana Statehouse, Old City Hall, and the Marion County Courthouse.
Readers of this book will also learn about the city's restaurants, how the New Deal shaped the urban environment, battles between the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of Columbus, the effect of the influenza pandemic, how the holidays were celebrated, and the way pageants marked the community's past, present, and future.
The book is published by The Indiana Historical Society Press. Visit the IHC at 450 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis 46202, or https://indianahistory.org/
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