Corner Stone for area in Eagle Creek Park

Pike's Black Heritage (Traders Point), Indianapolis Star article, 1996.

by S. L. Berry, Staff Writer. (orig. publ. in 1996)

Imagine this: A place in central Indiana without urban sprawl. A place where farm fields spread out like a vast ocean of green, divided by gravel roads and dirt lanes. A place no one locks their doors and everyone knows their neighbors.

It might be hard to believe, in the face of all the office parks, housing developments, and apartment complexes that now crowd the landscape but Pike Township was such a place earlier in this century. It was a nice place to raise a family whether you were white or black.

At a time when Indianapolis was rife with racial prejudice, Pike Township was a refuge of sorts for black families. Black children attended integrated schools and participated in integrated sports programs while their parents did business with white merchants and worked side by side with white residents.

Pike Township's black heritage involves the sharing of a strong sense of community based on shared beliefs in hardwork, mutual aid and God.

More than a century

For many black residents of central Indiana, Pike Township was like the supportive black community Clifton Taulbert describes in Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored. The memoir, the basis for the acclaimed film directed by Tim Reid, describes life in Glen Allan, Miss. in the 1850s.

"I don't know how long black people have lived in Pike Township," says Clarence Wood, "but I know it has been more than 100 years." Wood, 71, a retired vice president of AFNB (now Bank One) and a former president of the Pike Township School Board, can trace his roots in the township to his maternal grandparents, who settled there in the late 19th century. Wood was born in a house at 62nd Street and Guion Road. "When I was 4 years old, my dad bought a 16 acre farm that's now Eagle Creek Park," says Wood. "We lived in a 3-room house without electricity or inside toilet facilities."

It wasn't a black community in terms of geography. Wood says. "There were African-American families scattered all over the township," he says. There were some who lived in Bitter Root in the far northwest corner of the township. There were others who lived along Shanghai Road and DeLong Road and Reed Road.

Faith and Fun. The one place where there were no blacks, says Wood, was the township's only real town, Augusta. While black families shopped in New Augusta stores, they lived elsewhere."

The center of black community life was Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church. Founded in 1893, the church was more than a place of worship--it was also a gathering place for social events. "Basically everything revolved around the church." says Wood.

His cousin Evelyn Potter agrees, citing Mount Pleasant's annual homecoming as an example of how the church brought area blacks together. "People would come out from town and just enjoy being in the country. They would spread out on the lawn under the trees."

On the move. In 1930, when the church was forced to move from its original location on a lot donated by a local farmer, black residents chipped in to raise the $300.00 to buy a new lot; they also helped construct a new building. That site now is marked by a plaque in Eagle Creek Park. Mount Pleasant moved to its present location at 5111 W. 62nd Street in 1972 due to the park's development.

Potter, 62, says she truly enjoyed growing up in the township, despite the rigors of country life. "I used to have to help haul wood and coal into the house and put them by the pot-bellied sotve. And I had to fill the oil lamps. At night I would study upstairs in our new house, wrapped in a blanket and reading by lamplight. And on Saturdays I walked 3 miles across fields to go to 4-H."

Teachers were supportive. Potter credits her Pike Township teachers with helping her succeed. "They always encouraged me. My phys ed teacher especially -- she encouraged me to work hard. She told me I could do whatever I wanted, and I did. I graduated from high school, went to Indiana University and became a teacher. I taught for IPS for 34 years."

But life wasn't perfect, says Potter. She did encounter prejudice. "Being black, I wasn't able to be a cheerleader, and I wasn't able to go with my class to Washington, D.C. But I managed."

So did Vernon Parker, a cousin of Wood and Potter. Now 79, Parker recalls playing on New Augusta High School's basketball team and coming into Indianapolis for games. "It was bad when you got away from home," says Parker. "We never had any trouble in Pike, but in Indianapolis I wasn't always treated too good."

Though blacks and whites in the township got along well, says Parker, there wasn't a lot of socializing outside of school events. "Folks would have parties, but weren't interracial."

But the lack of interracial socializing made for stronger bonds among Pike's black residents. "Our activities were among ourselves out here", says Potter.

Many have stayed. Once real estate development took off in Pike Township in the 1960s, says Wood, the rural way of life began to fade. Black families sold their farms to developers, says Wood, and "The farms grew houses."

But as the farms grew houses, black families bought some of those homes. Both Wood and Potter live in Pike Township still. "I'm just pleased to be part of this community," says Potter. "My roots are here."

Pike's Black Heritage and Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church

Pike's African-American residents can trace their families' roots in the township for a century or more. One such symbol of the one hundred plus year history of African-Americans living in and near Traders Point is Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church.

Located at approximately 6000 N. Reed Road in Eagle Creek Park is this plaque on a rock located at the north end of a picnic area. "This plaque is a special tribute to the past generations who build and utilized this church from 1893 to 1972. Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church was founded in Pike Township in 1893 and was built on this site in 1930. As Eagle Creek Park developed, the congregation relocated to the present site at 5111 West 62nd Street. To the present and future generations this is a monument of their faith in God and hope for the betterment of mankind. Erected 1994. "

New Bird Observatory etc.

One of my favorite spots at Eagle Creek Park is where Fishback Creek feeds into Eagle Creek Reservoir. This is a truly spectacular spot by canoe or kayak. And now the Eagle Creek Foundation and a group of ornithologists have improved it further with the construction of an observation platform that juts into the reservoir. This spot can be accessed by parking on city-owned property located on the southside of Wilson Road several hundred feet west of Crown Point Road, and than walking approximately one half mile to the southeast. The site of the observatory is on the southeast corner of a seven acre former homestead of famed artist Cassilly Adams. I have written elsewhere about Adams, who was a very significant former resident of the area until his passing in 1926.

Traders Point Gives Up the Ghost (Indianapolis News Aug. 1, 1968)

(photo of 1958 Flood in Traders Point and a recent color photo from the same location which shows TOX DROP activities taking place within the same floodway - IRONY)

"One would be hard-pressed to find a point in Traders Point, much less a trader. Traders Point is gone--population zero. All that remains of the settlement on U.S. 52 northwest of Indianapolis is a Farm Bureau Co-op building, Pike Township Fire Station No. 2, an abandoned Standard service station, 19 telephones and eight road signs. Although it has not been confirmed, it is believed that what remains of Traders Point will someday be gone--highway and all.It is six-tenths of one mile between city limits signs. Located between the two Traders Point signs four years ago were 14 homes, a grocery, two churches, a garage and what now remains. Demolition crews and bulldozers have succeeded in making Traders Point just a 'wide place in the road.' Why? Eagle Creek Reservoir, says the Indianapolis Flood Control Board office. 'Political move,' says a former lifetime resident of Traders Point. Normal pool elevation of the reservoir will be 790 feet above sea level. Flood elevation would be 811.5 feet. Traders Point elevation is 800 feet. Hence, at flood level, Traders Point would be 11 feet under water. Therefore, U.S. 52 might also be abandoned, with I-65 or a new section of Ind. 100 now under construction to be used in place of the highway.Albert Hardin, 8104 Wilson Road, is a 62-year old employee of Purdue University. He has been a resident of the Traders Point area since 1906. 'The people who have been moved out of Traders Point look at the reservoir as a political joke,' Hardin said. 'It's a crime that they made people move out of there. We can't understand why they took ground higher than the Interstate (I-65) because it might someday be under water. Back when I was a tot I can recall my grandfather talking about going to the Civil War from Traders Point, so that gives you some idea as to how old the settlement is, Hardin said.There were good, livable homes in Traders Point which had been handed down from generation to generation, and now it's gone. But, he concluded, I've quit worrying about it.' So have a lot of other people. There's no one left in Traders Point to worry.

C. Noble Bretzman and Traders Point

William Fortune's Traders Point home would later become the residence of significant photographer Noble Bretzman. Noble Bretzman is buried in Old Pleasant Hill Cemetery, a short walk across Moore Road from his Traders Point home. The following biographical depiction of Noble and his father Charles, was written by Kathleen Donnelly and was published in the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, 1999. The photographs depicted were taken by Bretzman for Home by The River by Archibald Rutledge, South Carolina's poet laureate, published in 1941 by Indianapolis publisher Bobbs Merrill Co.

"C. Noble Bretzman, born in Indianapolis in 1909, began his career sweeping the floors of his father's photography studio, though he soon became a journeyman retoucher and staff photographer. After graduation from Shortridge High School, he attended a school for professional photographers at Winona Lake, Indiana. He worked for a time in New York City where he was Radio City Music Hall's first public relations photographer and took pictures of the Rockettes. Noble also set up his own studio specializing in illustrative photography. His business flourished as advertisers began to request photography instead of artwork to illustrate their products. He returned to Indianapolis in 1934 after the death of his father, took over the family business and introduced his distinctive style to local advertisers. Before signing an exclusive contract with L.S. Ayres, Bretzman took fashion photographs for a number of Indianapolis department stores. His photography was credited with inspiring the slogan, "That Ayres Look". He also was a noted portrait photographer. In his later years Bretzman became passionately interested in ballet. He was a co-founding board member of Indianapolis' first professional ballet company. He later served as Vice President and General Manager of the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre. Just before his death he founded Bravo Project, Inc., a not for profit corporation to interest school age children in the performing arts. Noble Bretzman donated his negative files and his father's business records to the Indiana Historical Society in 1980." (blog ed. note: Noble Bretzman's sister, Julia, enjoyed some notoriety too. Before being married to the country's top spy, CIA leader Richard Helms, she interviewed Adolf Hitler in 1936 while covering the Olympics in Nurenberg for UPI.)

William Fortune and Traders Point

William Fortune was an integral part of the emergence of Indianapolis from a rural village in the 188os to first class city status in 1920. Philanthropic institutions like the war chest and Commercial Club (predescessor to the Chamber of Commerce) benefitted from his leadership; he founded and led the local chapter of Indiana Red Cross for a quarter of a century. He was an early leader in the railway industry, the highway construction industry and in telecommunications (he called The Indianapolis Star in the city's first telephone call), and he was the first board member of the Eli Lilly Company not employed by the company or related to the family. He also loved the Traders Point area. The following account, from Charles Latham, Jr.'s 1994 biography of Mr. Fortune, reveals how Fortune came to live on Moore Road.

"By the 1930s people were beginning to move away from the "Old Northside" and Fortune joined the migration. His decision to leave his old neighborhood came about through the Bowman Elders. As Fortune's daughter, Madeline Elder remembered it, "We're going out to look at a house that maybe we can rent for the summer.' And he said, 'Oh, I want to go with you.' . . .and he was so entranced with it that he could hardly wait until the next morning to see if he could buy it." This was a white stucco house which had been built by the Edward McKees on Moore Road near Traders Point, on a bluff above Eagle Creek. There were trees, and nine acres of land, with a grass tennis court and a croquet ground.

At first the Traders Point house was a summer place for the Elder family. Partly for the benefit of the Elder children, and partly because their mother discovered that she liked farming, the place was soon brimming with chickens and quail and pigeons and turkeys and bees, and even a horse for Anne Elder. Fortune added a decorative touch to the collection by ordering a peacock. It was installed on the first-floor porch, and on its first night of occupancy it let forth a screech such as only peacocks can let forth. Young Bill Elder, sound asleep on the porch above, found himself being shaken by his mother, who thought he was having a nightmare: "You keep quiet! Don't do that! Eventually there were a hundred and twenty peacocks, some white, in their own house, making a symphony that the neighbors found less than musical. Fortune liked the country house so well that he joined the Elder family there, winterized the house, and continually remodeled it. By now he was essentially retired, and had developed a liesurely routine of life. He had breakfast in bed, then was driven to his office, dropping off the Elder children at school on the way, and invariably nibbling at a bunch of Concord grapes to finish off his breakfast. He would have dinner with the family, and enjoyed discussing politics with Bowman Elder, who was becoming an important member of Paul McNutt's state administration. This three generation household continued until 1936, when the Elders built a home of their own across the road.

Fortune died in 1942 and the funeral service was read at the house in Traders Point. Fortune is buried in a mausoleum which he had built for his family, near the summit of Crown Hill and the grave of his friend, James Whitcomb Riley. "

Eagle Creek Park History

(narrative from 1983, Indianapolis Landscape Architecture book)

Eagle Creek is one of the nation's largest city parks. Of its 4574 acres, over thirteen hundred make up the reservoir. The creation of this expansive city park was the combined effort of many public and private individuals over several years. Kennedy Brown Associates generated the Eagle Creek Park Master Plan that was officially adopted December 4, 1974 and amended October 20, 1976. The plan addressed issues such as flood control, recreational potential, site analysis of vegetation, soils and topography, transportation to and within the park, and future land uses in this primarily undeveloped area of Indianapolis. Also identified within the plan are excellent examples of the Beech-Maple Climax Forest that at time covered 80% of the state.

The interest in retaining the natural resources of the park land for the public's enjoyment has directed subsequent development within Eagle Creek.

Recreational activities include picnicking, hiking, bicycling, cross country skiing, swimming, sailing, boating, fishing, horseback riding, and archery. No motorized boats are allowed on the reservoir. At the time of the purchase, the park land included several residences. Some have been removed, while others have been retained and renovated. One of these remaining homes is known as the Lilly Lodge. Originally a Lilly residence, this property now serves as a center for park programs and conventions. Another is the former residence of Edward Block which is now Eagle's Crest. This facility is used for seminars and meetings and is available for public use. Also within the park one can find the 27-hole Eagle Creek Golf Course, and the Indian Museum (moved in 1989 to the Eitlejorg Museum in downtown Indianapolis, http://www.eiteljorg.org/) containing an extensive collection of original Indian artifacts. Ross Vogelgesang, landscape architect in the city's Department of Metropolitan Development at the time the city purchased the land in 1968 says: "without landscape architects on its staff, Eagle Creek Park never would have materialized. It took approximately 11 years from the day we first suggested the park until there was water in the lake. I'm biased of course, but I really believe that landscape architects are the only professionals equipped to carry through a project of such scope from concept to construction."

Pike Township/Eagle Creek as described in 1975 Book

"It is the nostalgic rural character that makes Pike Township unique and sets it apart from other developing Indianapolis areas. The naturally beautiful rolling farmland and forested areas are still dominated by many of the farmsteads, homes and small villages built by the area's earliest settlers. Also adding to the liesurely atmosphere of the township are the numerous nurseries and the country estates of some of Indianapolis' most notable families. Although farming is no longer the primary economic base of the township, a great many farmsteads still remain. Many of these structures, now obsolete due to age, changing farming methods and farm consolidation, have been abandoned. These structures add both a sense of rusticity and depreciation to the area. Other farmsteads, adapting to changing times, continue to prosper, either in their original use or with altered functions, such as serving the growing recreational market. In the north and west portions of the township, and across the county line to the north (Traders Point area, ed. RR), one can see a large number of horses. This area is reputed to be developing a reputation as a major horse-breeding center compared by some to Kentucky's Blue Grass Area.

While the area's more modern houses are indiscernible from their suburban counterparts, the older homes tend to reflect the conservative attitudes and limited means of their rural or small-village builders. The largest examples compare in size and ostentatiousness to only the more modest urban examples of the same time period. The most outstanding features of these homes are their intimate scale and the intricate woodwork, which remains intact on many of the houses today. It is reputed that there are more than one hundred houses over one hundred years old still standing in Pike Township. The most notable is the Robinson-Sparks house (7658 Noel Road in Traders Point area). This remodeled log cabin contains its original log walls, a black walnut corner cupboard, the original fireplace and a split-log "punchin' floor". The timbers in the attic are black walnut. The terrace along the first story was built using homemade bricks. The home is one of the two oldest houses in Marion County and boasts an 1830 land grant bearing Andrew Jackson's signature. Also of note is the Hollingsworth Homestead (6054 Hollingsworth Road). A two-story brick pioneer residence built in 1854 with walls three bricks thick, a parlor, a "plunder room" for children on the second floor and three fireplaces. The pioneering Hollingsworth family held the old farmhouse for three generations. It is now owned by the UNIGOV Department of Parks and Recreation. Plans are being made ot establish a Pike Township Historical Museum in the house (*ed. note this never occurred). An application has been made for the admission of the Hollingsworth House to the National Registry of Historic Landmarks.

. . .A large beech tree in the Eagle Creek Park area bears the signature of Daniel Boone reputably carved during a surveying expedition (ed. note, PBS movie on this is available elsewhere on this blog).

Other homes mentioned in the book narrative and that are located within the Traders Point Triangle:
8407 Moore Road: Moore/Asher House, 1879, The original portion of this home is a two-story cubicle-shaped frame farm house. It contains an enclosed narrow stairway, long narrow windows, large beams in the basement and walnut woodwork.
7356 Lakeside Drive: McCune/Sacks House, 1855, This two-story frame house features a "wrap-around" porch now covering 2 1/2 sides, mortar foundation, hewn logs in the basement walls and yellow poplar wood in the exterior brought from Cincinnati. In the early 1900's the house was owned by Mrs. Carl Fisher (blog ed. note: widow of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Miami Florida developer Carl Fisher) and used as a country home. During Mrs. Fisher's ownership the Salvation Army operated a summer camp for children on the grounds. One summer Governor Thomas R. Marshall gave a speech on the home's porch, in connection with the camp.
6360 West 79th Street, Cotto/Ropkey House, 1849. A two-story Georgian frame home, featuring yellow poplar siding, a boulder foundation, hewn timbers in the basement and heavy, wide-board oak floors. The interior of the old home also contains a winding stairway with cherry rail, high ceilinged rooms and some windows containing the original glass panes. A terrace runs around the whole structure. An antique lightning rod atop the roof completes the charming effect.

Herman Krannert, Normandy Farms and Traders Point

In the early 20th century, the Traders Point area became the location of choice for some of Marion County’s wealthier residents, including Department Store pioneers William H. Block & L.S. Ayres, Eli Lilly, J. K. Lilly, Industrialist Harold Ransburg, and Herman Krannert. An industrialist who in his later years became a prominent philanthropist, Herman C. Krannert, founded Inland Container. One of his quieter achievements was a meticulously planned estate, located between Noel Road and Marsh Road on the south side of West 79th Street. The rolling estate was accessed by driving through a two story gatehouse which still stands on the property. Krannert and his wife lived on the 600 acre property they purchased in 1934. Years later following Mr. Krannert's death, trustees sold their property and it was eventually developed into the Normany Farms subdivision.
The original Normandy Farm not only included Mr. Krannert’s private residence, there was also an elaborate and modern (for its day) dairy farm operation. The farm was managed by agricultural experts and assisted by Purdue University. It was reputed to be one of the most advanced dairy farming operations in the nation. Mrs. Krannert named the property Normandy Farm after the province in France called “Normandie” because it reminded her of the French countryside with its picturesque landscapes of rolling hills, farms, and forests. Mr. Krannert died in 1972 at the age of 84. In 1975 approximately 395 acres of the farm were sold to developer John Kleinops, who had developed the nearby Trader’s Point North subdivision. Representatives of the Krannert estate expressed great satisfaction that Mr. Kleinops would be the indvidual to develop Normandy Farms. They wanted the property to be developed to a standard consistent with Mr. Krannert’s reputation for excellence and aesthetics.
After consulting experts in land planning and architecture, John Kleinops spent two years designing and planning the new subdivision. He aimed to preserve the environs that made this property unique, including the imported specimen trees as well as the topographical features of the property. This necessitated the implementation of conservation and erosion controls into the developent plan. As a result, Normany Farms subdivision was designated as the Urban Conservationist of the Year in 1980 by the Soil & Water Conservation Board.
Normandy Farms was the site of the 1980 Home-A-Rama and the 1983 Designer Showcase of Homes. The developer currently resides in the mansion built by Krannert surrounded by Kleinops-built homes. Kleinops is a Latvian-born artisan known for the old-world craftmanship of the homes he built. John's son Bob is fully engaged by the completion of the master plan. Their current project, located at the southwest corner of West 79th Street and Marsh Roads, is called Estates at Normandy Farm. http://www.estatesofnormandy.com/

Krannert was a social friend of neighbor J. K. Lilly, (who also made generous contributions to Purdue University). One can only guess which one of them introduced the other to this beautiful area. Aerial photos of the Krannert estate in Traders Point from the 1930's reveal an estate very similar to its present professionally landscaped plan. It is possible that Frederick Law Olmstead's landscape as architecture techniques being taught and popularized at the time, had spread to the affluent in rural Indiana.

Moore Road Cottage Home Picture Story

Area resident Jim (Baldy) Baldauf has provided this emotive depiction of an area landmark, the cottage home and gardens at the southwest corner of West 88th Street and Moore Road.

Lilly's overlook

J.K. Lilly built what would become the original location of the Lilly Library on the top of a bluff overlooking Eagle Creek. From this vantage point, approximately 100' above the valley, he could see the diverse wildlife of the area, and perhaps his own dairy farm operation operated by the Hardins near Wilson Road and Dandy Trail. The building was little more than a lodge or cabin. Here's a camera phone photo taken a couple of years ago. The sun had just hit the red panel of the Coke machine and the whole building came to life. Although camera phones are not known for great photos, I trust you can appreciate what attracted Mr. Lilly to build on this site. Although the library was long ago relocated to Indiana University, the building reportedly still has lead-lined walls. The copper gutters are original and remain, for now. Unfortunately the parks department is not maintaining the property with the dignity it deserves.

Burden's Lunch Restaurant

Traders Point was home to several businesses that catered to the traveling public. Burden's Lunch was one such place. Located next to the Wilkins Garage, (just south of the current location of Bill Kappel's Countryside Lawn and Garden Center), Burden's was a simple place where motorists in the 1940s and 50s could enjoy fresh pie, a cup of coffee, and conversation. This photo of Mrs. Burden's son and daughter in law was taken during World War II while Max Burden was home on leave. The source of the photo, Mrs. Burden's granddaughter, Kathy Burden Bewsey, was born in Traders Point and still lives in the area.

Dandy Trail Bridge at Fishback Creek

Any kayaker venturing down Eagle Creek into the reservoir, and every fisherman knows this rusty old bridge. It's at the southwest corner of Fishback Creek and Eagle Creek. Dandy Trail was a scenic roadway that meandered along the westside of Eagle Creek and came out at Traders Point at Lafayette Road. The camera phone pics were taken during a low water mark during the summer of 2007.

One-Armed Homer Resler

Homer Resler and George Wilkins were a couple of the earliest auto mechanics on the northwest side of Indianapolis. Their garage greeted motorists from the 1920s through the 1950s who either needed gas or mechanical help at the corner of Dandy Trail and Lafayette Road. This early photo (1920s?) shows Homer at the pump and George near the barn. In later years the two would each operate separate and competing fueling facilities on the original site shown in this photograph. Homer's first facility had to be replaced after a motorist relieving himself in the men's room extinguished his cigarette in the outhouse connected to the building. The resulting fire burned the place to the ground but did not ignite the buried fuel tanks. Years later (1959?) the modern facility that replaced it would be featured prominently on the front pages of newspapers as the photo that best summarized the flooding of Traders Point. Water within 4 feet of the filling station's roof was visible in the background of men in row boats rescuing villagers from their homes. But I digress. Homer was a bit adventurous in his younger years and he may have been one of the earlier folks in the area to own a motorcycle. As the story goes, he was northbound on Lafayette Road when something happened near a spot we now call the entrance to Mill Pond. At that time it was called McCurdy Creek. Anyway, Homer somehow found himself in a tree and doctors were unable to save one arm. So the above photo was probably taken some time after the incident.

Dandy Trail Map dated 1921

A golden retriever owned by the first President of the Hoosier Motor Club has an enduring role in our area. In the early 1920s, the automobile was becoming more than just basic transportation. In an effort to promote weekend motoring, he not only created a destination, he also named the route for his dog. To alert travelers that they had reached the trail and to let them know they were still on it, he placed signs fashioned after a silhouette image of his dog's head. I would love to see one of these signs, (ideally rusty and maybe sporting a bullet hole). The dog's name was Dandy. On its north south route on the westside of Indianapolis The Dandy Trail ran alongside Eagle Creek from Clermont on the south to Traders Point on the north. You would then travel south on Lafayette Road also known as the Jackson Trail, and proceed east on West 71st Street.

As Dandy Trail meandered alongside a pre-reservoir Eagle Creek, some sections of the trail are still visible today. A rusty old bridge crossed the Fishback Creek west of Eagle Creek, (just south of a popular birding platform and an area I refer to as the Cassilly Adams homesite). Motorists of the day (1920s - 1940s) knew they had arrived in Traders Point (where Dandy Trail terminated at Old 52, aka Lafayette Road). There were two busy gas stations operated by Homer Resler to the south and George Wilkins to the north, each competent mechanics. If your repairs were not too lengthy, you could grab a bite to eat at Burden's Lunch. By 1960 the north terminus of Dandy Trail was West 56th Street. Much of Dandy Trail remains buried under the reservoir or was destroyed by the construction of the Interstate 65 bridge over Eagle Creek. Thanks to the Indiana State Library for allowing me to photograph their copy of the map, dated 1921.

hosta, dogwood and redbud, oh my!

Spring has come to Traders Point. The following are some photos from our backyard gardens at 7889 Moore Road.

Drury Hotel Update

I have just spoken with Drury Hotel executives and confirmed that they will file their revised site and building elevation plans that resulted from meeting with PTRA and TPAN representatives in April. The Drury Hotel will have a dramatic impact on our neighborhoods and it would be very easy for each of us to cross our arms and refuse to negotiate. I am pleased that you and your neighbors have recognized the opportunity to make lemonade out of a lemon. The current legal use of a residence style hotel on the site adjacent to Chestnut Hills means different things to different people. In a worst case for you and your neighbors, the currently allowable use could invite an extended stay facility that caters to transient people who live from week to week and cannot afford homes or apartments. We already have one of these near us with the residence inn located south of Traders Point Shopping center on West 86th St. (Hometowner). No one imagined years ago when that use was agreed to that a hotel could morph into such a despicable facility. The rest of the property could be developed for C-3 retail (whatever that means with all the vageries of retail). We have narrowed the C-3 to a small corner lot between Bob Evans and Marsh Road. This will most likely be a site down restaurant. We have asked that it not be a quick service restaurant because of their trash and traffic.

The Drury developer, engineer and architect in attendance last night reinforce the notion that Drury Hotels is a top flight organization. Our assurance that they will be the exclusive owner/operator and that the approvals and improvements will not be transferable is an important victory. As we have learned, many hotels are sold and immediately change ownership and personnel shortly after completion. We are assurred with Drury that they will be a neighbor, familiar with our concerns, long after the project is completed. You should all be very pleased with how the process is working.

We will still need to stay vigilant to insure that the berm landscaping becomes natural and mature as quickly as possible. Having them agree to long term maintenance, replacement and irrigation is a big victory in that regard. One of the advantages of allowing Drury such a large scale project (5 stories) is that they will have a much larger budget to address items such as landscaping, sidewalks, etc. Let's make sure they do not skimp on this aspect of the project. And remember that we will get a second bite at the apple when the office project comes before us for approval. That project promises to be a professional office park that will serve as a quiet buffer between Chestnut Hills and the Drury Hotel. It will be a two story office building or office park. We will have an opportunity to address increasing/enhancing landscaping when the office development comes through for site plan approvals. Rarely does a residential neighborhood abutting retail zoned land have the opportunity to down-zone the portion closest to their homes, increase the zoning and development restrictions furthest from their homes, and create a comprehensive landscape plan with a zoning and development document that codifies the obligation the petitioner (Drury) has to the neighbors going forward.

This use also sits at the entrance to the Traders Point triangle so it sets an important precedent for the high standard of development that we can demand on undeveloped property going forward. Is it perfect? No. But we could very easily let perfect as our goal give us a currently legal yet objectional use on the site. Being proactive was the right thing to do. Many of our neighbors participated in the consensus process and I hope they will step up and answer their neighbor's question of why we agreed that a five story Drury Hotel was superior to some of the potential alternatives.

Finally, I want to remind and reassure neighbors that in marketing residential real estate, the most important factors affecting the perceived value of homes individually and collectively are maintenance, pride and curb appeal If the neighbors or a neighbor perceive that this project has the potential to raise their property values, it will. If they believe it will lower their property values, it will. The amenities of the immediate area and the Traders Point area overall are strong and getting stronger. As the price of fuel increases, more people are considering the amenities of a live-work environment. Your neighborhood is within walking distance to the largest business park in the state (Intech). It is in close proximity to one of the nation's largest municipal parks and just minutes from the airport and downtown. All of the reasons we originally chose this area are still in place. In many respects Drury is a neighbor we can welcome. They will not impact our schools or place large volumes of traffic on our roads. And the neighboring land use certainly could have been a lot worse given the current allowable uses.