Located not far from central Danville, this marker is in front of a small city park next to one of…read morethe city's firehouses. So if you're here to see the marker, be sure to park carefully and not block the firehouse. The marker has text on both sides. The front reads, "Residential district bounded by Main, East, Cross, and Marion streets. Nineteenth and early twentieth century homes reflect social and economic diversity of residents, including town's prominent citizens. Listed in National Register of Historic Places 1994." And the reverse, "Part of original 1824 Danville plat; county seat of Hendricks County, formed by Indiana General Assembly 1824. Lies west of downtown commercial area and reflects town's growth and prosperity. Town was market center for area farmers 1820s into early 1900s. Industries developed along tracks of Indianapolis and St. Louis Railroad built 1870." This is marker number 32.2000.1 and it was erected in 2000 by the Indiana Historical Bureau, Main Street Historical Association of Danville, and Town of Danville. [Review 1301 of 2024 - 178 in Indiana - 22324 overall]

The Indiana Racing Memorial Association has installed a number of these markers throughout…read moreIndianapolis and the state. This one is not far from the famous racetrack though it is on a side street you might miss otherwise. I was here for the adjacent brewery and so there is plenty of parking to stop and appreciate the marker. It reads, "The Boyle Racing Headquarters housed one of the most significant teams in open wheel racing history. One of the first dedicated race shops in an era when most teams worked from small garages. It was built in 1930 and subsequently rented by Mike Boyle, a notorious Chicago union labor leader and founder of the Boyle Valve Company. Boyle's team was anchored by famed Chief Mechanic "Cotton" Henning, who had previously won the Indianapolis 500 with drivers Pete DePaolo and Bill Cummings. In 1939 Boyle Racing purchased a Maserati 8CTF for the Indy 500 and hired the talented Wilbur Shaw to drive." [Review 20585 overall - 119 in Indiana - 1566 of 2023.]

Carmel honors six great American jazz musicians with sculptures on the west side of the Performing…read moreArts Center. The sculptures by J. Seward Johnson were installed in 2023. (Johnson passed away in 2020.) Each musician is marked with a plaque. The life size musicians are all dressed in white dress shirts, popular with their era. On piano, Indiana's very own Hoagy Carmichael is featured. Gene Krupp from New York plays drums. Jack Teagarden is bent over playing the heck out of his trombone. The famous Louis Armstrong's plays his trombone. Sidney Bechet plays the saxophone, while Milt Hinton strums the bass. The sculpture is easily approachable and is easy to take selfies with the musicians. There is nearby street parking.

The Indiana Government Center is the complex that includes the Indiana Government Center - North,…read moreIndiana Government Center - South, the Indiana State Library and Historical Building, parking garages, the Indiana State House, and very soon the Archives building will also open and be part of the complex. The State House was completed in 1888. It initially held space for both legislative chambers, courts, the State Library, the Governor, the Indiana Supreme Court, legislators, and other state officials. In 1934, the State Library moved to 140 North Senate. In 1960, Indiana Government Center - North was completed at 100 N. Senate. It featured a large plaza, 2,000 windows, and a 900-seat cafeteria (that now has a great view of the Canal). It was connected to the State House, Library, and parking via tunnels. It was less than 20 years when legislators realized more space was needed. In 1988, the Washington Street Parking Garage started construction of newer buildings (it's almost directly across from Victory Field). While the IGC - North had become the biggest government building in the State (14 floors), the South building is a five-story building facing West Washington Street. The South building has over 1 million square feet of office space and includes a cafeteria, atrium, training center, conference area, and office space. There's also a child care center. I'm very high on the State House. It's a beautiful, historic building that is also quite functional. If you want a journey through Indiana history, I'd plan to visit it. The Indiana Government Center North and South buildings are more about function. Both buildings have public entrances that must be utilized (employees have additional options, of course). Parking is decent, though fairly expensive around the campus with a mix of garages and meters. The tunnel system works well, though certainly it wasn't built with access in mind. Accessibility is a solid 4-star. There are accessible stalls in every bathroom, though no family bathrooms or additional amenities. There are lactation rooms in the buildings. There was a fairly recent reduction in accessible spaces in at least one garage. The plazas, especially Robert D. Orr Plaza, are quite nice. There's an annual "Statehouse Market" that is quite nice for employees and those in the area (think a Farmer's Market adding food trucks). I love access to the Canal. I love the murals, public art, and I'm a big fan of the Conference Center. Dining around the area is hit-and-miss. The vending machines and snack shops are all run by blind and visually impaired vendors. They are overpriced, of course, but I feel better knowing I'm supporting someone with a disability to be in the workforce. Typical of Indiana, these buildings really are more about substance than style. However, I'm quite the fan of this complex and it offers way more than people realize (plus, it's lately a grand venue for the various protests.). If you've never checked it out, I highly recommend it.

Pan is a Mini statue located in university park of downtown Indianapolis Indiana…read more This area has all kinds of cool and larger than life public art so it is kinda easy to miss this smaller piece. The statue features a flute player who may or may not be Peter Pan. He sitting stop of what id call a tree stump. Overall fun piece and located In a area that is a statue or public art lovers idea spot. Cool area to discover

OLD NORTHSIDE HISTORIC DISTRICT IN INDY IS CHARMING…read more================================================ In August of 2025 my husband and I rented an Airbnb in the Old Northside Historic District to stay close to some family members nearby. You can walk all over the place from there, but it was a bit warm at the beginning of August, so we didn't do too much walking. We stayed near College and 16th. 16th is the border on the north side, Pennsylvania Street on the west, Interstate I-65 on the south, and Bellefontaine Street on the east. The Monon Trail runs along the eastern edge of The Frank and Judy O'Bannon Old Northside Soccer Park. We walked on the Monon Trail by this park and it was beautiful. A lot of the homes in this area reflect the Late Victorian style. This area was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 1978. This area was a prominent residential area in the late 19th century when some more affluent residents built mansions in the area. Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, called this area home. It was also the original location of Butler University which was later relocated to another town. This neighborhood changed in the early 1910's when families built homes further north in Indianapolis.

For the longest time, my basic path to my downtown office was to take Emerson to East Washington…read morebefore landing at the Indiana Government Center complex. These days, as we all know, there are detours galore and several street projects to deal with along the way. Thus, I now wind my way through the Brookside Park area and then drive through what is known as the Old Northside Historic District. Aptly named because this used to be Indy's old Northside, this historic district is defined by 16th street on the North, Pennsylvania Street on the West, I-65 to the South, and Bellefontaine Street on the East. The Monon Trail borders the east edge of The Frank and Judy O'Bannon Old Northside Soccer Park. This was "the" neighborhood to live in near the turn of the 19th century. Around the 1950s, the area began a steady decline and many original structures were destroyed. In the 1970s, this became a historic district and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since the 1980s, it has really come back to its own. While it's not the place it used to be, it's once again a valued place to live. Much like my own eastside neighborhood, Old Northside is in many ways an oasis surrounded by more economically challenged areas. I don't live in a bad neighborhood, but I am surrounded by them. That's really the same thing here. As a wheelchair user, it's probably easy to figure out why I'd opt for a 4-star instead of a 5-star here. Amidst all of this marvelous history, there are stairs galore. While Indiana Landmarks has done a marvelous job of making their historic home accessible, as has the Benjamin Harrison home, others not so much. You've also got the Harrison Center, Indiana Humanities (Meredith Nicholson home), Morris Butler, McGowan Hall, Redeemer Presbyterian, and a host of other buildings, events (Talbot Street, anyone?), and places to visit. Yes, some of the area continues to need more love and care, however, this really is one of the cooler areas in Indy. Sidewalks and curb cuts are great in renovated areas, however, there are quite a few places where passage is very iffy. With large homes and lots, architecture reflecting the area's history, and a true feeling of neighborhood, this is a well-suited area for those who'd love to live amidst history and with restaurants, coffee shops, and other businesses easily within walking distance. For those with mobility issues, it'll be a more challenging task to live around here as even the apartment buildings tend to be older and challenged in terms of access. For me, I love the Old Northside but it's an area where I love to visit but would most likely never live.

An unexpected find near University Park, Fissure is one of those pieces that rewards you for…read moreslowing down. Osman Akan installed this light sculpture in 2009 and it still feels fresh. It is a cube built from stacked acrylic panels inside a steel frame, and during the day it reads as a quiet geometric form. But if you catch it in the early evening, the LEDs start to glow through the layers and the whole thing shifts into a soft gradient of color. That is when it really comes alive. The lighting is the entire show here. There is no sound, no moving parts and nothing trying to grab your attention. It is just color drifting through the panels as you walk around it. The effect is subtle but surprisingly calming. it is a good example of how contemporary art can fit into a space without feeling out of place. [Review 1030 of 2026 - 236 in Indiana - 26209 overall]

If you look around downtown Indy long enough, you are bound to find one of the "Public Collection"…read moreinstallations. Both public art and lending library (or book share), the installations have books that you are free to borrow while offered within a unique piece of art. This new installation (2019) was created by a pair of artists who have numerous art collaborations around central Indiana: Quincy Owens and Luke Crawley. The installation is seven feet tall and 10' x 8' wide. It is made from aluminum or stainless steel (the sign states both), acrylic, vinyl, with LED components. According to the sign, the horizontal bands pay homage to the Athenaeum which the installation is next to. Once you step inside, you may get a sense of a cage-like structure which is meant to reflect the experience of immigrants who may have difficulty assimilating due to language barriers. But with the wide opening to the installation and numerous books, it is hoped that language and knowledge can help those who feel trapped. I haven't been here at night, but the LED components light up acrylic panels with a quote by Aberjhani: "There is no envy, jealousy, or hatred between the different colors of the rainbow. And no fear either. Because each one exists to make the others' love more beautiful." Review #2945

The City-County Building in Indianapolis acts as the base for our consolidated city-county…read moregovernment. Within it you can find all of the county and city offices. The structure itself is an imposing 28 story structure that, until recently, had nothing alike in its eastern edge of downtown Indianapolis. The building really is an odd mix of adapting to the modern world while still being stuck in time. There are security check points at each of the entrances. Cell phone signals are unusually decent in this old building. And there is evidence of slapping a new coat of paint on certain objects, as seen on the elevator doors. But there is also evidence that the building is a bit stuck in time. It is the only building that I've stepped into in the past several years that had way more than one working pay phones. The dismembered heads of former mayors seem to really lack context until you read the plagues and then you're like "Oh, this is supposed to be honoring them". Even the building itself really just hasn't aged well. Before the Whole Foods Tower (or whatever it is called) was built, nothing really matched it in terms of height so it just kind of sticks out like a sore thumb. Maybe if it was closer to Monument Circle it would blend a bit more in with the other tall buildings, but it just...well, is big and imposing. Then you get into that you have rank-and-file government employees in the same building that is holding criminal trials, and you can kind of see what might've been a good idea 60 years ago might not be a great idea now. To the south is a public square where the original Marion County Courthouse used to stand. It is closed but is set to re-open with a bit more greenspace and whatnot. Oh, I almost forgot. There is an Observation Deck with a small museum on the top floor. You have to access it through the service elevator. It has a small museum of Indy history and a great view. Website link is the Building Authority, which actually owns and operates the building. Yeah, I'm a nerd and love discovering obscure government agencies.

Not sure who to direct this to so I'm trying this. I live in Indianapolis. I've lived here for many…read moremany years. The downtown area has definitely improved in the past 5 years. However...... Who is in charge of the architectural design of new buildings? Why are there so many UGLY buildings going up?? This really ruins the view!!! For example, walking on the Cultural Trail from the canal to the public library downtown: 1. The Addition to the library itself is glass and metal attached to a beautiful old historic building. WHY?? Why do that? 2. Behind the library building are new apartments which look like unfinished boxes in red and blue. (The Congress at Library Square). Please! There is no "library square". WHY? Who approved this monstrosity? 3. Just down the street is a beautiful older building which has apartments. (The Plaza at Library Square). They are embarrassed by the horrible looking apartments next to them. 4. Across from the library are the Meridian Arch condos (Formerly the Meridian Street Methodist Episcopal Church), a beautiful historical building. 5. Walking down the cultural trail, you can view the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Across the street are new apartment BOXES which provide a DISCONCERTING and UNATTRACTIVE view. WHY?? Why would you or WHOEVER allow these UGLY buildings to be put up? WHY??? 6. Further down the pathway is the new Phoenix Theater building which is made from what appears to be gray corrugated cardboard. WHY?? Why couldn't they build a more appealing building? 7. As I walk down the path, I pass by Economy Plumbing, which incorporated a lovely building in the front. 8. Across from that building is Zesco, which sells Restaurant supplies. They utilized a lovely old building to house their business. 9. Across the path from Zesco is a building with metal slats for siding. Apparently this is a Roland Design. Ugh! It is incredibly sad that the city of Indianapolis can't do more to make a consistent architectural plan or design. No one wants to look at the new monstrosities that are being put up endlessly.