Downtown Indianapolis

Frederick and Susie Tuttle had the Apollo and its nearly identical twin to the east, The Aurora, built in 1902. Originally named Tuttle Terrace, the building was townhouses, not apartments. Frederick was a real estate agent and sold the property in 1917. Owner Frank Kokemiller renamed them to the Apollo-Aurora in the 1920s. The buildings were unsympathetically remodeled in 1972. 

These simple row houses were built by Christopher Rafert in 1908 in response to the growing need for moderately priced housing for workers. These "Eastern" flat units typically contained 5-7 rooms with 2 flats per floor. In 1911, the advertised rent was $37/mo. Sometime in the 1950s it was converted to 25 units, most likely single rooms with a shared bath at a time that many places were being demolished to make room for apartment buildings. The brick and limestone building was owned by former mayor Steve Goldsmith’s father, Joseph Goldsmith, in the late 1980’s-early 1990’s. The building was involved in a lawsuit and Goldsmith eventually filed bankruptcy after failing to make required repairs to make it structurally sound. In 1993, Indiana Landmarks took possession of the property.

This double residence was constructed for Henry Marks in the Free Classic style around 1905. Marks owned it from 1902 until his death in 1908. The house was built on an undeveloped lot platted in 1871. The house originally had a shed-roof porch and two rear porches. These rear porches were later removed and a single rear porch was built. The front porch was remodeled with box columns added. The house was restored in 1993-94, resulting in the removal of the brick cladding which had been in place for decades. (Note: Photo is from 1994 and it looks like there's a view of the house that used to stand at 11th & New Jersey off to the left in the distance.)

This double residence, originally one-story, was constructed between 1873 and 1877 by Matthew Hartman, a plasterer. Hartman purchased the lot in 1871 from Elijah Martindale, the same year it was platted. Hartmann occupied it until 1877. The house underwent a major expansion in 1887 with the construction of a two-story addition and one-story wing on the rear of the house. It was restored 1993-94.

Hoss-Corbaly House

943 N Alabama St
Peter Hoss constructed this Italianate house in 1874 and sold it to William Corbaly, who owned it for twenty-six years. It is very similar to the house at 939 N Alabama, also constructed by Hoss. (Photo from 1994)

Peter Hoss, a real estate agent, built this Italianate house on speculation in 1875, selling it to Thomas Shannon the following year. Shannon, a clerk, lived here until his death. His heirs sold it in 1893 to Solomon and Natalie Nathan. The Nathans were owner-occupants until they sold the house in 1932. The house enjoyed stable occupancy throughout the 1930s & 1940s (Alvin and Emma Turner) and the 1960s to 1980 (Clyde and Mary King). The house remains largely intact with very few changes. (Photo from 1994)

Pearson Terrace may be the finest example of row housing which remains in the Indianapolis urban center. It was built in 1901-1902 as a speculative real estate venture by successful local music store owner, George C. Pearson, during the upsurge in multi-family homes and flats in the city. The seven two-story units were immediately popular, especially with widows and single men (including two members of the Bals-Wocher family who were life-long neighborhood residents and namesake home is at 951 N Delaware). (Photo circa 1970s)

The Israel Traub Store is the oldest existing commercial building in the district. The lot was purchased by Israel Traub in 1854. Until 1867, Traub, a German Swiss immigrant from Zurich, was listed in city directories as a painter who occupied a residence on adjacent lots where the Seminole now stands. From 1866 to 1881, Traub operated a local grocery. The location continued to be a grocery well into the twentieth century. In 1922 the Standard Grocery Company purchased the building and its branch manager, Fred Flenner, lived above the store. It was one of four Standard branches on Alabama St south of 16th St. From 1891 to 1926 the property was owned by Charles D. Meigs, State Superintendent of the Indiana Sunday School Union and editor of the publication Awakener. In recent years it was the home and studio of artist Leah Orr. Plans are currently with IHPC to convert it to a single family home. There is a ghost mural on the north wall which reads "Owl Cigars" with an illustration of an owl.

The Seminole Hotel opened its doors on August 1, 1914 as a residential hotel for single men. This "Bachelor Hotel" consisted of seventy-two furnished rooms with a lobby and a basement. It was seen as unique in its time for being a hotel without a bar or a restaurant. Its location was noted as convenient for walking to the city center but far from its dirt and noise. The Seminole was built and managed by the Sourbier-Emrich Realty Company. The opening was covered in an August 2, 1914 article in the Indianapolis Star. It is currently a 55 & older senior living apartment building. A northern addition was added in the 1990s.

Photo: Seminole Hotel, March 1932, Bass Photo Collection. Look to the right and you'll see there was once a northern addition on the Israel Traub Store. You can faintly make out the Standard Grocery sign over the main entrance.

In 1876, Lewis Shively and Joshua Carter originally constructed three separate buildings, two doubles and a triple residence. All faced Alabama with addresses on that street. The East Pratt Street Realty Company purchased all three buildings in 1918 and connected them as a single structure with entrances on the west side. In this same period, the building's address was reoriented to Pratt (9th) St, coinciding with the construction of the apartment building immediately to the west (234 E 9th St). The connectors linking the buildings account for the masonry seams visible on the Alabama facade. At times, the building shared the name of Spink (1920s) and Moynahan (1930s-1960s) apartments.The Spink Realty and Investment Company purchased the building in 1925, integrating it with the Spink apartment empire of the 1920s and the Moynahan empire (39 E 9th St and 234 E 9th). The front entrances were eventually restored on the Alabama side and the addresses reoriented accordingly. Parking and underground garages were added with access from the west side. Pictured: When entrances were on the rear with 238-244 E 9th St address

This c. 1890 home seems to be one of several built on a speculative basis at the southwest corner of Alabama & Pratt (9th) by Indianapolis coal and lumber merchant John E. Christian. Christian sold the building to William Kave in 1904. It was eventually divided into multiple apartment units. It became part of the Christian Place Renovation of 1994 with Indiana Landmarks, converting four buildings on the property into affordable, low-income housing. 

This c. 1890 home seems to be one of several built on a speculative basis at the southwest corner of Alabama & Pratt (9th) by Indianapolis coal and lumber merchant John E. Christian. Christian sold the building to John Carfield in 1905. The single-family residence was converted to multi-family sometime after 1908. The Christian-Carfield House was restored as a two-family home as part of the Christian Place Renovation of 1994 with Indiana Landmarks.