Meridian-Kessler is a residential neighborhood located about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. It is bounded on the north by Kessler Boulevard, on the east by the Monon Trail greenway corridor, on the south by 38th Street, and to the west by Meridian Street. Meridian Street forms a shared boundary with the adjacent Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. Meridian Kessler is a historic neighborhood located just four miles north of downtown Indianapolis. Both racially and socio-economically diverse, the area includes many different types of housing, from magnificent mansions to moderately priced smaller homes to vintage apartments.
Beginning in the very late 1890s, a few wealthy individuals built a smattering of country estates along Meridian Street and neighboring streets north of Maple Road, which is now called 38th Street. However, the area remained mostly open farmland. A few of the original farmhouses still stand, with the oldest one dating back to 1832.
In 1905, landscape architect George Kessler redesigned Maple Road into a grand urban parkway as part of his ambitious plan to form a network of parks and boulevards in Indianapolis. Also in 1905, Indianapolis annexed Meridian Street from Maple Road/38th Street up to the town of Broad Ripple, a distance of almost 2 miles (3.2 km). The city’s gradual road improvements in the area encouraged residential development. The neighborhood population boomed beginning in the early 1920s, and the area became one of the most prestigious addresses in Indianapolis. Wealthy individuals built grand homes along Meridian Street, Pennsylvania Street, and Washington Boulevard. However, the neighborhood did not develop solely as an exclusive enclave for the very wealthy, and most of the new residents were upper-middle-class individuals who constructed smaller, but stately houses throughout the neighborhood. Growth continued at a slower pace in the 1930s as the neighborhood filled up, and the wealthy continued their northern migration beyond the city limits to communities such as Meridian Hills and Williams Creek which expanded and incorporated during this decade. Nonetheless, Meridian-Kessler continued to be a neighborhood of choice for the affluent, and by the end of World War II, it was built out. Bed Bug Exterminator Indianapolis
Attractions
- Holliday Park is located at 6363 Spring Mill Rd, Indianapolis, IN
- Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park is located at 1850 W 38th St, Indianapolis, IN
- The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is located at 3000 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN
Restaurants and Pubs
- Upland Brewing Tasting Room is located at 4842 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN
- Aristocrat Pub & Restaurant is located at 5212 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN
- Root & Bone is located at 4601 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN
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