This restored cottage, currently owned by Sara Olds, will be featured on the May home tour in Cottage Home.

Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20.

That’s how organizers from the Cottage Home Neighborhood Association describe their historic neighborhood located just northeast of Downtown.

“A neighborhood on the rebound” is another description for Cottage Home, where eight eclectic homes and six gardens will be on the tour which will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Throughout the weekend, visitors can sample homemade refreshments while listening to live music in the Cottage Home Park.

Several of the homes featured on the tour were vacant or fire-damaged, organizers said, and might have ended up on the demolition list were it not for the perseverance of dedicated owners. Most of the homes had to be completely gutted and taken back to the studs. Owners retained the original look of the properties by restoring historic woodwork, hardwood floors, windows, and decorative cottage doors.

In the past three decades, the Cottage Home Neighborhood Association fought other threats, including a plan to route a highway through the area, inappropriate industrial zoning, and plans to turn the neighborhood into an industrial park. Neighbors voted to become a conservation district, under the auspices of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, in 2008.

The eight homes and six gardens will showcase the creative and diverse decorating styles of Cottage Home residents. Home and garden enthusiasts will see restorations and one new construction. Visitors will meet homeowners happy to discuss their house’s history and share renovation stories and tips.

The tour not only draws attention to the revitalization taking place in Cottage Home, but is also the urban neighborhood’s major fund-raiser for the year. Last year the neighborhood saw a whirlwind of activity as volunteers converted five vacant lots into a community space full of flowers, garden plots for neighborhood residents, and a soon-to-be completed shelter house. Two new homes were built in the neighborhood as well as expansion projects

Jeffrey Cufaude's Ruskaup Double at 702-04 Dorman St. will be on the Twilight Tour.

undertaken by growing families who desired to stay in the area.

Getting a good glimpse of one work in progress. Cottage Home resident Sara Olds, a freelance decorator,  has taken on a big project. She has purchased the small cottage at 814 Dorman St., and the process of restoring it is well under way. The restoration will be part of the Cottage Home home and garden tour on May 19-20.

The light-green cottage is perhaps the second structure to stand on the property, as the footprint of a structure on the historic Sandborn maps isn’t exactly the same as the existing structure, which was built around the turn of the century. According to renovation contractor William Vantwoud, the pre wire nails and block are pre-turn of the century.

The Day family owned and occupied the home (and two surrounding homes) for numerous years. Following their departure, Sara      purchased the property and began restoration in earnest during the summer of 2011. She removed a fence and rid the yard of many years of debris. The structure is currently gutted; the only interior walls that remain are the load-bearing walls. There is an attic that might possibly be utilized.

When Sara purchased the property, the original poplar siding was covered by layers of manufactured siding. Siding containing asbestos had to be removed and required special disposal. Over that surface was white vinyl siding, matching the white plastic lattice that adorned the porch for several years. Approximately 75 percent of the original poplar siding was salvageable.

The roof had to be totally replaced; the brackets, rafters and soffits are all new. Vantwoud managed the complete renovation of the exterior shell including extensive foundation repair, roofing and siding.

When researching possible gutters, a vendor told Sara about a new copper color that had not yet been used by a client and Sara decided to give it a try. The windows were restored by Historic Window Restoration, using new glass and reworking the existing windows.

The front door is salvage; the French doors were purchased at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. With little decorative trim to work with, Sara decided to add shutters. The functioning wood shutters are held securely in place by wrought iron fasteners; latches will be added.

Future plans could include a gathering place for events such as teas and showers. There has been some interest in exploring the possibility of a small breakfast/lunch restaurant. For now, Sara is content to use the space for guests, once she completes the phase she is really excited about: the interior.  By Barbara M. Frain

Twilight tour on May 18. A twilight reception and a behind-the-scenes tour showcasing three Dorman Street doubles designed by the Vonnegut and Bohn architectural firm will help kick off the Cottage Home tour weekend on Friday, May 18.

Participants will be served wine and gourmet appetizers created by chef Rebecca Hostetter of Duos and listen to Tonos Triad, an Indianapolis-based trio, while relaxing in the community garden.

The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m., with reservations due by May 14. The $45 reception cost includes a ticket for the weekend home tour.

Home tour tickets available. Tickets for the May 19-20 home tour are available for $12 in advance and $14 at any of the tour homes. Advance tickets are available at Marsh Supermarkets, Midland Arts & Antiques Market, and Financial Health Federal Credit Union. To purchase electronically, go to www.cottagehome.info.

IndyReads Executive Director Travis DiNicola has been looking for a space to open a used bookstore for some time. He found the right spot on the East End of Mass Ave.

many a bookstore.

But not for Indy Reads, central Indiana’s only accredited adult literacy program. Instead, Indy Reads is writing its own new chapter by opening a used bookstore at 911 Mass Ave in a historic building vacant the past few years since the closing of BikeLine and now just across from Black Market. The bookstore is currently scheduled for a June opening (see story below).

But it’s more than a bookstore, this space to be called Indy Reads Books.

“We want it to be a community space, a place where people can gather and feel at home, a place which celebrates reading,” said Alex Mattingly, the newest Indy Reads employee who was hired a couple of months back to manage the bookstore the not-for-profit organization had yet to open.

It took a bit longer than expected to find the most appropriate space, and the space on the East End of Mass Ave is considerably larger than Indy Reads Executive Director Travis DiNicola originally envisioned. But DiNicola said the 2,700-square-foot space will enable the space to feature a stage for author readings, as well as a lounging area equipped with WiFi.

DiNicola and bookstore manager Alex Mattingly are all smiles after signing the lease for the store’s East End home.

And an expanded area for children’s books – all on sale for a buck apiece. “We will really encourage people to bring their kids and get affordable books,” DiNicola said. “That area’s not about making money. It’s about our mission.”

Which, of course, is teaching people to read. That’s where the “making money” part comes in. DiNicola, who himself worked in and managed bookstores during his days as an undergraduate and grad student, understands the difficulty in the business model of bookstores. Why Indy Reads Books will succeed, DiNicola believes, is the not-for-profit model being developed much like that of Global Gifts, the fair trade not-for-profit also located in Mass Ave. Global Gifts manager Jennifer Dennis, in fact, has helped guide DiNicola through the process of launching a store which will depend greatly on volunteer staff.

“And a high percentage of books will be donated,” DiNicola said. His first call-out for books, in fact, generated no fewer than 5,000 books in the first month. Many of those will line the shelves when the store opens in June, while others have been sold to brokers to help cover start-up costs.

Not that start-up costs are much of a problem, thanks to $150,000 in grants which DiNicola has secured over the past year. That amount includes $50,000 from Giving Sum, $50,000 from the Glick Fund, and $25,000 from the Efroymson Family Fund at Central Indiana Community Foundation.

None of that, DiNicola said, would have been possible without the original $25,000 grant from Margot Lacy Eccles, who embraced DiNicola’s idea for a used bookstore to help sustain the Indy Reads mission. That mission, DiNicola said, has two other elements beyond the “community space” concept outlined by Mattingly:

- To connect with volunteers, donors and adults in need of Indy Reads literacy training.

- And, most importantly, to raise money for Indy Reads, giving the organization a predictable and sustainable income source not dependent on or related to grants or donors.

DiNicola said he started thinking about a used bookstore about 2½ years ago, and soon after that attended a conference where he learned about an adult literacy program in Medina, Ohio, which operates a successful “gently used bookstore” which does exactly what DiNicola wants Indy Reads Books to do. A meeting a few months later with Eccles gave his idea a full head of steam.

Since then, Indy Reads has gained a couple of truckloads of bookshelves, donated by two closed Borders bookstores. And then came Mattingly, who emerged from a slew of bookstore manager candidates partly due to his experience on the management team at Half-Price Books.

There’s also his obvious love of words. He has a master’s in creative writing from Butler University, where he was editor of “Booth,” a literary journal, and he writes for an on-line literary magazine, punchnels.com.

As a writer, Mattingly has a special connection to the space he is helping develop. “As much as the space will be about the Indianapolis community,” he said, “it is also about the more intimate community of two formed between a reader and a book. This bookstore will be the place people go to find those connections, both large and small.”

June opening targeted. An early June opening is envisioned for Indy Reads Books, the used bookstore being launched by Indy Reads at 911 Mass Ave.

Executive Director Travis DiNicola is planning to host events for donors, Indy Reads literacy tutors and students the first week of June – all part of 10 days of events which will continue the second week with events featuring authors.

About that same time, on June 13, Indy Reads will host Scavenge the Ave, a Mass Ave event to increase awareness about the problem of adult illiteracy, and to increase involvement in the cause among young professionals.

The lobster at Aesop’s Tables was one of the favorite’s of the 2011 Artful Tread.

launched on Friday, May 4, in conjunction with the Spring Gallery Walk.

And, for the second straight year, Mass Ave will also play host to the Handmade Promenade, which will feature products from over 15 local crafters.

Artful Tread, the Avenue’s homage to the city’s motorsports heritage, will feature artfully decorated tires – most of which are motorcycle tires donated by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to promote the Red Bull Indianapolis GP staged the weekend of Aug. 17-19 at IMS.

“The Mass Ave Merchants Association appreciates our continuing partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Artful Tread/Spring Gallery Walk,” said David Andrichik, owner of The Chatterbox Jazz Club and MAMA president. “The Speedway’s generous contribution of motorcycle tires allows our artists and businesses to create fun and fanciful creations in the spirit of Indy in May and our signature “45 Degrees from Ordinary” cultural district label.”

The Artful Tread is a juried exhibition on two counts, with the public able to vote on the “People’s Choice” winners, while a panel of judges will also rate the displays. This year’s judges are:

- Shannon Forsell, a popular local singer who is also artistic director and managing director of The Cabaret at the Columbia Club.

- Kären Haley, executive director of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick.

- Andy Frazier, executive director of the Indiana Association of Community Economic Development.

The Spring Gallery Walk will feature openings at Franklin Barry Gallery at the Frame Shop and The Art Bank. The annual event will feature a new venue for visitors –   the Arch at Chatham (see story on page 13). For more information on those   openings, see the “Events” listings on page 43.

The Spring Gallery Walk and The Artful Tread take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on May’s First Friday. While The Artful Tread debuts that evening, many of the tires (weather permitting) will remain on display throughout the month.

THE LINEUP

300 block – Bazbeaux.

400 block – Nurture, Schmidt Associates, Mass Ave Toys, Global Gifts, Sage, Arts a Poppin, Silver in the City/At Home in the City, Chatterbox Jazz Club.

600 block – Aesop’s Tables, Century 21 Scheetz, Sweet Tooth Bakery, Franklin Barry Gallery/Frame Shop, Bikes on Mass Ave.

700 block – TrendyMinds, ComedySportz, 45 Degrees, Yogulatte.

800/900 blocks – R Bistro, Crimson Tate Modern Quilts, City Dogs Grocery, Indy Reads Books.

Off the Avenue – Nestle Inn, Chatham Home, Athenaeum Foundation, Arch at Chatham, Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association.

Neighbors take part in a spring clean-up and planting in Lockerbie Square. (Urban Times file photo)

needs of their residents while keeping their histories intact.

Lorraine Vavul of Historic Meridian Park wants to know how “to keep neighborhood activists from burning out and how to sustain their contributions to the neighborhood longer term.”

Kristen Edmundson of Herron-Morton Place wants to know how other neighborhoods have achieved cooperation and coordination between neighbors and local businesses.

Similarly, Tyson Domer of The Old Northside wants to know how other neighborhoods have notched achievements because of “real champions who are making long-term commitments.”

These Urban Times readers have something in common. They were all providing an answer to a question connected to the upcoming Neighborhoods USA Conference, being hosted by Indianapolis in May. The question involved just one of the 82 workshops which will be offered at that conference, a workshop titled “The 10 Percent: A Panel of Neighbors.” Its subject matter: How can a neighborhood succeed when only 10 percent of the group seems to do 90 percent of the work? Urban Times asked readers: “If you were to attend the workshop, what information would you want to take away?”

Domer had a laundry list of expectations, accented by his interest in what successful projects were driven by the residents themselves, and not necessarily by organizations working in the area.

“I want to see three to four case studies of projects driven by residents, especially those that started small and grew, and grew some more because of long-term commitment.” Domer said. “There are lots of examples of ‘successful early action projects’ that are simply projects that were already set in motion by strong organizations which got inserted into ‘community-driven plans’ (such as the Quality of Life Plans) and touted as great successes of making neighborhood dreams and priorities a reality. Those are good too,” Domer continued, “but I also want to hear about real champions that are making long-term commitments and having success quietly, without a lot of support and attention because it’s interesting to hear about how they approach engagement, funding, etc.”

The Old Northside is lined with many trees planted by volunteers from the neighborhood, with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful providing the trees.

Bopp, too, had more than one goal for the workshop. One of those was to learn how other urban, historic neighborhoods serve families with children from birth to school-age. “What I mean is, are local schools being touted and attended to create community,” Bopp said. “Are there varied child-friendly activities which are easy to find and within the community, and are there family-friendly businesses in which families may eat, play, and create community?”

Where, she asked, can a child play baseball or take part in gymnastics? Bopp said she grew up around the Hawthorne Center on the Westside. “I would love to have something similar to the Hawthorne Center in The Old Northside. Money, time, passion and resources are obviously factors to consider.”

To Edmunson, the “10-percent” factor can be workable “as long as you keep the 90 percent apprised of what you are doing and on your side. The danger is that the uninformed 90 percent can quickly undo the 10-percent’s efforts with a single e-mail.”

Vavul, meanwhile, would want the workshop to help her understand “ways to get higher buy-in from neighbors who are non-participants and who are resistant to doing much of anything except perhaps complaining.” Vavul, who is past-president of the Historic Meridian Park Neighborhood Association and current president of Historic Urban Neighborhoods of Indianapolis, said that so often the job of neighborhood volunteer “becomes a life sentence. Neighborhood leaders simply expect these volunteers to continue on in their same volunteer roles year in and year out with no rotation of responsibilities.”

Kelli Mirgeaux works in community development on two fronts, as a staff member of the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp. and a resident of Fountain Square. She itemized what she would want to gain from the workshop:

“Information which I can walk away and immediately apply in my work and volunteer roles,” she said. “More of the ‘this is how you do it’ rather than fluff. Don’t sugarcoat it. Tell me how it is.”

Mirgeaux added that she would “love successful examples or stories about community development, organizing, events, fund-raising, etc. That always gets the creative juices flowing for ideas in my two neighborhoods – how to keep volunteers engaged and how to successfully recruit new volunteers in our communities. I think that as a volunteer fundraiser and a person who has to fund-raise in my job, any insight into grant research, writing, etc.. is always helpful.

“And, finally,” she added, “if someone could please tell me how I can get all this done, I’d be so gracious.”

Laura Henderson of Cottage Home would want to learn how to expand that “10 percent” involvement in a neighborhood.

“While I have experienced that 10 percent can create amazing things, 10-percent engagement does not sustain amazing things,” she said. “The 10 percent eventually burns out, or moves on – and often strides forward are lost temporarily or permanently in the vacuum that is left. In my neighborhood we have a significant partially finished project because the 10 percent who started something amazing burned out and another 10 percent has not risen to replace them,” Henderson continued. “I think lasting neighborhood growth/ improvements require broader participation by more people – even if they all have a lower level of involvement – in order to be sustainable. A workshop on how to motivate more people to engagement would be a good follow-up.”

Tom Abeel, president of the Woodruff Place Civic League, understands what contributes to the 10-percent factor. “First, many people go through cycles of involvement – and the pattern has much to do with raising their families. Young adults with children turn out to help with events, but are less likely to be in charge of the events or be members of the association board. As their kids get older, they have more time to invest in running the neighborhood association.

“Second,” Abell continued, “I read a wonderful poem many years ago (which I can’t remember) that started out with something like, “Committees of nine are impressive and fine, committees of eight often start late – but most work is done by committees of one.”

Conference is May 23-26. Citizens from across the country will gather in Indianapolis from May 23 to May 26 for the 37th annual conference known as Neighborhoods, USA. Participants – which can include local stakeholders – will spend four days discussing ways to enhance the quality of life in neighborhoods.

The Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center is working with many community leaders and partner organizations to host the national conference.

The conference theme of “Communities Building Community” represents a collaborative effort of hundreds of citizens and public and private partnerships, all working to improve communications and strengthen neighborhoods across the country.

Workshops to support citizens include:

- multicultural/multigenerational community building

- youth-led workshops

- green community initiatives

- grassroots development and leadership

- community health

- community safety

Additionally, part of the conference includes tours of various Indianapolis neighborhoods, as another opportunity to celebrate the successes and accomplishments of communities.

Organizers with the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center are encouraging local stakeholders to take part in the four-day conference. Registration will open early this Monday at www.nusa.org. An early registration fee of $200 is effective through April 27.

Thursday, May 24, will be Neighbor Power! day at the conference. Scholarships are available to attend that event, which will feature over 40 different workshops on all facets of neighborhood and community development, volunteer management, board development and more.

That evening will conclude with tours of eight Indianapolis communities. For additional information, contact Cassandra Gillenwater at cgillenwater@inrc.org or 920-0330, ext 109.

The Mid-North Quality of Life Plan envisions Fall Creek as a playground, one which will be accessible to neighbors despite the busy five-lane thoroughfare known as Fall Creek Parkway.

and beyond – just part of a rejuvenation of  the largely underused greenway.

The idea is also this: Make that greenway accessible to neighbors – something it is now anything but – with a series of footbridges across the mock freeway which is Fall Creek Parkway.

The idea’s name is Destination + Fall Creek, one of three overarching projects to emerge from the Mid-North Quality of Life Plan, an initiative outlined in the March issue of Urban Times (a report which can be found online at www.urbantimesonline.com).

Destination + Fall Creek, which boasts more ideas than just the aforementioned trail and footbridge system, is being shepherded by a trio of stakeholders – Doug Day, past president of the Historic Meridian Park Neighborhood Association; Kelli Mirgeaux, communications and outreach coordinator for Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp.; and Chris Barnett, until recently with the Near North Development Corp. but now executive director of the Lawrence Community Development Corp.

Doug Day wears two hats: co-chair and chief cheerleader. To say that Day is enthusiastic and optimistic about the initiative is a gross understatement. He sees the vision clearly.

“What we want is a recreational, residential and commercial destination with access to public art, nature and beauty for every citizen, every day,” he said, placing emphasis on the adjectives. Fall Creek is lined with a wonderful park, he said. “But the worst problem – you can’t get to it.”

Doug Day on one of the area’s least-known amenities, a landscaped bath which provides great views of the waterway and the Meridian Street, Delaware Street and Central Avenue bridges.

Ron Gilbert, a Crown Hill resident who was very involved in the Mid-North Quality of Life Plan process, sees tremendous potential in the Destination + Fall Creek initiative. The area, he said, “can become a destination for our community, an area that other people in the city want to come to, and spend time in – to actually visit, live, work and play in.  Secondly, its potential as a generator of additional revenue is important, as is the potential to contribute to the overall need for places that can promote wellness and healthy living. I’m excited about Destination + Fall Creek, and I think it could be a real game-changer for our area.”

These words come from the Quality of Life Plan itself: “While beautiful, Fall Creek faces many challenges today. Fall Creek Parkway, once a quaint, scenic drive, has grown into a five-lane commuter corridor that cuts off the creek from the neighborhood. The last remnants of parkway design can be found in the large homes with magnificent trees planted in wide tree lawns. However, wide pavement, a reversible traffic lane, highway signage, steel guardrails and auto-oriented lighting now dominate the character of the street. The creek itself is contaminated with combined sewer overflows that pollute the water with raw sewage during many rainfalls. The native landscaping that was once carefully designed has been displaced by invasive honeysuckle that now chokes off most views of the creek. And many of the landmark bridges are crumbling.”

Destination + Fall Creek envisions a time – sooner rather than later – when clean water will be flowing in the creek; when the invasive brush and trash will be gone; when people can enjoy enhanced views of the historic bridges, especially those crossing Meridian Street and Central Avenue; when gateways and public art will welcome visitors and residents to the area; when natural spaces and places will offer enhanced educational opportunities for students from the many nearby educational institutions.

The focus of an enhanced trail and greenway system centers on the west side of the creek, between the waterway and Fall Creek Parkway. A trail there would feature a walking and     bicycling segment which would stretch nearly    a mile and a half without crossing a street – unprecedented in the city. But there is a plan for the east side of the creek as well: Turning 60 acres of vacant, abandoned and blighted areas along the east side of the creek into vibrant commercial, recreational and residential opportunities.

During his time working on the Quality of Life Plan, Day has become a fan of George Kessler, the famed landscape

The badly deteriorated Central Avenue bridge is currently under repair.

architect who in the early 1900s developed the city’s park and boulevard system. (Kessler’s impact on Garfield Park was detailed by historian Connie Zeigler for Urban Times in June 2011. That story can be found at www.urbantimesonline.com under “History 301.”)

“There are so many things you can do to draw us back to George’s time,” said Day, who added that, unlike others, he doesn’t begrudge the modern thoroughfare that is the problem. “I am not so much interested in choking off arteries,” he said. His prime motivation: “Let’s get to the park.”

Clean the underbrush, he said, and you’ll certainly find trails which go back to Kessler’s time. Turning back the hands of time on the clean water front would certainly be a more expensive proposition – but that task already has a foothold in the form of the Fall Creek-White River Deep Storage Tunnel (See sidebar, at left.)

Fortunately for neighborhood activists such as Day, Destination + Fall Creek doesn’t necessarily carry the kind of price tag that the tunnel project does. “The good thing is, this can be done in steps – all individually funded tasks,” Day said. Some elements even take little money at all, such as the goal to rid the greenway of invasive plants. There, it’s mostly sweat equity.

He believes the project can move forward for “relatively small money,” maybe $20,000 to $40,000 a pop. “We’re talking with people who have that kind of money,” he said. “The right people have reacted pretty well to this.”

Gilbert appreciates the fund-raising problems. “It’s not difficult to sell people on the vision of a transformed waterway, but managing all of the moving pieces that will be required is going to take a great deal of sustained work, and a constant sense of enthusiasm about what the project could be and what it could mean for the community and the city,” he said.

One worry Gilbert has about the initiative, however, is that it remains grounded as a community-driven effort – that “community concerns and leadership remain at the forefront of the project.” He said the greenway shouldn’t evolve into something that can only be enjoyed by people with money. “It needs to have both high-dollar value as well as affordability and community access at the heart of it, and easing the concerns of the surrounding community that they won’t be priced out or pushed out will be a challenge,” he said.

At the same time, Gilbert is confident that the Destination + Fall Creek task force will keep his concerns in mind. He hopes that the Fall Creek greenway retains its own unique identity (“which, by its very nature, it should,” he said), and does not start off its life, or is perceived, as just a generic redevelopment project. “No one who is involved in ‘DFC’ wants that, and fortunately the vision of ‘DFC’ and its future task force will account for this.”

Gilbert expressed more confidence in Day, who he described as “a good man with heart and personality who understands and wants that broad community and stakeholder inclusiveness.”

As for Day, he expressed the same sentiment – that the Fall Creek initiative must remain neighborhood-driven in the same way that the Quality of Life Plan was developed. That will involve more people like Day. “I love this neighborhood and want to make it better,” he said.

The early signs are positive. Thirty-two    people attended a March 6 organizational     meeting hosted by Ivy Tech. The plan is to divide those stakeholders into teams to tackle such areas as development, public art and    greenspace.

The idea is for people to join in the vision, to help create what the Quality of Life Plan calls “a new space that promotes the entrepreneurial spirit of the neighborhood.”

Day said some folks worry that the Fall Creek greenway is currently “a whole lotta nothing.” Day, however, sees it as a clean slate. “For me, that’s great news.”

And as for the naysayers who might think Destination + Fall Creek is too big of a bite to chew, he points to another once-blighted waterway. “What prevents us from making this a beautiful destination? Look at the Downtown Canal.”

In the pipeline: A pipeline to clean up waterway. One of the more significant goals of Destination + Fall Creek – cleaning up the waterway – is already being handled – by Citizens Water.

The water utility is already planning to spend $389 million on the project known as the Fall Creek-White River Deep Storage Tunnel. Extensive planning is already under way, with construction set to begin in 2016.

The project will capture raw sewage overflows from Fall Creek and White River, reduce raw sewage overflows to meet Citizens’ long-term control plan goals, and generally improve water quality and protect public health. The tunnel, which Day calls “a 25-mile subway for sewage, will be 18 feet in diameter 200 feet below ground, storing more than 200 million gallons of sewage during and after wet weather until it can be slowly released to the wastewater treatment plant.

An artist’s conception of what the intersection of 30th Street and College Avenue might look like if elements of the Quality of Life Plan can be realized.

all ages.” Another envisions the Mid-North as a place where “businesses reinvest in the community and partner with others to help provide fresh and healthy food in our neighborhoods.”

Still another sees it as “a thriving neighborhood with exceptional social and family friendly coffee shops and meeting places, mixed-use neighborhoods with good schools, recreational facilities and well-equipped health clubs.”

Those sentiments were just a small part of the Mid-North Quality of Life Plan, which was unveiled in late January following about 18 months of planning and thousands of volunteer hours.

The initiative is the stakeholders’ collective response to issues such as a crumbling infrastructure of sidewalks and streets, declining business opportunities, crime and other safety concerns, vacant and lost homes, the lack of opportunities for both youths and seniors, and the paradox of having world-class educational institutions in an area where nearly of a third of all adults lack even a high school diploma.

The Mid-North Quality of Life Plan was developed by residents and stakeholders of a six-neighborhood area. The goal was to create a blueprint to improve life in those six neighborhoods which include over 4,700 households and just over 10,000 residents.

The neighborhoods involved are:

- Historic Meridian Park.

- Watson-McCord.

- Mapleton-Fall Creek.

- Crown Hill.

- Highland Vicinity.

- Meridian Highland.

All but Meridian Highland sit between Fall Creek and 38th Street. Meridian Highland sits just south of Fall Creek between Interstate 65 and Meridian Street.

A re-imaged view at 22nd Street and Capitol Avenue.

Lorraine Phillips Vavul, past-president of the Historic Meridian Park Neighborhood Association, is enthusiastic about the results of the Quality of Life Plan. “We believe it will poise the Mid-North to be injected with cash and hopefully much needed service providers and retailers,” she said. “We hope implementation of the plan will propel this area – the Education Corridor – to become one of the most vibrant areas in Indianapolis to live, work, learn and play.”

The plan was sponsored by the Local Initiatives Support Corp., which has previously carried out the process in six other areas of the city. The most obvious example to Urban Times readers, of course, would be the Near Eastside Quality of Life Plan, a process which received a significant boost from the Super Bowl Legacy Project.

The Mid-North process was shepherded by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which several years ago had demonstrated its commitment to its surrounding neighborhoods by organizing the Near North Development Working Group. That group – composed of representatives from neighborhood organizations, not-for-profits, museum board members, and governmental officials – had created a platform for neighborhoods to better communicate with each other. The group, seeing the success on the Near Eastside, saw the Quality of Life process as the next logical step.

Anthony Bridgeman, director of community initiatives for The Children’s Museum, was impressed by what followed. He said the stakeholders who formed the core of the process were very diverse in many ways, but also formed “a very committed and passionate group – especially the residents. They show up for meetings in big numbers. They were hard-working, sometimes late into the night. If something needs to be done, they roll up their sleeves.”

The stakeholders impressed him another way. “There are a lot of people with vision, people who see the potential of what the neighborhood could be.”

One of those people, he said, was Ron Gilbert of the Crown Hill neighborhood. Gilbert came away from the process “generally pleased” and proud of the work.

“It’s not perfect, of course,” he said. “In some ways, it’s not ambitious enough – and I’m a sucker for pie-in-the-sky overreaching. But it has a refreshing practicality to it and many concrete, achievable components that our neighborhoods can latch on to and use as a platform or goals to work toward.”

Seven action teams were created to complete the Quality of Life Plan, which features a work plan organized around nine result statements, 35 strategies and 118 action steps. The essence of the cumulative work, the plan states, can be summed up in three overarching stories:

1. Neighborhood + opportunity, which includes new housing options; improved transportation; trails, art, parks, gardens and wellness options; commitment to youth, education and family learning; and promoting business and entrepreneurship.

2. Communicate + Connect, which includes a goal to inventory, promote and celebrate assets; cross-neighborhood collaboration and initiatives; and building a shared identity based on neighborhood values.

3. Destination + Fall Creek, which involves cleaning, restoring and celebrating Fall Creek; building recreational, entrepreneurial and educational opportunities; spurring new housing and businesses; and developing public art and streetscapes which reflect the neighborhood spirit.

But, despite the thousands of hours already committed to the Quality of Life Plan, it remains just a plan. Gilbert explained the challenge ahead: “The Mid-North community has to bring the same level of energy and enthusiasm to implementing the plan as they did to conceiving it,” he said. He said the effort must continue to be community-driven, while still taking advantage of the available institutional resources, when appropriate.

A look at the action steps hints that Gilbert’s sentiment will prove true. While organizations such as The Children’s Museum, Ivy Tech, KI EcoCenter, the Indianapolis Public Library, the Day Nursery Association of Indianapolis, Mid-North Shepherd’s Center and IU Health, have accepted the job of being “lead partners” for some of those steps. Far more of the action steps are being guided by community-based groups.

That includes the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp. and the Near North Development Corp., but it also includes neighborhood associations from Historic Meridian Park, Crown Hill, Highland Vicinity and Watson-McCord.

Bridgeman said an Implementation Committee has been created to oversee how things get done from here. Some action steps can be done in fairly short order; others may take a year or two; others perhaps three or four.

Gilbert understands the obstacles.

“Time and money will always be obstacles toward achieving these types of goals,” he said, “but the incentive for engaging with this process is that the Quality of Life Plan could act as a springboard to help bring about these much-needed changes.” Gilbert is also hopeful that, now that relationships and mechanisms and trust has been established, the stakeholders will be able “to dig deeper in addressing some of the social and economic issues that our community has long had to deal with. Of course, the plan by itself won’t do that.

“But I think that the existence of a Quality of Life Plan is the secondary or even the side story here,” he continued. “The real story is how each of us who have worked on the various aspects of the plan came together to make it happen – and how we in turn can maintain the relationships we created and continue to forge ahead with a sense of shared responsibility across all six neighborhoods for wanting to improve our community.”

The plan’s major goals

The Mid-North Quality of Life Plan, “Six Neighborhoods, One Vision,” includes the following nine major goals:

1. The Mid-North area will have an appearance that reflects the spirit, history and culture of the community, and will provide access to art, nature, beauty and recreation for everyone, every day.

2. The Mid-North area’s business environment will contribute to an improved economic situation of local residents, local businesses, and growing neighborhood serving commercial centers.

3. The Mid-North area will be a safer community with improved communication and cross-neighborhood coordination.

4. Mid-North area residents and educational organizations are partners in     educational excellence, family learning, and a resurgence of progressive innovation that improves learning and life outcomes, cultivates productive citizens, and creates world-class educational facilities and resources.

5. Mid-North area residents will embrace holistic wellness and live healthier lifestyles.

6. The Mid-North area will address substandard housing and housing-related quality of life issues for homeowners and renters in the six Mid-North neighborhoods by using a creative and informed mix of renovation, remolding,                  re-purposing, and new development.

7. Seniors are empowered to age and engage in the neighborhoods of                     Mid-North.

8. Seniors will enjoy a high quality of life by embracing  a holistic approach to wellness that addresses their physical, intellectual, and spiritual needs.

9. Youth are aware of and have access to community resources to empower and improve their own quality of life.

Our vision will be realized when nine results are achieved, and the strategies and action steps outlined in our work plan detail how we will accomplish those results.

For more information on the Mid-North Quality of Life Plan – including the document itself in downloadable .pdf format, go to www.midnorthplan.org.

Mellisa Gallant and Jordan Munson have collaborated on the first da Vinci project.

that arena, having worked at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for all of the 1980s, followed by four years at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, then three years as executive director of the Children’s Museum of Wilmington, N.C.

In more recent months, Kesling has been working “with a lot of really neat people,” many of whom he met during his stint as executive director of the American Cabaret Theatre.

He still strongly believes the lack of a science museum is a gaping hole in the city’s resume. But a question at one brainstorming session by architect Michael Halstead has considerably altered the trajectory of Kesling’s project. Halstead asked the standard architect’s question: “Why do you need a building?”

Turns out the answer is, “We don’t.”

Which is why the city’s first science museum – heretofore known as the da Vinci Pursuit – is no    museum at all. Rather, think of it as museum meets food truck meets pop-up shop. Kesling’s current vision: the city’s environment will be the museum.

Here’s how Kesling and his Board of Directors and other advisors now see it: The daVinci Pursuit will create exhibit-like installations and challenges throughout the Indianapolis region. Constructed and designed by the public, these installations will offer outdoor and indoor learning environments. The ensuing will “enable the public to explore a variety of engaging and challenging topics while engendering an atmosphere not unlike a gallery opening or public performance.”

Kesling wants each installation to serve an educational purpose, but also have a certain aesthetic appeal – a marriage of science and art. But the overriding goal is to make science clearer, rather than fostering science fiction or confusion.

Once the brain trust set aside the idea of having to raise $3 to $5 million dollars for a building which might not even serve the goal, the project coalesced. “Taking the museum concept and taking it everyplace gave us huge freedom,” Kesling said.

Kesling also wants to make the public a partner in the process. Not only does the public get involved by chasing down where and when the exhibits will be staged, he sees the partnership working on three other levels – art and science professionals come together to stage an exhibit; the public gets to take part in the creative process; and the public gets to be the audience.

“We’ll advertise through a website and through social media that something is going to happen at a certain location and a certain weekend,” he said. Kesling envisions installations along the Monon Trail or the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, in city parks, perhaps even in park buildings. “Each exhibit will be maintained as long as it survives,” Kesling said. “Some may be semi-permanent or even permanent.” Perhaps, he added, adopted by the host organization or sponsor.

Who knows?

The da Vinci Project will be a low-budget operation, with perhaps only one employee. “My job will be to find funding for the individual ideas,” Kesling said.

Those ideas are myriad. One example: How about a food orchestra based on the heat signatures of rotting fruit? Art and science. Kesling expects “ideas which on the surface don’t look like they have a practical reason for existence – but that’s what an arts-and-science museum ought to be about. We want it to be whimsical and not too high-brow.” Nevertheless, he wants the exhibits to be “legitimate art or legitimate science.” Ideally, both.

When you think of famous fashion designers, your mind likely wanders to Paris, New York, Milan. Does it wander back

This Traina-Norell design appeared in an October 1949 advertisement for L.S. Ayres. (Image courtesy Thomas Brown)

to Indianapolis? Probably not. The beginnings of a movement have a few forward-thinkers wondering if this is a city where fashion design has a place. Those fashionistas might benefit from taking a look back at one of the nation’s most acclaimed designers ever, Norman Norell, who hailed from Indianapolis.

It’s surprising that Norell’s name, recognized internationally for his contributions to the world of fashion, is not well-remembered in his hometown. On the other hand, the majority of us who grew up here shopped at malls, rather than on Seventh Avenue. So we may be excused our general lack of knowledge about one of fashion’s greats and our nearly universal exposure to the much more commonplace stores that populated area malls. Stores such as the one started by Norell’s father – Harry Levinson.

Norman David Levinson was born in Noblesville in 1900. His father, Harry, opened a men’s hat store in Indianapolis and moved the family to the big city in 1905 when Norman was five.

The Indianapolis City Directory shows that by 1914, the family business had expanded to three locations in Downtown Indianapolis. Success meant that Levinson could afford to move his brood to the upscale suburbs and the impressive home they occupied by then at 4160 North Pennsylvania St.

As soon as Norman was old enough, he began working at his father’s business, which eventually expanded into the men’s clothing store, Harry Levinson and Co. But despite a good opportunity to be successful in men’s clothing, Indianapolis was not big enough to hold the young Norman. He was determined to make a name for himself and he did so literally. Dropping his surname, Levinson, he took the moniker, Norman Norell. Nearly every book and article on Norell explains the source of his new name: “Nor for Norman, L for Levinson and another L for Looks.”

By the 1920s, the dark-haired, lanky Norell was becoming known for more than his looks. After studying at both the Parsons School of Design and the Pratt Institute in New York, he took a job at Astoria Studio at Paramount Pictures. According to the book, “The Great Fashion Designers,” Norell designed Gloria Swanson’s costumes for the film, “Zaza,” and was responsible for Rudolph Valentino’s hotness in “The Sainted Devil.”

Eventually, the studio closed and Norell moved on to other work. He created costumes for several Broadway musicals and then began designing for the first time for a dress manufacturer named Charles Armour.

Norell got a big break when designer Hattie Carnegie hired him in 1928. Carnegie, as most American fashion designers, made affordable versions of Paris designs. It’s likely that some of Norell’s knock-offs for Carnegie found their way back home to Indianapolis, selling at department stores such as Block’s and L. S. Ayres.

Norell worked for Carnegie for more than a decade until a rift over a dress design finally prompted him to move on. Joining forces with clothing manufacturer Anthony (or Antony) Traina, the partnership finally put Norell’s name onto the fashions he designed. Traina-Norell brought precision fit and a full collection, rather than the typical assortment of separates, to the American ready-to-wear market.

Bernadine Morris, the senior fashion editor for The New York Times, loved Norell’s work at Traina-Norell and wrote that she tried to buy as much of his line as she could afford. She later claimed in his obituary that he made “Seventh u  u Avenue the rival of Paris.”

Norell’s style was classic, simple and posh. He liked simple necklines, menswear touches and sailor dresses. His work for Traina-Norell, although ready-to-wear, was deftly constructed and timeless, each piece typically built entirely by one person. In 1943, Norman Norell was the first American designer to win the American Fashion Critics Coty Award.

In 1956, a full-color spread in “Life Magazine” touted Norell as the man “generally regarded in the fashion industry as America’s top designer.” A few years later, in 1960, his partner, Traina, retired and the design business was finally operating under one name alone. “Norell” became the label of choice for the fashionable and the famous. Dinah Shore, Lauren Bacall, Babe Paley and Lena Horne proudly sported Norells.

In the 1960s, when fashion took a turn toward the psychedelic, Norell stayed the course with great looking clothes that managed to be both trend-setting and classy. A short coat made entirely of silk organza flowers in dark pinks and stark white is a standout from this period in the collection of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. Sleek, body-hugging sequined gowns, which moved like liquid snakeskin, flowed from the pen of Norell during this period, covering the pages of style magazines and the bodies of models and movie stars.

Norell was an unassuming man and not known for the artistic tantrums found elsewhere in the fashion world. Still, he wasn’t afraid to use his reputation to make a point. He made headlines in 1963 for returning the Coty award that he won again that year. He was peevish because one of the other winners was Rudi Gernreich, the avant garde designer of the topless swimsuit.

Norell’s timeless designs remained popular right up to the time of his death in 1972 and beyond. Sadly he had a stroke the day before the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s opening of a retrospective of his work and died a few days later, having never seen it.

Although he may not yet be famous in his hometown, Norell is still a sought-after name in vintage fashion. The Huffington Post reported that Michelle Obama wore a Norell to a White House Christmas event in 2010. Norman Norell is a fine inspiration for aspiring Indiana fashion designers. Even if they grew up wearing Harry Levinson. n

Connie Zeigler is president and owner of C. Resources, Inc.  Connie is a writer and a historic preservationist who consults on preservation and greening of historic buildings. She lives in Fountain Square and blogs at INArchitecture on cresourcesinc.blogspot.com.

Gently used books, along with DVDs, compact discs, audiobooks and video games, can now be donated at several Downtown locations:

- Global Gifts, 446 Mass Ave (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday).

- The YMCA at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St. (5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 5. p.m. weekends).

- The Best Chocolate in Town, 880 Mass. Ave. (11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday).

- Indy Reads Office in the Library Services Center, 2450 N. Meridian St. (noon to 5 p.m. weekdays).

- WFYI, 1630 N. Meridian St. (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays).

 Book-drives will also take place on the Butler Campus (Friday, Feb. 24) and IUPUI ( Thursday, March 1). The local organization Giving Sum will also be conducting book-drives.

Travis DiNicola, executive director of Indy Reads, hopes to be able to announce the location of the bookstore soon and open the doors later this spring. His plans are for the bookstore to be located in the Downtown area along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Indy Reads Books will sell donated used books with proceeds benefitting Indy Reads’ literacy tutoring programs, he said.

All types of books and media items, except for textbooks and magazines, are welcome at this time. Some items may be sold through a third-party service prior to the store opening.

Contributions are tax-deductible as provided by state and federal law. Indy Reads can not give receipts for books donated through the collection boxes. If donors wish to claim a deduction they will need to keep a record of the number of donated books and type (hardcover or paperback). Receipts will be available at the store after it opens.

 Indy Reads Books will further support the mission of Indy Reads by providing private space for tutors and students to meet, as well as training opportunities and other functions.

Initial funding for Indy Reads Books has been secured through grants from Margot Lacy Eccles, the Efroymson Fund, the Glick Fund, and Giving Sum.
Additional collection locations will be announced soon.

For more information, or to inquire about maintaining a collection box at a business or other organization, please contact DiNicola at 275-4035 or tdinicola@indyreads.org.

Indy Reads is central Indiana’s only accredited adult literacy program. Its mission is to improve the literacy skills of adults in central Indiana who read or write at or below the sixth grade level. The goal is to make Indianapolis 100-percent literate. First established more than 30 years ago, Indy Reads uses volunteers to provide free, basic literacy tutoring to illiterate and semi-literate adults. Indy Reads programming includes one-on-one tutoring, small group sessions, English as a Second Language instruction, and Literacy Labs at neighborhood centers. Learn more at www.IndyReads.org.

– The west side of the 500 block, where a plan is already under way to redevelop property now occupied by Indianapolis Fire Dept. facilities and the Firefighters Credit Union.

– The former Coca-Cola property on the west side of the 800 block, an 11½-acre site now owned by Indianapolis Public Schools but long considered prime redevelopment. No plans are currently active for that site, while a past attempt to redevelop the property fell victim to the national economic downturn.

The plan was unveiled Jan. 11 by Mark Fisher, director of engagement for DevelopIndy, the city’s economic development arm. Also taking part in the presentation at the Athenaeum were officials from the City’s Department of Metropolitan Development and CB Richard Ellis, the real estate firm helping city officials sort through several redevelopment proposals for the 500 block.

The City sought proposals for the 500 block last fall, insisting that any plan to relocate the Fire Station No. 7 and the Indianapolis Fire Dept. headquarters would have to be revenue-neutral to the City. Fisher said the creation of a tax-increment financing district, commonly known as a TIF, is considered essential to make that work. A TIF does not create any new taxes. What it does is dedicate any new taxes generated by redevelopment to be reinvested in the TIF district. That action allows the tax revenue to be used for infrastructure improvements required by the new development, including the construction of parking garages.

Parking, in fact, was stressed more than once during the meeting. Fisher said any parking built into the redevelopment of the 500 block must not only meet the needs of the project itself, but also to create “a parking solution for Mass Ave.”

“Without the TIF,” Fisher said, “it doesn’t look like this development could be as successful as it needs to be.”

According to City officials, much of the land included in the TIF district is underutilized, with about 51 percent of it now occupied by surface parking lots. Redevelopment of both the fire station and Coca-Cola sites would boost the tax rolls significantly, since both are now occupied by tax-exempt government properties. The district also includes the Trail Side on Mass Ave project, now under construction in the 800 block of Mass Ave.

The TIF district itself is actually an extension of an existing Downtown TIF district. The expansion includes not only parts of Mass Ave, but also areas around St. Clair Street. A second area involves land between Wishard Hospital and 16th Street, west of Fall Creek and east of White River.

The City-County Council’s Metropolitan Development Committee is scheduled to hear the proposal on Jan. 23, followed by a Jan. 30 hearing by the City-County Council. A further hearing by the Metropolitan Development Commission would follow at 1 p.m. Feb. 15.

As far as the current project in the 500 block of Mass Ave., officials from CB Richard Ellis said they were nearing a completion of their comprehensive analysis of the proposals. City officials are expected to make a final decision on the development in March or early in the second quarter.

Fisher said the proposals are all high-quality, showing that the would-be developers paid close attention to feedback received at public meetings last year.

Also nearing completion is the selection of a new site for Fire Station No. 7. What seems more certain is that the fire headquarters will move to the historic former School 97, also known as the Roberts School, on East 10th Street adjacent to the Arsenal Technical High School campus. The Firefighters Credit Union, although privately owned, also appears likely to follow one of the relocations.