Indianapolis Cultural Districts

These are Broad Ripple Village, Canal and White River State Park, Fountain Square, Indiana Avenue, Market East, Mass Ave, and the Wholesale District.

Points of interest in the district include: Massachusetts Avenue, or more commonly referred to as Mass Ave, offers some of the city's most visible theaters and art galleries.

Located just a few blocks northeast of Monument Circle, Massachusetts Avenue was designed in 1821 as one of Downtown's four original diagonal streets and began as a commercial artery that mainly served the surrounding residential area.

Following these many years of good fortune and commercial growth, this area and all of Downtown fell into economic decline following World War II once Indianapolis lost its importance as a railroad hub.

Points of interest in the district include: Fountain Square is a neighborhood located approximately 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) southeast of Downtown Indianapolis, centered at the intersection of Virginia Avenue, Prospect, and Shelby streets.

Points of interest in the district include: Around the turn of the century Downtown Indianapolis had one of the largest networks of railroads in the nation and hundreds of trains passed through Union Station daily.

Points of interest in the district include: The long defunct Indiana Central Canal in Downtown Indianapolis was refurbished and reopened as a city recreational area in the early 1990s.

The north end of the Canal is now home to a burgeoning life science campus connected with the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Points of interest in the district include: In 1870, more African Americans were calling Indiana Avenue home as the original Irish and German populations began to move outward.

[2] The building and the theater within is named for Madam C. J. Walker, an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist who began her beauty empire in Indianapolis.

Indiana Avenue was home to a notable jazz scene from the 1920s through the 1960s, producing greats such as David Baker, Slide Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, J. J. Johnson, James Spaulding, and the Montgomery Brothers (Buddy, Monk, and Wes).