Polk's Indianapolis (Marion County, Ind.) city directory, 1894, Part 1

Author:
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: R.L. Polk
Number of Pages: 952

USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Polk's Indianapolis (Marion County, Ind.) city directory, 1894 > Part 1
USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Polk's Indianapolis (Marion County, Ind.) city directory, 1894 > Part 1

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R. L. POLK & CO.'S 1.5% INDIANAPOLIS

CITY DIRECTORY

For 1894.

EMBRACING A COMPLETE ALPHABETICAL LIST OF BUSINESS FIRMS PRIVATE CITIZENS, A DIRECTORY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OFFICERS, CHURCHES AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BENEVOLENT, LITERARY AND OTHER ASSOCIATIONS, BANKS, INCOR- PORATED INSTITUTIONS, INDIANA STATE GOVERN- MENT, ETC., ALSO A COMPLETE DIRECTORY OF MT. JACKSON, BRIGHTWOOD, HAUGH- VILLE, IRVINGTON, NORTH INDIANAP- OLIS AND WEST INDIANAPOLIS. TO WHICH IS ADDED

A REVISED MAP OF THE CITY AND SUBURBS WITH STREET GUIDE ALSO

A COMPLETE CLASSIFIED BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Volume XL.

INDI

OF CORPORATE

OLIS.

SEAL

INDIANAPOLIS : COMPILED AND PUBLISHED BY R. L. POLK & CO. CARLON & HOLLENBECK, PRINTERS AND BINDERS.

1894.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1894, by R. L. Polk & Co., in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C.

ALLIED PRINTING

UNION TRADES ( TO) COUNCIL ARE INDIANAPOLIS

R 917 7252 1894

FORTIETH VOLUME.

INTRODUCTORY.

B42038

In presenting this, the fortieth volume of the Directory of the City of Indianap- olis, the publishers, with some degree of pride and satisfaction, call attention to the handy size of the volume and its clear, compact, artistic and beautiful typograph- ical appearance. The city has had a sur- prisingly vigorous growth during the past twelve months and the effort of the pub- lishers has been to make in this volume a full showing of all names that belong to a work of this character, and at the same time to keep the greatly augmented list from making a book too bulky for con- venient reference. This volume for 1894 will show for itself how successfully this has been done.

POPULATION.

Notwithstanding the business depression of the last half of 1893 the population of Indianapolis again shows a satisfactory in- crease. This is accounted for by the fact that the ill effects of the financial strin- gency touched this city more lightly than elsewhere. The number of the unemployed was never in as large proportion to the population as in other cities of the country, while the cost of living-food, rent and fuel-has always been low.

The Directory of 1893 contained 55,025 names; this Directory contains 57,598, an increase of 2,573 names. Allowing two and a half in population to the name, which is a very conservative estimate, and one which in past years has been found to tally closely with the census-the increase for the year has been 6,422, and the population as shown by the Directory of 1894 is 143,995, or, in round figures, 144,000. This includes, of course, the immediate suburbs of Indi- anapolis, which are as much a part of it as if they were under the same municipal government, as they should be, as they de- pend upon Indianapolis for their existence.

At the present rate of increase it is plain- ly to be seen that the population of this city less than six years hence, at the be- ginning of the year 1900, will be more than 200,000. It is, however, not unlikely that

this figure will be greatly exceeded, the rapid development of Indiana as a manu- facturing State being of direct benefit to this city, with its superior advantages in cheap living, abundance of common labor, central location and admirable facilities as a shipping point.

"THE CITY OF HOMES."

A few years ago the name of "The City of Concentric Circles" was given to Indi- anapolis. Before this it had been long known as the "Railroad City;" but for sev- eral years the name most frequently ap- plied to it, especially by visitors, is "The City of Homes," a designation it is pre- eminently entitled to wear. In no city of the Union is wealth more evenly distributed than here. The extremes of great wealth and pinching poverty do not present them- selves in this community. There are not three millionaires in the population, but there are thousands in comfortable and prosperous circumstances, and nearly sev- enty-five per cent. of mechanics and em- ployes own their homes and are putting by money in building associations. There is almost an entire absence of class dis- tinctions, owing, doubtless, to the fact that the population stands so nearly on the same financial level. The even distribution of wealth gives to the population a perma- nence and stability possessed by no other large city, and has insured to Indianapolis a peaceful and law-abiding community which has made her greatly envied by other cities. Popular disturbances, usual to large American cities, are here infre- quent and have been free from the blood- shed that accompanies them elsewhere.

A GREAT RAILROAD CENTER.

Indianapolis is the city nearest the center of population in the United States and near- est the center of the great railroad and commercial systems. It has for years been a convenient and popular meeting-place for organizations of an inter-state and national nature. The hospitable character of its citizens has done much to bring such gath-

INTRODUCTORY.

erings here, but the greatly increased hotel accomodations will insure even more ex- tended recognition in the future. The pres- ent hotel equipment of this city is of mag- nificent proportions, giving capacity to en- tertain any gathering that is likely to be called together in this country for many years to come. Previous to 1893 there was doubt as to whether this city could enter- tain a national convention of one of the dominant political parties, but the manner in which the National Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic was cared for last September wholly dispelled all doubt on that score. The maintaining of the hotels of this city is not dependent upon great gatherings of people at this point, numerous as they may be, but on every-day commercial patronage which naturally comes here by reason of its location as a railroad center.

Fifteen completed lines of railroad enter this city, and these connect with nearly one hundred lines within the State and near its borders. These fifteen lines all bring their passengers into the new Union Station, the handsomest and best arranged structure for the purpose ever erected. From this sta- tion one hundred and twenty-five passenger trains arrive and depart every twenty-four hours, carrying a daily average of twenty- five thousand passengers and making this station a scene of perpetual bustle. It is worthy of note that this great throng of people is so well looked after by the offic- ers chosen for that duty that years go by without the sightest accident to a single passenger.

MANUFACTURES AND MERCHANDISE

It is estimated that a popuation exceed- ing two milions is directly dependent upon and tributary to the trade of this city. The wholesale houses here are known far and wide for their solid and conservative character and their thorough business in- tegrity. Indianapolis is known everywhere as an honest market for both buyers and sellers. No other city can show so few faiures among jobbers during the past twenty-five years, the period in which the wholesale trade of Indianapolis has been built up. There are now over three hun- dred wholesale houses, with sales aggre- gating sixty millions a year. Retail houses in the various lines of merchandis- ing number about 1,100. The country tribu- tary to the trade of this city has, during the past ten years, greaty increased in wealth and the county towns have become active, thriving cities, with multiplied wants which this city is called upon to fill. This is not 'alone true of the natural gas region, the growth of which has been most extraordinary, but of nearly all the terri- tory in which this city is interested.

Over one thousand factories, great and small, are in operation in this city and its suburbs. Their output is distributed all

over the United States and territories, while no inconsiderable quantity is shipped to far-off foreign lands. Many of these fac- tories, by the use of natural gas, not. only save money on their fuel bills but obtain a superior product to that produced by coal fuel. This is specially noticed in a number of steel products.

The manufactories located in the gas field must necessarily look to this city for most of their supplies and facilities for shipment of their output. While gas fuel is made free in many parts of the gas field, that fact does not overcome the disadvantages under which they do business. Many of them have found it a mistake to have located away from police and fire protection, where com- mon labor is often difficult to obtain and where there is a heavy additional cost in transportation.

THE WELFARE OF THE CITY.

The merchants, manufacturers, bankers and business men of the city support two organizations which are generous rivals in working for the benefit of the city and ad- vertising its advantages far and wide. These are the Board of Trade and the Com- mercial Club, the last named occupying a new eight-storied stone front building, which is not only an architectural triumph in appearance but is a model of business comfort and convenience. This building was erected by the Club and is owned by it. The Board of Trade also occupies its own building and both organizations are on a solid financial footing.

Years ago it was seen that with the great number of railroads centering here and the constantly increasing freight traffic that it would be necessary to have a belt road to transfer cars from one line to another and to carry them around instead of through the city. All the roads are connected with the Belt, which connects also with the Union tracks and the Union Stock Yards. Over five thousand freight cars pass daily over this Belt and from three to five hundred car-loads of stock are handled daily at these yards.

A great number of large manufacturing enterprises are located on the Belt and find the finest tracking facilities afforded in the country.

STREET RAILROAD FACILITIES.

Visitors never fail to notice the street rail- road facilities here and the comparisons that follow are always complimentary to the Indianapolis lines. The Citizen's Street Railroad Company's lines extend to every part of the city and to the following sub- urbs: Brightwood, Mapleton, North Indi- anapolis, Haughville, Mount Jackson, West Indianapolis and Irvington. The entire population of the city and its suburbs is brought in direct and speedy connection with the wholesale and retail and manufac- turing precincts.

INTRODUCTORY.

On January 1, 1894, the company had eighty-one miles of electric road and six- teen miles of animal power. On January 1, 1893, there were twenty-five miles of elec- trically equipped road and fifty miles of animal power. The difference between in- dicates the great work that has been done in twelve months. The equipment of the lines is rapidly being brought up to the best standard known in street railway art.

Fifty new vestibule cars were put on early in 1894. The property is bonded at four millions of dollars and capitalized at five millions. The total number of men on the pay-roll varies, ranging from seven hun- dred to eight hundred, including extras. During the past year the company was the largest employer of labor in the city, em- ploying, in addition to the car-running force, over 1,500 men, the latter in construc- tion alone.

The present transfer ticket is the most liberal in use in the United States, except the one used in Rochester, N Y., which is exactly like it, and allows transfer from every line to every line. This liberal sys- tem of transfer extends to the suburban lines. During the present year the sys- tem will be made electric throughout and when this is done there will be no city in the world with as comulete a system of street railway lines and so admirably adapted to the needs of the community it serves as Indianapolis.

MATERIAL IMPROVEMENT.

Notwithstanding that 1893 was everywhere held to be a year of depression, this city went forward in its course of material improvement, its progress being marked both by great public and private enterprises. Many miles of new streets and sewers were made, the work being continued far into the winter when such work usually is suspended. Many miles of handsome concrete sidewalks were laid, while others for the present year were planned sufficient to make this, when the work is completed, the best furnished in beautiful and durable sidewalks of any city in the West. Several large and expensive buildings have been completed during the past year. Among these may be mentioned the new City Library, an example of pure classic architecture that is greatly admired and is embellished by a bronze group which adds yet more to its beauty; the handsome buiding of the Socialer Turn- Verein, on Michigan street near New Jer- sey, and the County Prison, on South Ala- bama street. Among the handsome busi- ness blocks erected during the year may be mentioned W. B. Burford's block on Pearl street and the Cordova building on West Washington street. The number of busi- ness blocks and private residences erected while not up to the standard of the pre- vious year, was in every way creditable to the push and enterprise of the city. It

should be remarked that Indianapolis, un- like most cities, depends but little on for- eign capital in making her business build- ings, and her business property, like the residence property, is owned here and is not numbered among the assets of foreign loaning associations.

HEALTH, BEAUTY, CONVENIENCE.

Indianapolis is a city of health, beauty and convenience. The broad streets lined with magnificent shade trees are the ad- miration of all visitors. The pure atmos- phere, clear and smokeless because of the almost universal use of natural gas fuel, is also a matter of frequent favorable com- ment. Pure water, pure air and an entire absence of the tenement house system usual to large cities combine to cut down the percentage of deaths to a remarkable low figure. Its school system is acknowl- edged everywhere and by the highest au- thorities to be the best in the United States. The school buildings are all modern, con- veniently located and arranged, and of sub- stantial character. There are two high schools, thirty-six buildings for the lower grades, 375 teachers and :21,200 enrolled scholars. The maintaining of these schools costs $400,000 a year. Butler University, at Irvington, connected with the city by elec- tric railroad, is an institution of which the State may well be proud. Its corps of pro- fessors and tutors is complete and em- braces the highest educational talent. Irv- ington is the most attractive suburb of the city and the spacious grounds about the University are beautiful. Irvington is noted for its handsome residences, well shaded avenues and picturesque drives.

Indianapolis has long been known as a city of churches and several new ones have been built during the past year. The churches now number 152, representing an investment of over $10,000,000, with a mem- bership of 40,000 and a Sunday-school at- tendance of 35,000.

The fuel supply of the city and its sub- urbs is unsurpassed. Indianapolis, the me- tropolis of the State, the political, financial and social center of Indiana, stands on the border of the largest continuous district of gas-bearing land in the world, comprising over twenty thousand square miles, an area that has been tested by thousands of gas wells, the tests giving ample demonstration that the supply is inexhaustible. Three lines penetrate this wonderful field from this city-the Consumers' Trust, the In- dianapolis Natural Gas Company and the Manufacturers' Natural Gas Company, the last named being, as its name indicates, for supplying manufacturing enterprises exclusively. The saving to private consum- ers by the use of this fuel is not less than a million dollars a year, while the cleanli- ness and convenience experienced in its use are beyond computation in dollars and cents.

INTRODUCTORY.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PARKS.

Indianapolis takes pride in the public buildings within her borders. The greatest of these is the State House, a marvel of beauty and solidity which cost, built with the most scrupulous care and most exact- ing honesty, $2,000,000; a County Court House, $1,600,000; Tomlinson Hall, in which all large popular assemblages meet, capa- ble of seating nearly 5,000 persons; a new Union Station, $1,000,000; the finest Soldiers' Monument in the world, costing nearly half a million, and towering to such a height that it can be seen for miles; the Central Hospital for the Insane, with 1,600 patients and nearly 400 employes, a little city in itself; the State Institute for the Blind; the State Insitute for the Deaf and Dumb; the Women's Prison and State Re- formatory for Women and Girls; a City Hospital the equipment of which is second to none in the West. There is great ac- tivity in medical and surgical art and there are a dozen sanitoriums in which patients are cared for. In the residence portions of the city the houses are not crowded to- gether as in most cities. Each residence, from the statliest mansion to the humblest cottage has its own front and back yards separating it from its neighbors. In most of the streets all fences have been removed, thus permitting the beautiful and well kept lawns to join together. This gives a suc- cession of little parks and makes a favor- able impression upon visitors.

The city is now beginning to pay more at- tention to the subject of public parks. There are three public parks north of Washington street. They are small but are pretty breathing spots. These are Mil- itary, Blind Asylum and University Parks, the first named and largest containing fourteen acres, the others being the dimen- sions of a single city square bounded by four streets.

On the southern edge of the city is Gar- field Park, a tract containing over eighty acres. This is now being adorned and beautified. It bids fair to be a place of ex- ceeding beauty, as the ground has great natural advantages. The tract is graceful- ly rolling, a good part of it covered with native forest trees. There are broad drive- ways, winding walks for pedestrians and rustic seats for the weary. Among the at- tractions is a good-sized and very pretty lake formed by the confluent waters of Pleasant Run and Bean Creek, two pic- turesque little streams that meander through the park from east to west.

There are also two large parks on the north side of the city which, though open to the public, are of private ownership. One of these is the Armstrong Park and the other Fairview Park, the last named being the property of the Citizens' Street Railroad Company. The company is con-

stantly adding to the attractions of this place, which has great natural beauty and is capable of a high degree of adornment. This park is a succession of delightful wooded knolls, which rise above the val- ley which is to the west and north and overlook a most charming prospect of wa- ter, fields, meadows and woodland.

BANKS AND FINANCE.

The city has four national banks, Indi- ana National, Merchants' National, Meri- dian National and Capital National, and three private banks, S. A. Fletcher & Co., the State Bank of Indiana and the Bank of Commerce. These institutions have an ag- gregate capital of $5,000,000 and transact business on the most conservative princi- ples. Indianapolis has no savings bank for the wage earner, its place being taken by building and loan associations which, thus far, have been signally safe and profitable to investors. During the past ten years these institutions have added hundreds of thousands of dollars to the tangible wealth of the community and have built up scores of new additions with cosy and beautiful homes for working people. These associ- ations now exceed one hundred and their aggregate capital is $10,000,000.

FIRE AND POLICE.

The fire and police departments of Indi- anapolis have been wholly removed from political influences and are now strictly non-partisan. The head of these two branches of the public service is the Board of Public Safety, consisting of three mem- bers, only two of whom may belong to the same political party. The membership of the two forces is divided equally between the two great political parties. The effect of this policy in the fire department has been especially good, and the department has an efficiency second to none in the country. The force is small considering the area it is required to protect, the territory being about twenty-one square miles. Dur- ing the past year this city has had no large or disastrous fires. The streets are wide and only twice in the history of the city has a fire succeeded in crossing a street. There are seven steam engines, three chemical engines, eleven hose wagons, thirteen buildings, 150 miles of fire-alarm wire, 150 fire-alarm boxes, hose, etc. The Indianapolis Water Company (the Holly system) has increased the size of its mains during the year and added materially to the facilities for the protection of property. This company also furnishes the private as well as the public suply of water. Indian- apolis has a better supply of pure water than any city of its size, or larger, in the United States. It is clear, sparkling and beautiful, showing under the investigation of the chemist the highest degree of ex cellence.

INTRODUCTORY.

INDEBTEDNESS, IMPROVEMENTS.

The negotiable indebtedness of the State of Indiana is less than $3,000,000; the in- debtedness of Marion county is about $1,500,000, and that of the city of Indianap- olis about $1,400,000. There is a constitu- tional limitation to the indebtedness of the county and the city. The rate of taxation on property in this city for State, county and city purposes is only $1.67 on the hun- dred dollars.

Up to date the following is an exhibit of the length in miles of all permanently improved streets in the city:

Streets paved with asphalt .. 17.64 miles

Streets paved with brick. .10.56 miles Streets paved with cedar block ... 1.90 miles Streets paved with macadam. 2.28 miles

The work completed in 1893 in permanent street improvements was as follows:

Miles.

Cost.

Asphalt streets.

7.14

$597,024.89

Brick streets

3.42

168,201.69

Total

.10.53

$865,226.68

REAL ESTATE VALUES.

By the original plat of the city, which embraced four sections of land, the lots were made 671/2 feet front by 195 (some 2021/2 feet) deep, and have always been valued by the front foot. If valued by the square foot, as such property is valued in most cities, comparison would show that property is much cheaper here than in oth- er cities of like population. The highest value that the best business property has attained, independent of improvements, is $2,000 a front foot, about equal to $10 a square foot. Second-class business proper- ty is worth from $500 to $750 a front foot, and the best dwelling property from $75 to $200 a front foot. Residence property ad- joining the city limits is valued at from $500 to $2000 an acre, while manufacturing

sites along the line of the Belt Railroad can be had at from $250 to $500 an acre. The reason that property within the city limits can be had for such low figures is on account of the city having been located on a level plain, with facilities for growth in all directions, and no one is compelled to pay an exorbitant price for a choice lo- cation on account of being hemmed in by river, hills or swamps, as is the case in some cities. Rapid transit facilities in this city now make the matter of distance of little consideration, distance being no longer a matter of miles but rather of a few short minutes.

The map of Indianapolis which forms a part of this Directory will be found in every way accurate. It gives the city with all the recent additions up to date. A cor- rected street directory will be found at the bottom of the map.

The value and importance of a City Di- rectory meet with universal acknowledge- ment. In a city like this were the publica- tion of such a work to go over for a single year the annoyance and inconvenience that would arise would be simply incal- culable.

We feel confident, having given our best thought and energy to the preparation of this volume, that in systematic arrange- ment it is all that could be desired, and that the information it contains may be thoroughly relied upon in every particular.

We desire to express to our patrons our grateful and sincere thanks for their cor- dial support and encouragement, without which we would not have achieved the success that has attended our work.

We have in our office, Nos. 23 and 24 Journal Building, a complete library of Directories of all the principal cities of the United States to the use of which we in- vite our patrons.

R. L. POLK & CO.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Abbreviations.

139

Additions and Removals 138

Asylums, Hospitals, etc 69

Bands of Music. 82

Banks and Bankers.

Board of School Commissioners 66

Builders' Exchange ... 70

Building Associations ..

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Polk's Indianapolis (Marion County, Ind.) city directory, 1894, Part 1

Author: Publication date: 1894 Publisher: R.L. Polk Number of Pages: 952

Author:
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: R.L. Polk
Number of Pages: 952