Bates–Hendricks

The neighborhood is nicely situated just south and east of Indianapolis' downtown commercial district and the redeveloped Fountain Square business district is just to the east. The neighborhood's central location offers not only access to downtown cultural options but also gives easy access to the intrastate highway system (and to the airport).

Neighorhood Access - from the north is by way of East Street -- Terrace Street off of Madison Ave. enters the neighborhood from the west and Prospect Street offers access from Fountain Square.

The Bates-Hendricks House

The neighborhood takes its name from the historic Bates-Hendricks House.

The home is located at 1526 S. New Jersey Street in the western part of the neighborhood.

It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The home was constructed in three phases: The first section was built in the early 1820s by Richard Keene, the lands patent holder (He purchased the land from the federal government in July of 1821 just as the Indians vacated the area). The second section was completed by Hervey Bates in 1851. The newest section was completed in 1858.

(Note: A building survey completed in 1971 was found to be in error related to the stuctures build dates. The above information is an update).

The smaller Keene section of the house is of Federal design. The larger Bates-built section is of Italianate design complete with a 60-foot (18 m) tower on the home's east exposure. The house is one of the oldest standing stuctures in Indianapolis and Marion County.

Bates was Marion County's first sheriff (1822) and later, president of the Indianapolis branch of the state Bank of Indiana. He and Lanier (from Madison) brought the state's first railroad, the Madison and Indianapolis to Indianapolis in 1847. In 1852 Bates built the lavish Bates House Hotel in downtown Indianapolis, where Abraham Lincoln stayed while on route to his first inauguration in Washington, D.C.

Thomas A. Hendricks also lived in the home; he served as U.S. Senator from Indiana, Govenor of Indiana, and Vice-President of the United States.

James O Woodruff built the Victorian neighborhood around the home in 1872, calling it Hendricks Place. He would later develop Woodruff Place on the east side of Indianapolis.

General John Coburn lived in the home for thirty years. He was first into Atlanta during the Civil War and secured the city's surrender. Upon his return to Indianapolis he became a four-time U.S. Congressman and set the cornerstone for the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.

The Sanders-Childers House at 1020 E. Palmer Street is one of the oldest houses in Indianapolis. It is a two-story brick farmhouse constructed around 1830 by William Sanders. The original portion of the house sits at an angle to Palmer and Barth streets because those streets were not laid out until later. Alterations were made at various times, including a modernization in the 1920's by Frank R. Childers, who was the Marion County Recorder from 1927 to 1930. The former Abraham Lincoln School #18 across the street at 1001 E. Palmer Street was built in 1901 and is on the site where a group of Delaware Indians lived until 1820.

Redevelopment

The neighborhood being near both Fountain Square and downtown Indianapolis is currently being redeveloped.

Bates-Hendricks is currently transitioning from a home rental neighborhood back to a home owner neighborhood. It is currently offering home purchasers some of the best real estate values in the Indianapolis downtown area.

Most of the homes after complete renovation require less the a $100,000 investment. But banks require the new home owners to be properly qualitied. The SEND development organization offers some redeveloped homes to lower income people.

In 2008-2009, the 1400 and 1500 blocks of S. New Jersey Street saw a major redevelopment effort of the housing along the street, along with new landscaping of the woodruff built historic esplanade that runs down the center of the street.

A similar project was undertaken in 2010 for the 1500 block of S. Alabama Street one block to the west, which contains the only other Woodruff built esplanade in the neighborhood.

In 2010 the New Jersey Street project was awarded third-place in the 'Physical Revitalization Beautification – Single Neighborhood' division of the 'Neighborhood of the Year Awards' awarded by Neighborhoods USA (NUSA).

Green Space

Most of the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood consists of one- and two-family residences with small front yards and larger back yards. Besides the esplanades on New Jersey and Alabama streets, there are two public green spaces.

Hendricks Park in the 1200 block of Madison Avenue is on the western edge of the neighborhood. This small park is the site of Lars Jonker's abstract sculpture Play.

The Pleasant Run Trail cuts through the southeast corner of the neighborhood along the creek of the same name on its way to Garfield Park a half-mile south. The parkways on each side of the creek are part of the Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System designed by George Kessler.

Education

The James A. Garfield School 31, an Indianapolis Public Schools elementary school, is located at 307 Lincoln Street across from the southern end of the Alabama Street esplanade. Two public charter schools are also located within the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood. The Fountain Square Academy for grades 5-12 at 1615 S. Barth Avenue and the Southeast Neighborhood School of Excellence (SENSE) for elementary grades at 1601 S. Barth Avenue share a former industrial building.

External links

• Bates-Hendricks Neighborhood Association Official Web Site.