DePauw Avenue Historic District
Encyclopedia
The DePauw Avenue Historic District is a registered historic district
just northeast of downtown New Albany, Indiana
, across the Ohio River
from Louisville, Kentucky
. The district consists mostly of Depauw Avenue from Vincennes Street in the west to Aebersold Drive to the east, and includes portions of the 1200 block of Beechwood Avenue and two residences on Vance Street. New Albany High School
is located on the southern edge of the district.
Depauw Avenue is named for New Albany's Depauw family. Washington C. DePauw
, a wealthy New Albany banker, was the original owner of the land. He made the bulk of his money from the American Glass Works, which by 1890 produced two thirds of the plate glass in the United States
. His summer estate was what became Depauw Avenue. His son Charles Depauw started developing the land, but the first buildings were constructed after Charles died, leaving it to his widow Letitia. The district began as a neighborhood for upper-class residents, and quickly became a preferred place to live in New Albany. The initial four properties were built between 1906-1908, an additional four in 1911, and the bulk of the remainder built in the 1920s. Construction slowed down during the Great Depression
, and then concluded in the 1940s.
Of the seventy-one primary buildings in the district, sixty-eight are considered to contribute to the historic integrity of the district, with fifteen contributing outbuildings. Architectural styles are a mix of Colonial Revival, Craftsman
/Bungalow
(of which 39 of the district's 68 domiciles are), Dutch Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, and Tudor Revival. Residences on the eastern side of the district are long and are affected by the creekbed that runs by the district.
In 1994 an architectural study determined that DePauw Avenue could eventually achieve National Register status. In 2006 the Indiana Department of Natural Resources
gave a grant of $6,150 to the city of New Albany to prepare DePauw Avenue, Cedar Bough Place Historic District
, and the Shelby Place Historic District
for registration on the National Register of Historic Places
. (Depauw Avenue has an architectural style similar to Shelby Place's, but contains mostly larger domiciles, showing more architectural diversity.) All three neighborhoods were placed on the National Register on March 19, 2008.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
just northeast of downtown New Albany, Indiana
New Albany, Indiana
New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River opposite Louisville, Kentucky. In 1900, 20,628 people lived in New Albany; in 1910, 20,629; in 1920, 22,992; and in 1940, 25,414. The population was 36,372 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of...
, across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
from Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. The district consists mostly of Depauw Avenue from Vincennes Street in the west to Aebersold Drive to the east, and includes portions of the 1200 block of Beechwood Avenue and two residences on Vance Street. New Albany High School
New Albany High School (Indiana)
Founded in 1853, New Albany High School is one of the oldest public high schools west of the Alleghenies and the first in Indiana. New Albany High School has the first rastafarian-run FM radio station to be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission and has had their own cable TV channel ...
is located on the southern edge of the district.
Depauw Avenue is named for New Albany's Depauw family. Washington C. DePauw
Washington C. DePauw
Washington Charles DePauw was an American businessman. DePauw University is named in his honor.DePauw was born in Salem, Indiana, on January 4, 1822. He was grandson of Charles DePauw, who came to the Americas with LaFayette, and the son of John and Elizabeth Battist DePauw. John DePauw had...
, a wealthy New Albany banker, was the original owner of the land. He made the bulk of his money from the American Glass Works, which by 1890 produced two thirds of the plate glass in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His summer estate was what became Depauw Avenue. His son Charles Depauw started developing the land, but the first buildings were constructed after Charles died, leaving it to his widow Letitia. The district began as a neighborhood for upper-class residents, and quickly became a preferred place to live in New Albany. The initial four properties were built between 1906-1908, an additional four in 1911, and the bulk of the remainder built in the 1920s. Construction slowed down during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and then concluded in the 1940s.
Of the seventy-one primary buildings in the district, sixty-eight are considered to contribute to the historic integrity of the district, with fifteen contributing outbuildings. Architectural styles are a mix of Colonial Revival, Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
/Bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
(of which 39 of the district's 68 domiciles are), Dutch Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, and Tudor Revival. Residences on the eastern side of the district are long and are affected by the creekbed that runs by the district.
In 1994 an architectural study determined that DePauw Avenue could eventually achieve National Register status. In 2006 the Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Indiana charged with maintaining natural areas such as state parks, state forests, recreation areas, etc...
gave a grant of $6,150 to the city of New Albany to prepare DePauw Avenue, Cedar Bough Place Historic District
Cedar Bough Place Historic District
Cedar Bough Place Historic District is a Registered Historic District in New Albany, Indiana, ¾ of a mile from the Ohio River, across from Louisville, Kentucky. It consists of the 800-block of the road Cedar Bough Place, between Beeler and Ekin Avenues...
, and the Shelby Place Historic District
Shelby Place Historic District
Shelby Place Historic District is a registered historic district in New Albany, Indiana, one mile north of the Ohio River, across from Louisville, Kentucky. It consists of the 1500 and 1600 blocks of the road Shelby Place. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its...
for registration on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. (Depauw Avenue has an architectural style similar to Shelby Place's, but contains mostly larger domiciles, showing more architectural diversity.) All three neighborhoods were placed on the National Register on March 19, 2008.