What is now the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis started as two rival towns far north of the city limits and along the White River. It was 1836 and construction of the Indiana Central Canal had been approved. The two towns were platted that year to bracket it, Broad Ripple to the north and Wellington to the south.
Broad Ripple, bisected by the Indiana Central Canal. Imagery and map data © 2017 Google.
The Mammoth Internal Improvement Act that funded the Canal and other infrastructure improvements would quickly cause a financial panic that brought Indiana to the brink of bankruptcy. Many of the Act’s improvements were aborted, including the Canal. Of the hundreds of miles the Canal was intended to span, just eight miles were completed, all within Indianapolis.
But the Canal’s construction brought people to the area, and the two towns grew. But by the 1880s Wellington had become a thriving community while Broad Ripple foundered, dwindling to about 35 residents. Yet when a new post office was located in Wellington but given the name Broad Ripple, the less-prosperous town won out and the entire area soon had the name all of Indianapolis knows today.
At first, just the canal and a single dirt road (now Westfield Boulevard) connected Broad Ripple to Indianapolis. In 1883, a railway came to Broad Ripple that connected to Chicago; it would later become the Monon Railroad. In 1894, electric street cars were extended into Broad Ripple; in 1904, the same tracks were used to carry interurban trains. The advent of the automobile led Indiana to form its first highway system in 1917; Westfield Boulevard became part of State Road 1 and, later, the first alignment of US 31. Broad Ripple had become very well connected.
On the Central Canal. Nikon F2AS, 135mm f/3.5 AI Nikkor, Fujicolor 200, 2014
Walking path on the Canal. Canon Canonet QL 17 G-III, Fuji Neopan 100 Acros, 2010
The 1906 Guilford Avenue bridge over the Canal. Kodak Monitor Six-20, Kodak Ektachrome E100G, 2012
Monon Railroad bridge over the Canal. Kodak VR35 K40, Fujicolor 200, 2011
With so many ways to reach Broad Ripple from all over, the town increasingly became a place to go for fun. The well-to-do built cottages along the river; an amusement park went up on the eastern outskirts of town. Businesses filled the town’s main street.
And then in 1924 Broad Ripple was annexed into Indianapolis, and more and more houses were built in the area. It started to become a neighborhood, and the former town’s identity as an amusement destination began to wane. The amusement park was transformed into a city park. The village started to become a commercial center for residents.
In time, buses replaced the streetcars and interurban and the tracks were paved over. US 31 was routed several block west onto Meridian Street, newly built north of the canal. Even the fabled Monon Railroad went defunct. And as happened in every American city, the suburbs kept pushing farther and farther away from the city center. By the 1960s, Broad Ripple was in decline. Residents were leaving and businesses were failing. But the falling rents created opportunity. Quirky shops went into the storefronts and even into some of the homes. A vibrant night life formed, with bars opening along the main street and the former movie theater, the Vogue, becoming a concert venue. Broad Ripple was, once again, a destination for fun.
The Vogue at night. iPhone 5, 2015
The Vogue by day. Rollei A110, Fujicolor Superia 200 (exp. 1996), 2013
The Monkey’s Tale bar, Kodak Monitor Six-20, Kodak Ektachrome E100G, 2012
Bookstore in a big old house, Kodak Brownie Starmatic, Kodak Portra 160, 2012
Kayaks for sale, Kodak Brownie Starmatic, Kodak Portra 160, 2012
Ripple Bagel Deli, Nikon F2AS, 35-70mm Zoom-Nikkor, Fujicolor 200, 2014
My first visit to Broad Ripple was in this era. It was about 1992, and the Terre Haute radio station where I worked gave me tickets to see a concert at the Vogue. And then when I moved to Indianapolis a couple years later I ended up in a neighborhood that’s a quick drive from Broad Ripple. I’ve been there most of the last 23 years. Broad Ripple remains a common destination for me.
Broad Ripple’s main street, today called Broad Ripple Avenue and known as “the strip,” was a fun mix when I moved here: by day, popular shops and art galleries; by night, bars and late-night food joints for a younger crowd. I found the night life to be great fun then.
Now that I’m pushing 50, that kind of nightlife isn’t fun for me anymore. But I still enjoy Broad Ripple’s offbeat shops. My favorite coffee shop in town is there; I’ve written a few blog posts at one of its tables. And the Village remains a great place to go for some photography. I’ve visited it dozens of times for just that purpose.
Tiny Kroger. Olympus XA, Kodak T-Max 400, 2016
Shoe repair. Polaroid Colorpack II, Fujifilm FP-100C, 2017
Corner Wine Bar. Nikon F2AS, 35-70mm Zoom-Nikkor, Fujicolor 200, 2014
Clothing shop on Westfield Boulevard. Kodak VR35 K40, Fujicolor 200, 2011
Good food at Petite Chou. Kodak VR35 K40, Fujicolor 200, 2011
Karmann Ghia parked in front of the natural food store. Palm Pre, 2012.
Street seating awaiting customers. Pentax ME, SMC Pentax 55mm f/1.8, Kodak T-Max 400, 2012
Some things haven’t changed over these years. The strip remains lively and young; the streets just off the strip appeal more to those who’ve graduated from their 20s. The tiny Broad Ripple Kroger remains open somehow. Many of the former residences off the main business district still contain small businesses and restaurants. And when you drive through you can still imagine a time when Broad Ripple was a small town.
But much has changed in Broad Ripple. Businesses have come and gone, of course. Art galleries that used to dot the strip have mostly closed, replaced by more bars and late-night food joints. The Monon rail bed has become a very popular running and biking trail. Bazbeaux Pizza, which started in a garage, moved into a very nice facility down the street. And a giant polka-dotted chair was painted onto the side of a building.
Former Monon station, now an ice-cream shop. Kodak VR35 K40, Fujicolor 200, 2011
Winter in Broad Ripple. Canon Dial 35-2, Fujicolor 200, 2013
Former Internet cafe, now a brewpub. Rollei A110, Fujicolor Superia 200 (exp. 1996), 2013
I don’t know what this business was, but it’s long gone now. Kodak VR35 K40, Fujicolor 200, 2011
Bazbeaux Pizza, a Broad Ripple institution, moved down the street from its original location. Canon EOS A2e, 50mm f/1.8 Canon EF, Kodak Tri-X, 2016
My favorite coffee shop in Indy opened since I moved here but is 20 years old now. Canon EOS A2e, 50mm f/1.8 Canon EF, Kodak Tri-X, 2016
The Bungalow. Canon AF35ML (Super Sure Shot), Fujicolor 200, 2011.
For more than 40 years, Broad Ripple has had a quirky, offbeat, hippie vibe. But that is beginning to change as yet another major transition comes to the area: urban densification. The neighborhoods around Broad Ripple have been very popular over the last quarter century or so, which has driven home prices and rents up. Developers have taken notice. They’ve sought and won zoning changes and are building multi-story apartments and parking garages with first-story retail. The buildings crowd the street. Broad Ripple had formerly felt open and airy, but it increasingly feels closed-in and tight.
Monon bridge. Canon AF35ML (Super Sure Shot), Fujicolor 200, 2011
Behind the pedestrian bridge now. Polaroid Colorpack II, Fujifilm FP-100C, 2017
Mural on a building recently torn down, Kodak VR35 K40, Fujicolor 200, 2011
Electric cars for hire taking up prime parking, Polaroid Colorpack II, Fujifilm FP-100C, 2017
I love old bridges and I have a preservationist’s heart. So I was sad to see that the railing on the 1906 bridge over the Canal was altered, I’m sure to make it safer. The railing was about knee height before, making it easy to fall off.
Rainbow bridge railing before. Canon AF35ML (Super Sure Shot), Fujicolor 200, 2011
Rainbow bridge railing after. Pentax K1000, 55mm f/1.8 SMC Pentax, Kodak Gold 400, 2017
Taking the long view, change has been constant in Broad Ripple. But many places of quirky charm from Broad Ripple’s most recent era remain. I never lack for photographic subjects there. I can always photograph the Monon bridge or the polka-dotted chair one more time. Or I can walk down a side street I haven’t visited in a while and see what’s new.
Monon bridge. Pentax ME, Kodak T-Max 400, SMC Pentax 55mm f/1.8, 2012
Polka-dotted chair. Kodak Monitor Six-20, Kodak Ektachrome E100G, 2012
Blue picket fence. Kodak Monitor Six-20, Kodak Ektachrome E100G, 2012
Dilapidated building (restored since I took this photo). Kodak VR35 K40, Fujicolor 200, 2011
Vintage clothes. Canon AF35ML (Super Sure Shot), Fujicolor 200, 2011
Brugge. Nikon F2AS, 35-70mm Zoom-Nikkor, Fujicolor 200, 2014
Broad Ripple has survived many transitions before and forged a new identity. I expect it will survive this one just the same.
It’s funny, I lived nearby (61st & Indianola) for 5 years in the late 80s-early 90s and never really went exploring in the Village itself. I patronized businesses there when I wanted to buy something, but never just wandered.
At the time I was stuck on how it was losing its flavor as a small town within a city and becoming just a collection of restaurants and bars. I should have been more open to what was to be found there instead of lamenting what wasn’t.
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It’s tough to lament something’s passing and welcome its future at the same time. Very tough.
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Is this a German license plate on the Karmann Ghia?
GAP stands for Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria :)
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Stimmt! I wrote more about this car for another site to which I contribute: http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule-1962-volkswagen-karmann-ghia-the-perfect-curbside-classic-for-the-crunchy-granola-set/
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Enjoyed
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Thanks!
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Wonderful, just wonderful.
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Thanks!
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Karmann-Ghia looks like my first car, a ’66 1300. I’m really impressed with the Starmatic’s results! I have one with a working meter, haven’t gone to the trouble of adapting film for it yet. Fun post!
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The Starmatic is fun to shoot. I’ve shot it a few times and so far got the best results with that color film, which was Portra 160. My source for that doesn’t stock it anymore and so I switched to Efke b/w, which has since gone out of production. No loss to me, I didn’t like the stuff much. I should try the Rera Pan that is available now in 127.
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Great post Jim, the results from the little Kodak VR35 K40 are really good.
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It is a surprisingly decent p&s! I still have it. I should shoot it again.
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Thanks for the history and update on Broad Ripple. My wife and I lived in rural Indiana for years and Broad Ripple was where we escaped to for our urban fix. It was the closest thing to a Pacific NW vibe we could find. India Garden is still our benchmark for great Indian food. Loved the photos too. Brick
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Oh cool, you know the place! It’s been great to live a short drive away.
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That looks like an interesting town and if I am ever over there I will try to visit. Great set of shots Jim and a very good history to go with them.
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If you come, I’ll buy you a pint!
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And I will gladly accept and probably reciprocate as one pint is never enough! :)
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Great post. We see the same kind of thing happening here in Austin, the cool, hip, funky parts of town are being invaded by these large buildings full of hipster condos, running out the cool, hip, funky shops and restaurants that attracted people in the first place. If I wanted to live in New York or San Francisco I would move there, instead it feels like they are moving here and then recreating that environment.
That’s the problem with living in the same place for almost 50 years. Most people I work with have no idea how different things used to be.
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Things do change. They just do. Broad Ripple is a perfect example.
One challenge with the hipster condos is that the developers can only sell to the well heeled and rent first-floor retail to the well heeled to make their profit margin. That elevates rents everywhere and soon everything is well heeled.
But the cool, hip, funky people just move on to some other depressed neighborhood and the cycle begins anew.
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Nice history lesson with good images. Documenting the changing landscape of cities and towns and remembering their histories is important. Keep up the good work!
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Thanks! More “Favorite Subjects” posts to come.
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Very Nice Post and Pictures. Good Job.
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Thank you!
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You’re Welcome
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I have a soft spot for Broad Ripple. I lived there in 2008 with my two best friends. I’m glad Fishers is a short drive. Brewpub, Sangrita Saloon, La Piedad and the Deli are some of my favorites.
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I commute from Fishers via Broad Ripple to my Northwestside home every day (or will through late Sept, when I move to Zionsville) — and at rush hour, Broad Ripple is not a short drive!! But otherwise it is.
You know what I miss in BR? Mezzaluna. It was where Noodles & Co is now. I loved that restaurant.
BR needs a bar with a good whiskey selection.
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Wasn’t Mezzaluna an Italian place? i vaguely remember it, but that noodles & co. was there when i lived down there.
I try to avoid 69/Binford at all costs during rush hour, thankfully i work in westfield where i can avoid the interstate just to get caught in construction.
There used to be a small pub next to Bleecker Street (Is that even still there?) I remember you had to go downstairs to get into it. It had rows of bourbon and scotch above the bar and a nice selection of beer on tap.
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Yeah, Italian. So good.
I remember that pub. I was in there once maybe a decade ago. I should try to find it again.
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I moved north, away from Indy, a few years ago. I get homesick for certain places, and Broad Ripple is one of them. Thank you for this; I’ve enjoyed it very much!
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Happy to be of service!
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