News release from the City of Fort Wayne:
Mayor Henry pleased as 9th Neighborhood Makes Historic Register List
Brookview-Irvington Park Receives National Recognition
(April 20, 2011) – The Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District is now on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.
“We have great neighborhoods in Fort Wayne and I’m always glad to see them recognized. I appreciate the collaboration that went into this application process,” said Mayor Tom Henry.
The neighborhood is composed of three related suburban developments that reflect principles of design important in the history of community planning and development: Oak Knoll designed in 1906, Irvington Park designed in 1910, and Brookview designed in 1917. Together these areas combined the naturalistic landscape, park areas, and convenient access to roads, trolleys, and interurban railroads to create desirable neighborhoods.
The naturalistic development that Landscape Architect Walter Hoxie Hillary laid out for Irvington Park utilized the existing topography of the wooded site. In Brookview, landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff further refined this idea by creating meandering roads. The Oak Knoll development reflects a form of railroad era suburb that is rare in Fort Wayne. Additionally, female architects Joel Roberts Ninde and Grace E. Crosby designed several houses in the district, and the district has an outstanding collection of homes with a variety of architectural styles.
The City of Fort Wayne obtained Federal grant funding administered through Indiana’s Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology to assist with the effort to prepare the application to the National Register of Historic Places. The City used the grant to contract with a listed qualified professional, ARCH, Inc. to research the district and prepare the nomination and it was further reviewed by the Fort Wayne Historic Preservation Commission before being sent for consideration.
The National Register of Historic Places is the Federal government’s official list of prehistoric and historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing in the National Register provides recognition and assists in preserving our nation’s heritage. It does not prevent a private owner from altering, demolishing, or disposing of the property as he wishes.
Fort Wayne Neighborhoods on the National Register of Historic Places:
[list type=”black”]
[li]Brookview-Irvington Park[/li]
[li]Forest Park Boulevard[/li]
[li]Illsley Place-West Rudisill[/li]
[li]Indian Village[/li]
[li]Oakdale[/li]
[li]South Wayne[/li]
[li]Southwood Park[/li]
[li]West End Historic District (a.k.a. West Central)[/li]
[li]Williams Woodland Park[/li]
[/list]
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