Emerson Avenue Addition Historic District

The Emerson Avenue Addition Historic District is a residential neighborhood in east Indianapolis with around 1,000 buildings spread across 143 acres. The structures include more than 650 houses and over 330 garages arranged along grid streets to form planned neighborhoods.

The district developed between 1910 and 1940 as a planned residential community for the growing city. During this period, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and American Craftsman homes with brick facades and front porches were built.

Skilled workers, teachers, and journalists made their homes here and built close-knit neighborhoods in this early suburban development. Their houses reflect the pride of middle-class families establishing themselves in growing Indianapolis.

The district sits roughly 5 miles east of downtown Indianapolis, bounded by Emerson Avenue, Linwood Avenue, East 10th Street, and East Michigan Street. Visitors can walk the streets and view the different house types and architectural details from the sidewalks.

Several houses in the district were ordered from Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalogs, showing how mail-order homes changed American homebuilding. These homes, assembled from prefabricated parts, represent an unusual moment when people could build a house by ordering from a catalog.

Location: Indianapolis

GPS coordinates: 39.77694,-86.08111

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:00