Indianapolis, Indiana
From Encyclopediak
Indianapolis, Ind., the capital of Indiana and county seat of Marion County, the largest city and industrial center of the state, and by the census of 1920 the twenty-first city in size in the United States. It is one of the great transportation centers of the middle west, being served by six trunk lines of railroad and about 20 electric interurban lines. The first railroad reached Indianapolis in 1847, and others followed in quick succession. The radiation of transportation lines from Indianapolis is partly explained by the fact that it is a made-to-order city. In 1820 the legislature decided to pick the geographical center of the state as the site of the capital. On the west fork of the White River, in the midst of the forest, a circular plaza was cleared in the center of a four-block square, diagonal streets were laid out to radiate from the corners of the square, and the remaining streets plotted in regular checkerboard fashion. Except for its central location the site had no natural advantages, but the city grew steadily through the energy and enterprise of its citizens. A city charter was granted in 1847. The introduction of natural gas about 1889 gave impetus to the industrial development, which was further stimulated bv the exploitation of the Indiana coal fields. In 1825, when the state government was transferred from Corydon to Indianapolis, the latter was a village of 600 people. Its subsequent growth is indicated by these figures population in 1850, 8,091 in 1880, 75,056 in 1910, 233,650 in 1920, 314,194. From the central plaza, officially called Monument Square but popularly called the Circle, radiate the four axial avenues, Massachusetts, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia. At the center of the Circle is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, 285 feet high, erected by the state to commemorate the part played by her sons in the Civil War. At regular intervals around the monument are statues of George Rogers dark, William Henry Harrison, Governor James Whitcomb and Governor Oliver P. Morton. The retail shopping district is confined chiefly to the Circle and the four-block square enclosing it. Washington Street, the principal business street, is a section of a road originally projected to run from Baltimore to St. Louis. The finest residential districts lie north of the Circle, but there are choice suburban sections to the east. Until recent years Indianapolis, strictly considered, had no suburbs, but now there is a growing tendency to get away from the residential districts "downtown." Numerous parks add to the attractiveness of the residence districts among these are Brook-side, Fair View, Garfield, Riverside, and University. Along the banks of Fall Creek, in the northern part of the city, are grassy terraces and a boulevard. The State Fair Grounds, a parklike area with large pavilions and exhibition halls for the annual fair, are several miles north of Fall Creek. Beyond the city limits on the north are the famous Speedway, probably the finest automobile race track in the country, and Fort Benjamin Harrison, named for the president, an important training camp during the World War.
IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS AND BUILDINGS. The most conspicuous building is the state capitol, with a central dome and a tower 240 feet high, built of Indiana limestone at a cost of 2,000,000. The Federal Building, which cost 2,500,000 the handsome Riley Memorial Library, erected in 1918 the John Herron Art Institute Murat Temple, home of the Shriners and also the city's largest theatre the Propylaeum, a club for women Tomlinson Hall, a large auditorium, the bequest of Dr. J. M. Tomlinson, and the Union Railway Station are also noteworthy. Among the principal business buildings are the Fletcher Savings and Trust Company, the Merchants National Bank, the Masonic Temple, the Interurban Terminal Station, the Hume-Mansur Building, the Claypool, Severin, English, and Lincoln hotels. Indianapolis is the seat of a Catholic archbishop and of an Episcopalian bishop. It is also an educational center, with several branches of the state university. Butler College in the suburb of Irvington, Indiana Institution for the Education of the Blind, the state school for the deaf and dumb, and a number of law, dental and other professional institutions.
INDUSTRIES. Indianapolis has no fewer than 1,500 manufacturing establishments, many of which are located on the Belt Railway. Slaughtering and meat-packing comprise the largest single industry, followed by automobiles, iron and steel products, grain and cereal products, canned goods, furniture, clothing, and printing and publishing. Indianapolis is the third automobile center in the country. The value of manufactured products is about 500,000,000, of which meat and meat products contribute a third. Other important products are paints, wood and fiber, boxes, stoves and ranges, bags, drugs, engines, rubber goods, and saws. Indianapolis is also a wholesale and jobbing center especially in groceries, drugs, hardware, and dry goods. There is an active trade in grain, and the storage capacity of local elevators is about 3,000,000 bushels. Mars Hills is an industrial suburb. Besides rich coal lands and oil fields, there are deposits of building stone, marl, and other minerals in the vicinity.
GOVERNMENT. The city is governed by a mayor, a council of nine members elected at large, a city clerk, and a police department, all elected by the people for a term of four years. There are boards of safety and of public works of three members each, and a board of health and a park board of four members each, appointed by the mayor. The corporation counsel, city attorney, and city comptroller are also appointed by the mayor. The school corporation, composed of five members, is chosen by the people and serves four years. It is independent of the city corporation.
