This thesis has presented a comprehensive study on the abandonment of historic school buildings by the Indianapolis Public Schools system from 1970 to 1997. During this period, IPS closed or demolished sixty-four city schools representing nearly fifty-three percent of all Indianapolis public schools in 1970. The principal reason behind the facility closings was a dramatic decline in student enrollment beginning in 1967, but rapidly accelerating after 1970.Several factors contributed to this fall in public school rolls: lower birth rates, the unified government system (Unigov) that merged Indianapolis and Marion County administrative functions, and highway construction and urban renewal projects that cleared large areas of residential neighborhoods. The most significant factor, however, was court mandated integration of Indianapolis public schools in 1970, which led many white families to flee the IPS district and eventually resulted in one way, cross-district busing in 1981.The approaches adopted by Indianapolis Public School officials and the school board between 1970 and 1997, in response to the loss of student population, demonstrates an evolution of policy concerning historic school buildings in the city's inventory. During the early rounds of large scale closings, 1972-1975 and 1980-1981, IPS authorities specifically targeted older schools for closing. This policy changed during the last period of closings, 1995-1997, as some consideration was placed in closing decisions on school buildings' historic and architectural significance.Indianapolis Public School procedures governing the sale of surplus schools also went through a transformation between 1970 and 1997. Until recently, IPS was little concerned about the intended use of former schools by potential buyers. As a result, many historic school buildings were lost due to neglect or outright demolition. In 1997, however, Indianapolis school officials began to take responsibility for ensuring that historic schools leaving IPS's stewardship be preserved. / Department of Architecture
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/186245 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Holma, Marc E. |
| Contributors | Glass, James A. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | x, 166 leaves : ill., maps ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us-in |
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