The DePauw Avenue Historic District is a national historic district just northeast of downtown New Albany, Indiana, across the Ohio River from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. The district consists mostly of Depauw Avenue from Vincennes Street in the west to Aebersold Drive to the east, and includes portions of the 1200 block of Beechwood Avenue and two residences on Vance Street. New Albany High School is located on the southern edge of the district. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs. Depauw Avenue is named for New Albany's Depauw family. Washington C. DePauw, a wealthy New Albany banker, was the original owner of the land. He made the bulk of his money from the American Glass Works, which by 1890 produced two thirds of the plate glass in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. His summer estate was what became Depauw Avenue. His son Charles Depauw started developing the land, but the first buildings were constructed after Charles died, leaving it to his widow Letitia. The district began as a neighborhood for upper-class residents, and quickly became a preferred place to live in New Albany. The initial four properties were built between 1906 and 1908, an additional four in 1911, and the bulk of the remainder built in the 1920s. Construction slowed during the Great Depression, and then concluded in the 1940s. Of the seventy-one primary buildings in the district, sixty-eight are considered to contribute to the historic integrity of the district, with fifteen contributing outbuildings. Architectural styles are a mix of

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

, Craftsman/ Bungalow (of which 39 of the district's 68 domiciles are),

Dutch Colonial Revival Dutch Colonial is a style of domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house. Modern versions built in the early 20th century are more accurately referred to as "Dutch Colonial Rev ...

, Queen Anne, and

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

. Residences on the eastern side of the district are long and are affected by the creekbed that runs by the district. In 1994 an architectural study determined that DePauw Avenue could eventually achieve National Register status. In 2006 the

Indiana Department of Natural Resources The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the U.S. state of Indiana. There are many divisions within the DNR and each has a specific role. The DNR is not only responsible for maintaining resource areas but also manages In ...

gave a grant of $6,150 to the city of New Albany to prepare DePauw Avenue,

Cedar Bough Place Historic District Cedar Bough Place Historic District is a national Historic district (United States), historic district located at New Albany, Indiana, ¾ of a mile from the Ohio River, across from Louisville, Kentucky. It consists of the 800-block of the road C ...

, and the

Shelby Place Historic District Shelby Place Historic District is a registered historic district in New Albany, Indiana, one mile north of the Ohio River, across from Louisville, Kentucky. It consists of the 1500 and 1600 blocks of the road Shelby Place. It was placed on the ...

for registration on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. (Depauw Avenue has an architectural style similar to Shelby Place's, but contains mostly larger domiciles, showing more architectural diversity.) All three neighborhoods were placed on the National Register on March 19, 2008.http://www.allbusiness.com/government/3665564-1.html DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AWARDS 21 HISTORIC PRESERVATION GRANTS, May 10, 2006, Accessed April 3, 2008

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Historic districts in New Albany, Indiana Buildings and structures in Floyd County, Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Floyd County, Indiana Populated places established in 1906 1906 establishments in Indiana Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana