Diamond Jubilee: around the Statehouse, Indianapolis

Museum

The Indiana State Museum complex was one of the largest I had ever encountered (for a state museum) in the US. I was impressed by its scale and that an entire pavilion had been devoted to Native American culture and art. Since it was July 4th, the museum was closed, but I made a mental note that it looked "entrance-worthy" if I found myself in the city again.

We continued back toward the city center to the state house. Unfortunately, it was closed due to the holiday as well. It is well-landscaped and connected to the museum area on one side and Monument Circle (where we had started the day) on the other. The statehouse features a sculpture of Lincoln as he spent some of his life in Indiana. It appears Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois all want to glom onto as much of him as possible.

We tried to find the train station as I had a question about Amtrak and my rail pass, but the building had been renovated into an event space/hotel. In fact, the actual train station was now just a couple of platforms and a subterranean entrance which was maddeningly difficult to locate. Although I was happy they kept the old building, it was completely unconnected to train service.

Initially, Indianapolis created the world's first union station in 1848. Subsequently, the station building opened on September 20, 1853, at 39 Jackson Place, operated by the Indianapolis Union Railway. Later, a larger Richardsonian Romanesque station designed by Pittsburgh architect Thomas Rodd, was built at the same location starting in November 1886 and opened in September 1888. The head house (main waiting area and office) and clock tower of this second station still stand today.

(Wikipedia)

Unfortunately, I remained frustrated in my quest to find the Amtrak Station and we only located it on our second attempt a few hours later. It is now combined with the bus station next to a dismal parking lot. I felt amazed that in a city that got so many things right, its transportation hub was so dire.

Indianapolis Union Station. July 2021

We continued with our exploration of the city. We were in the mood for a good cup of coffee and that took us out to one of Indy's neighborhoods. We were about to see another side of the city.