Shelby Place Historic District
Encyclopedia
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 historic architectural designs. Immediately to the east Vincennes Street separates the district from New Albany High School
.
The primary architectural style of the district is Bungalow
, although there are examples of Queen Anne
, Dutch Colonial Revival
, American Foursquare
, and one Prairie
-type. In total, 38 buildings and one site contributed to the historic nature of the district; fourteen buildings and one structure within the district do not contribute. The contributing buildings were built between 1907 and 1925, with the majority built within a five-year period of 1911-1916, 75% of which built in 1912 and 1913. Shelby Place started in 1906 as New Albany recovered from an economic depression, thanks to woodworking industries. To this day the district retains historic architectural integrity. Unlike nearby areas, Shelby Place has a wider street with central median.
The sole non-building contributing feature of the district is the eastern entrance to Shelby Place, which consists of two five-feet tall square brick columns on concrete bases which are original to the district. Both have concrete caps which say "Shelby Place" on them. Two similar columns once occupied the western entrance of the district, but nothing remains of the northwestern column, and the southwestern has only remnants.
On March 23, 1917, a tornado that several damaged New Albany barely missed the district, causing minimal damage and no loss of buildings. The Ohio River flood of 1937
caused some flooding in Shelby Place, but the south side was on higher ground, and thus did not suffer as badly as other parts of New Albany.
In 1994 an architectural study determined that Shelby Place 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 Shelby Place, Cedar Bough Place Historic District
, and the DePauw Avenue Historic District
for registration on the National Register of Historic Places
. (Depauw has a similar architecture style as Shelby Place's, but are mostly larger domiciles than Shelby Place's, and has 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...
in 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...
, one mile north of 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...
, across 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...
. It consists of the 1500 and 1600 blocks of the road Shelby Place. It was placed 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...
due to its historic architectural designs. Immediately to the east Vincennes Street separates the district from 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 ...
.
The primary architectural style of the district is 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...
, although there are examples of Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
, Dutch Colonial Revival
Dutch Colonial
Dutch Colonial is a style of domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house...
, American Foursquare
American Foursquare
The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass produced elements of the Victorian and other Revival styles popular throughout the last half of the 19th century, the American Foursquare was...
, and one Prairie
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
-type. In total, 38 buildings and one site contributed to the historic nature of the district; fourteen buildings and one structure within the district do not contribute. The contributing buildings were built between 1907 and 1925, with the majority built within a five-year period of 1911-1916, 75% of which built in 1912 and 1913. Shelby Place started in 1906 as New Albany recovered from an economic depression, thanks to woodworking industries. To this day the district retains historic architectural integrity. Unlike nearby areas, Shelby Place has a wider street with central median.
On March 23, 1917, a tornado that several damaged New Albany barely missed the district, causing minimal damage and no loss of buildings. The Ohio River flood of 1937
Ohio River flood of 1937
The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, one million persons were left homeless, with 385 dead and property losses reaching $500 million...
caused some flooding in Shelby Place, but the south side was on higher ground, and thus did not suffer as badly as other parts of New Albany.
In 1994 an architectural study determined that Shelby Place 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 Shelby Place, 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 DePauw Avenue Historic District
DePauw Avenue Historic District
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...
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 has a similar architecture style as Shelby Place's, but are mostly larger domiciles than Shelby Place's, and has more architectural diversity.) All three neighborhoods were placed on the National Register on March 19, 2008.