Segregation and The Decline of The Avenue
As segregation laws began to change in the late 1950s, the African American middle class began leaving the once bustling Indiana Avenue corridor for greater opportunities in northwestern Marion County, settling in Pike and Washington Townships. By 1965, the plight of the community left the Madame Walker Building closed to abandonment, removing a vital economic anchor for the area. The Walker Manufacturing Company remained in the ailing Building. By the early 1970s, Indiana Avenue was suffering from severe urban blight. By the 1980s, instead of the city attempting renewal or regeneration, much of the area was merely demolished and replaced by office buildings or townhouses, although the historic Madame Walker Building was restored and reopened to the public in 1988 with a focus on the performing arts. While no longer a blighted zone, Indiana Avenue's legacy now consists of a few historic buildings and a plaque. Through the financial support of the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission, formed by Mayor Bart Peterson in 2002, community stakeholders are planning the regeneration of the area. The mayor recently announced an effort to restore the Indiana Avenue name to portions of the avenue that have been changed over the years.
On March 28, 2007, the name of Indiana Avenue north of 10th Street and south of 16th Street was restored, after having been called Stadium Drive since 1932.
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Famous quotes containing the words segregation, decline and/or avenue:
“Segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever!”
—George C. Wallace (b. 1919)
“Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of are our failures, discouragements, and doubts. We tend to forget the past difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping. We see our past achievements as the end result of a clean forward thrust, and our present difficulties as signs of decline and decay.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)
“Along the avenue of cypresses,
All in their scarlet cloaks and surplices
Of linen, go the chanting choristers,
The priests in gold and black, the villagers. . . .”
—D.H. (David Herbert)