Indianapolis School Board Building

This is a photograph of the old public library building in Indianapolis. It was located on the southwest corner of Meridian and Ohio Streets where the Sheraton Hotel now stands. When I was a boy it was called the Indianapolis School Board Building and housed offices of the Indianapolis school system. On my 16^th birthday in 1955 I remember going into this building and getting my Social Security card. It turned out to be a pretty good investment.

Riverside Shelterhouse

This is a view from and old postcard looking west across the White River in Indianapolis. The large building on the west bank is the riverside shelterhouse. It stood close to the corner of North White River Parkway West and 30th Street. This shelter house was torn down in about 1955. It housed the offices for the Riverside Golf Course and some concession stands. In the basement there was a rifle range.

This part of the river was popular on the evening of the 4th of July. The river would be covered with boats of all kinds. In the evening we would rent a canoe and watch fireworks being shot off from the Riverside Amusement Park on the east side of the river. We didn’t mind the mosquitoes. We were right under the exploding fireworks and we could hear the hot embers hiss as they hit the water all around us. It was a little scary, but I don’t remember ever being burned.

Emrichsville Bridge over White River

This is a view of the old Emrichsville Bridge looking west. At this point West 16th Street crosses White River in Indianapolis. The bridge was torn down and replaced in about 1947. Both this bridge and its replacement were located approximately 200 yards east of the intersection of 16th and Lafayette Road on the west side of Indianapolis. The Pole drive-in restaurant was also located at this intersection.
There were two towers at the east end of the old bridge.

The top picture is much older than the bottom, but it gives a better view of the two towers which were located on the east side of the White River. I can remember walking accross this old bridge with my father when I was about eight years old. He told me that, when he was a boy, bears were kept in the rooms at the base of these towers, but they had been gone for years by the time I was born.

The bottom picture is taken from an old post card and shows the north side of the old bridge from the west side of the river.

Bridge over White River at 30th Street

On the right I have posted a picture of the 30th St. bridge over the White River in Indianapolis. This is the way I remember it as a child. My father kept a boat at a boathouse that was exactly at the vantage point from which this picture was taken. The large building in the background is the naval armory.
This picture shows the same bridge from the other side of the river - the east side and from  the other side of the bridge - the north side. At the four corners of the bridge there were stairs leading down the the river. Both pictures are from old post cards, however, the top picture was taken at a much later date. The lower picture is quite old. This bridge is still in service.