The Shawnee Place Historic District is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
News release from the City of Fort Wayne Indiana:
Shawnee Place Historic District Listed in National Register of Historic Places
Fort Wayne, Indiana (September 6, 2024) – The Shawnee Place Historic District is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s official list of properties considered worthy of preservation. The district is located within the Fairfield Neighborhood.
The Shawnee Place Historic District, roughly bounded by Killea Street and Kinnaird Avenue on the north and south, and by Webster Street and Hoagland Avenue on the east and west, contains homes built from c.1903 to c.1940. One additional Italianate-style home was built c.1872; it reflects the early “country estate” character of the area. There are 245 homes, buildings, and other features in the historic district.
Shawnee Place, and the adjacent boulevard segment of Wildwood Avenue, were developed by Fort Wayne’s Wildwood Builders. This development was the first to reflect the creative place-making interests of the firm, composed of Joel Ninde and Grace Crosby as architects, and Joel’s husband, attorney Lee J. Ninde.
The Shawnee Place Historic District contains a largely intact and cohesive collection of early-to-mid-20th-century housing styles, including Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, and Prairie School/American Foursquare The district contains a large percentage of homes designed by Joel Ninde and Grace Crosby, and built by the Wildwood Builders Company.
The Shawnee Place Local Historic District, established in 1998, will remain with its existing boundary contained within the larger district. It is now listed in the National Register as well as its status as a Fort Wayne local historic district.
“Fort Wayne is filled with unique, desirable, and livable neighborhoods that are physical illustrations of our City’s history. Historic districts tell our stories through the historic resources left for our stewardship,” said Jonathan Leist, Director of Community Development. “The National Register of Historic Places listing provides recognition of the heritage of Shawnee Place and the Fairfield Neighborhood, as well as our entire community.”
“This National Register designation of the Shawnee Place Historic District provides the Fairfield Neighborhood with recognition of the collective historic character of the area,” said Cody Jo Aldridge, President of the Fairfield Neighborhood Association. “We are excited for the opportunities this designation will provide for our community.”
The Shawnee Place Historic District is now one of ten National Register historic districts within the area of the Packard Area Planning Alliance (PAPA), with one additional listed building (Fairfield Manor). Six more areas have been identified as potential historic districts, or as expansions of existing historic districts. PAPA represents 18 neighborhoods south and southwest of downtown Fort Wayne.
The Fairfield Neighborhood Association worked with the Fort Wayne Historic Preservation Commission and the Indiana State Historic Preservation office to nominate the area to the National Register. The project was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund. The Fund is administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. The application was prepared by consultant Jill Downs of Fort Wayne.
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