The North Meridian Street Historic District, in Indianapolis, Indiana, is an area which still reflects the tastes and lifestyles of earlier decades in a contemporary urban setting. Listed in 1986 on the National Register of Historic Places, the district has been regulated by the Meridian Street Preservation Commission since 1971. The Commission, created through state legislation, was conducting design review in the district through nationally established guidelines, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. In order to more effectively protect and preserve the district, the Commission wished to establish a set of design guidelines specifically tailored to the North Meridian Street Historic District and its particular built and natural- characteristics. This project involved developing a set of design guidelines that would fulfill the needs and desires of the North Meridian Street Historic District, its preservation commission, and its property owners. Each district has its distinct resources and needs. A district's unique built and natural features are guidelines in themselves, but unless the principles and relationships that they represent are translated into words and pictures, many people will not recognize them as such. After researching and analyzing the architectural and environmental qualities of the district a draft set of design guidelines was developed and presented to the Meridian Street Preservation Commission for review. In response to comments and expressed concerns made at a series of public hearings held from March 1992 to August 1993, several rounds of revisions followed the initial presentation of the guidelines. The August 1993 version of the guidelines was adopted by the Commission in September 1993 and is currently in effect. / Department of Architecture