The Mass Ave Cultural Arts District, colloquially known as Mass Ave, is one of seven designated
cultural districts in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
,
Indiana, United States. The district centers on of its namesake Massachusetts Avenue, from its southern terminus at New York and Delaware streets to its northern terminus at Bellefontaine Street. The avenue is one of the four original diagonal streets included in
Alexander Ralston's plan of 1821. Mass Ave also contains the Massachusetts Avenue Commercial District, a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
included on the
National Register of Historic Places since 1982.
Today it lies at the heart of the city's arts district. It offers some of the city's most visible theaters and art galleries as well as a number of shops and eateries.
Gentrification in the 1990s propelled the area from
squalor to one of the city's more fashionable addresses. Currently, redevelopment of Mass Ave focuses on fostering locally owned shops, theaters, and restaurants.
Massachusetts Avenue Commercial District
Landmarks
*
Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus): building houses Young Actors Theatre and the
Rathskeller Restaurant, the city's oldest restaurant still in operation.
*
Old National Centre: is the headquarters of the Indianapolis
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
References
External links
Mass Ave Merchants Association
Neighborhoods in Indianapolis
Culture of Indianapolis
Streets in Indianapolis
1821 establishments in Indiana
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis
{{Indianapolis-stub