Indianapolis Catacombs, Underground passages from 1886 beneath City Market in Indianapolis, United States.
The Indianapolis Catacombs are an underground network of brick passages with limestone columns and arched ceilings running beneath the downtown streets. The system extends under several city blocks and connects former business structures with natural storage areas.
The network originated in the 1880s as part of the infrastructure surrounding City Market and Tomlinson Hall, a public venue for trade and events. After Tomlinson Hall burned in 1958, the underground chambers survived and were later rediscovered by heritage conservationists.
The passages reflect practical solutions that merchants developed in the 19th century to organize their businesses. Visitors can still see traces of this commercial activity embedded in the structure of the underground network today.
Visitors should bring portable lighting since the passages have limited illumination and require some caution when exploring. Surface conditions and access depend on the current site status, so it is wise to check ahead of time.
The chambers still contain original ice wells where merchants kept ice and perishable goods cool and stored them directly from the market above. This storage method reveals how commerce operated long before modern refrigeration existed.
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