The goal of the creative project was to provide recommendations for renovating the Holliday Park Arboretum based upon existing conditions, tree species, open space analysis and interpretive activities.All trees within the Holliday Park Arboretum were mapped, tagged and identified by species. An Indiana native tree species list was developed and compared to the existing tree species in the arboretum. It was then determined how many native and exotic trees existed in the arboretum. Native tree species not existing in the arboretum were placed on a separate list to establish which native trees were needed to have a representative of each native tree in the arboretum.An open space analysis was conducted to determine potential planting areas within the arboretum and the number of additional native trees that could be planted in those spaces. Recommendations were provided for the selection and planting of native trees as part of the renovation process that can be used by the park administration. / Department of Landscape Architecture

The purpose of this report was to investigate the role of George Edward Kessler and the historical events which effected the development of the Indianapolis park system. Heretofore, this area of study has received little scholarly attention. Kessler has proven to be a significant figure in landscape architecture and city planning history; his landscape and planning philosophies profoundly restructured the urban fabric of Indianapolis and numerous other cities throughout America. As a result of Kessler's involvement, Indianapolis is heir to a sophisticated network of parks and boulevards representational of City Beautiful Era planning. This park system is an historically and a culturally valuable legacy as it has shaped the city's urban character.The study focused on the Indianapolis park system's developmental period, 1895-1915. Primary and secondary source material was researched in order to document the park system's initial beginnings during the Park Movement through its maturation during the City Beautiful Era.Kessler's original plan contemplated 175 miles of parkways along the city's river and stream corridors, and an additional 175 miles of connecting boulevards. The Kessler park system included a total of 12,000 acres for the city. It should be noted that the system fell short of this grandiose scheme, however, the study concluded that Kessler played a significant role in the development of the Indianapolis park system. By the close of the 1920's, much of the groundwork for the Kessler plan had been successfully implemented.In recent years, designed landscapes have gained considerable new attention from preservationists, landscape architects and allied professions. Kessler's visionary scheme for the Indianapolis park system is a significant layer of design upon the city's physical plan.In light of this growing appreciation of the nation's historic urban greenspaces and the events which shaped them, this study was undertaken. / Department of Architecture

The processes by which urban areas come to be and evolve create outdoor spaces that experience different uses and have different characteristics over a period of time. For example, a space previously used for industrial purposes may presently be used as a community park. In some cases, a significant area of land may become a kind of leftover or remnant space whose uses are unclear, undefined, or unprogrammed, but exhibits natural characteristics. The purpose of this study is to utilize one of these natural remnants, Marott Park, in the cultural arts district of Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, Indiana as the basis for a design effort that provides access to the site while retaining both its site-specific and contextual characteristics. The intent of this effort is to enhance the community/pedestrian recreational, educational, and cultural experience through a detailed design for a portion of Marott Park. A set of recommendations also addresses the potential for connections between the site and other features such as existing open space, schools, and cultural features in the Indianapolis area. / Department of Landscape Architecture

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In May 1906, Wonderland Amusement Park opened its gates on East Washington Street in Indianapolis to reveal its 125-foot tall “Electric Tower,” a tree-top “Scenic Railway,” and dozens of other thrilling and fantastical attractions. Indianapolis now had a Coney Island of its own. Even more amazing, by the end of the month, two more Coney-Island-style amusement parks had opened in the city. This thesis examines three Indianapolis parks: Wonderland Amusement Park, White City Amusement Park and Riverside Amusement Park and their impacts on the city of Indianapolis in the first years of the twentieth century.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In 1911 Dr. Robert W. Long gave a gift of real estate to the state of Indiana and stipulated that the sale of the property would fund a teaching hospital for the Indiana School of Medicine. The state senator who sponsored the hospital bill suggested placing the proposed hospital within the boundaries of Military Park, the city’s oldest park. Indiana University trustees agreed, which led to Indianapolis Mayor Samuel Lewis Shank’s angry denunciation of the proposition as “one of the greatest outrages” proposed in recent years in Indianapolis. Three interested camps formed over the location of what became known as Long Hospital: the Indiana University trustees, who approved of placing the hospital in the park because of its proximity to downtown Indianapolis; lineage societies and veterans, who touted the park’s historical significance as a nationalistic message to all residents; and the state and city governments and local civic organizations, who promoted the health benefits of public parks and playgrounds. Through open debate, particularly in Indianapolis’ newspapers, each position supported Progressive era reform attitudes towards the use of civic space in terms of its relationships to public health, social morality, and nationalistic values.