Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Landscape architect Eric Fulford wouldn’t want people jogging along White River to miss out on an industrial history that
includes a hidden architectural gem and dancing pigs. Fulford and his company, NINebark Inc., are designing the White River
Greenway, which will extend the current trail 2.1 miles from White River State Park to Kentucky Avenue. Construction on the
IndyParks project is supposed to start this summer.
Much of the new path will follow White River.
"Scenically, it’s really
beautiful," Fulford said. "Poking up above the trees is the skyline of Indianapolis."
But the history of the area is far from
pastoral.
NINebark is making six large storyboards to tell trail users about the meat-packing giant Kinghan & Co.; the Indianapolis
Indians; Federal Field; Greenlawn Cemetery; the home-grown innovation of concrete bridges; and the history of General Motors
Corp.’s metal-stamping plant.
The GM site’s vehicle-making history goes back to 1885, when Parry Manufacturing Co. started
turning out steel wagons. Late in the 20th century, industrial architect Albert Kahn designed a glass-walled factory for Chevrolet.
Additions in the 1970s and ’80s created the sprawling mass that stands today.
"At the core of it is this historically significant
structure," Fulford said. The only visible remains of Kinghan & Co.’s campus are two concrete river piers, which
supported
railroad tracks to deliver cattle and hogs to slaughter. Kinghan & Co. had land on both sides of White River, part of
an area
now occupied by two museums, the NCAA headquarters and the Indianapolis Zoo.
A postcard from around 1910 gives an overview
of the operation, which included everything from railcar repair to canning. The postcard is a winter greeting, decorated with
a scene of pigs frolicking on a frozen pond. Kinghan & Co.: "where reliable meats are prepared."
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.