Almost 50 years ago, before the City-County Building or Interstate 65, city leaders and planners designed a master plan for the Central Business District. The 42-page document provides some fascinating perspective on growth and development in Indianapolis. You can find it here. What do you think? (Hat tip to Urban Indy for sharing the link.) Here are some of the suggestions from 1958:
Build a marina along the White River between Washington and 10th streets, with terraces along the banks to view boat races.
Close Monument Circle to all cars to encourage more pedestrian traffic.
Replace the old buildings in the Wholesale District with newer buildings and more modern warehousing equipment.
Build a limited-access highway along West Street that would complete an inner circle of Interstate highways around the CBD.
Convert part of the Central Canal into a “lagoon” as part of a large park between Washington and Ohio streets.
Rebuild Union Station into a “centralized transporation and distribution center.”
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