Cottage Home: Indy Neighborhood Profile

Taken from my DHC Blog >>>

I first came across the Cottage Home neighborhood about ten years ago when I started working in downtown Indianapolis. I really enjoyed taking the back-streets on my early morning and rush hour drives to and from work --- It was a trip in time, driving by houses built 100+ years ago. In so doing, I came across Dorman Street, North Street, and Highland Avenue. Most Indy-philes know about the Lockerbie Square and Woodruff Place neighborhoods, but I think the smaller Cottage Home gets seemingly lost behind the I-70 highway.

East of I-70, Cottage Home is located on Indy's near east side, bounded by 10th, Oriental, and Michigan Streets. The area takes its name from the style of houses built there in the last quarter of the 1800's, when the area's first residents built modest frame cottages in a variety of styles, most notably the Queen Anne. They showcase turned posts, spindles, gingerbread-trimmed porches, brackets, and fish-scale shingles, the favorite designs of their era.

What's exciting to me is that, more so than Lockerbie and Chatham-Arch, there's still opportunity to be a part of the rehabilitation process in Cottage Home. Several homes are candidates for restoration ... Like many of the city's downtown residential areas, beginning in the 1940s, the area suffered a general decline. Residents lacked incentive to invest in their properties following suburban flight after World War II, the demolition of too many houses to make way for the interstates, and a general disdain of the old architecture.

Until the 1980's.

Finally, people re-discovered their history, and the 150-home community began a renewal. The Cottage Home Neighborhood Association was formed in 1984 and remains as one of the city's most active neighborhood groups. And in 2008, the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission voted to approve the Cottage Home Conservation Plan.

What's been happening lately? Houses are being moved to save them from demolition. Residents, both current and potential, are being educated about the best-practices of restoration. Vacant lots are being purchased to preserve the community. Zones are being changed from industrial to residential. Crime watch and neighborhood clean-ups are on going. Bi-monthly neighborhood meetings as well as a Cottage Home Block Party reflect neighbors who are engaged and committed.
If you're thinking about moving downtown and you're interested in the older homes of Indianapolis with prices starting in the mid-$100s, don't forget about Cottage Home ... call me to help you find what you're looking for!

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Jeffrey Landers
  REALTOR® - The Dream Home Company, REALTORS®
  8515 Cedar Place Drive, Suite #108
  Indianapolis, IN 46240
    317-750-9767 / Cell-Text
    317-802-1299 / Office
    317-489-6740 / Fax
jeff@dreamhomecompany.com