Take a stroll through the neighborhood of Ransom Place, northwest of Monument Circle, and one will see narrow alleys, petite shotgun-style houses dating back to the 1870s and several IUPUI students finding their way home. But without a history lesson, some may not be aware of the significance this historic African-American neighborhood holds. Today, the diverse community is fighting to preserve its charm and character as a Bloomington, Indiana developer proposes plans to build on four of the area’s vacant lots.
“There’s the huge issue with parking and access,” said Paula Brooks, a longtime resident of Ransom Place. “If this project is built, the entire historic character of the MLK corridor will be lost.”
The project, designed by Indianapolis-based Studio 3 Design Inc. and to be developed by Olaf Lava LLC of Bloomington, will consist of:
- Four single-family homes on two California Street lots, two homes per lot (sites A and B)
- An apartment building on the southwest corner of the intersection of 10th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets composed of 19 units (site C)
- An apartment building on the northwest corner of the intersection of 10th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets consisting of 27 units (site D)
The biggest concern for several residents is parking, in addition to the large scale of the development. Some residents believe the project will greatly increase traffic to the already congested area.
“It’s not just about convenience for residents, it’s about the last remaining presence of African-Americans in the downtown area,” said Brooks.
Visitors to the neighborhood can find parking options along the 900/1000 blocks of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, where about 15 spaces are available.
As early as the 1830s, Ransom Place was identified as a Black settlement. The area was home to several prominent Black business owners and community leaders. There, one could find several Queen Anne cottages with T-plans and L-plans, along with the “shotgun” house structures that architects theorize is African in origin. Examples of this home style, which dates back to 1875, can be found today on Camp Avenue.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, the district is named after the prominent Ransom family that resided in the district and owned homes at 824 and 828 California Street. Attorney Freeman Ransom was the patriarch of the family and for years was the corporate attorney and manager of the Madame C. J. Walker Company.
Ransom Place was the first African-American neighborhood placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the State of Indiana and today is said to be a close-knit, front-porch community.
Tim Cover, one of two principals for Studio 3 Design, said the company chose Ransom Place because of available vacant lots and a need for housing in the area.
“There are a lot of young professionals wanting to be close to downtown but are trying to find a place to land before they settle. And that area has shopping and other residential areas all right there,” he said. “I’m not sure the developer would say no to any (possible tenant) but I’d say most of these units go toward young professionals.”
Karl MacDorman, associate dean of the IUPUI School of Informatics and Computing, who has lived in the area for almost 10 years, recently spoke in opposition to the project at an Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission (IHPC) hearing.
“The historic aspect of Ransom Place is a claim to fame, and that’s why people come here. I don’t feel high-density development fits the character of Ransom Place. What is our vision for Ransom Place? What do we want it to be?” he said to the commission. “We want homeowners, not short-term renters who don’t care about the area. I don’t feel the issue of parking is satisfied, but my main objection is the issue of preserving a historic community, and this isn’t the way to go about it.”
While many others at the hearing expressed views similar to MacDorman’s, only one resident spoke in favor of the project, citing the developer’s good track record. Brooks collected more than 100 signatures from residents and area church members to try to bring the development to a halt.
Residents have expressed worry that the scale of the development doesn’t match the style of homes in the area, but Cover said sites A and B on California Street have been scaled and designed to fit the neighborhood’s characteristics.
“Site C, on the southwest corner, is what I view as more of a transitional building,” Cover said. “It still draws the characteristics of the neighborhood, as in having pitched roofs and covered porch components, but it’s starting to introduce more brick on the building. It is a larger scale building with a community space.”
Site D is also a large-scale, four-story building with urban architecture. It is separated from the neighborhood by 10th Street to the east, a shopping center to the west and a three-story apartment building to the north. This project is planned to be predominately brick, using modern materials to give the building “less residential feel and more downtown feel,” Cover said.
To address residents’ concerns, several design changes have been made since the initial proposal to keep the project in motion.
“We heard concerns from the neighborhood that they would like to see this project on a smaller scale. We split those (duplexes) and created two homes on their own lots. They still have four bedrooms a piece, but it’s more of individual character,” said Cover.
In addition, the project’s density has been reduced from 103 beds to 97, parking has increased for future residents from 84 spots to 93 and visitor parking has been added. Studio 3 Design has also wiped out the entire first floor of apartments on site C to add a community room to reflect the heritage of Ransom Place. The Ransom Place Neighborhood Association and other groups will have access to the room free of charge for meetings and events.
The Recorder was unable to speak with a representative of the Ransom Place Neighborhood Association by press time. The developer is set to reveal more modifications at the next committee hearing, Oct. 7.
“I’m still very concerned about the level of density that this entire project is proposing,” said IHPC board member Ashley Payne. “It seems like it’s trying to push a lot of units on a very small, confined space.”
The IHPC hearing on Oct. 7 will be open to the public. It’s scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Public Assembly Room on the second floor of the City-County Building.
