Libby Cierzniak
@libbycz.bsky.social
Retired lawyer/lobbyist. Kokomo native. Butler grad. Long-time resident of the historic Old Northside neighborhood. If you like Indy history, check out my blog at http://Indypolitan.com or my articles at https://historicindianapolis.com/author/libby.
Corner of Washington & Illinois streets, circa 1950s. If you look closely, you can see the signs for three long-gone hotels - Claypool, Lincoln & Hotel Washington.
September 17, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Corner of Washington & Illinois streets, circa 1950s. If you look closely, you can see the signs for three long-gone hotels - Claypool, Lincoln & Hotel Washington.
The most interesting tidbit I discovered while researching my latest RetroIndy article was this: The front doors selected for the current residence actually came from an insane asylum. They were salvaged from the 1870s Women’s Building at Central State Hospital.
www.indystar.com/story/news/h...
www.indystar.com/story/news/h...
Retro Indy: From Monument Circle to Meridian St., Indiana's governors have had many homes
Since Indianapolis became the state capital 200 years ago, five houses in Indianapolis have served as official governor's residences.
www.indystar.com
August 15, 2025 at 6:14 PM
The most interesting tidbit I discovered while researching my latest RetroIndy article was this: The front doors selected for the current residence actually came from an insane asylum. They were salvaged from the 1870s Women’s Building at Central State Hospital.
www.indystar.com/story/news/h...
www.indystar.com/story/news/h...
The National Association of Union Ex-Prisoners of War met in Indy in September 1920 during the national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. Of the nearly 200k Union soldiers imprisoned during the Civil War, only an estimated 400 were still alive in 1920.
August 10, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The National Association of Union Ex-Prisoners of War met in Indy in September 1920 during the national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. Of the nearly 200k Union soldiers imprisoned during the Civil War, only an estimated 400 were still alive in 1920.
Ever wondered how Indy’s earliest residents celebrated the 4th of July? Hint: Alcohol and explosives were involved. www.indypolitan.com/post/clowns-...
Whiskey, dancing and a clown marked Indy's 1st Fourth of July
The trappings of civilized society fell by the wayside on the 4th as a Wild West atmosphere gripped the city.
www.indypolitan.com
July 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Ever wondered how Indy’s earliest residents celebrated the 4th of July? Hint: Alcohol and explosives were involved. www.indypolitan.com/post/clowns-...
OTD in 1777, the Stars & Stripes was adopted as the official flag of the fledgling United States of America. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation recognizing June 14 as Flag Day, and Indy’s citywide celebration was orchestrated by local Elks clubs.
June 14, 2025 at 1:28 PM
OTD in 1777, the Stars & Stripes was adopted as the official flag of the fledgling United States of America. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation recognizing June 14 as Flag Day, and Indy’s citywide celebration was orchestrated by local Elks clubs.
Vice President Charles Fairbanks died this week in 1918, and the story of the Meridian Street lot where his home once stood includes prostitutes, presidents and a shady cancer doctor. Here's the dirt on this particular piece of land.
www.indypolitan.com/post/from-vi...
www.indypolitan.com/post/from-vi...
From Vice President to Vice Squad: The Story of a City Lot
Spring break 1968. Girl Scouts Gone Wild. Or at least that's how I recall one memorable day when I was 11 years old and our Girl Scout troop headed south from Kokomo to explore the big city. We toured...
www.indypolitan.com
June 5, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Vice President Charles Fairbanks died this week in 1918, and the story of the Meridian Street lot where his home once stood includes prostitutes, presidents and a shady cancer doctor. Here's the dirt on this particular piece of land.
www.indypolitan.com/post/from-vi...
www.indypolitan.com/post/from-vi...
Wow! An entire clinic devoted to treating people who are allergic to Carmel. Fingers crossed it’s in my network.
May 26, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Wow! An entire clinic devoted to treating people who are allergic to Carmel. Fingers crossed it’s in my network.
The Guaranty Building on the SW quadrant of the Circle was nearly vacant in 1996 and faced demolition before it was purchased at auction and restored. Its neighbor was not so lucky. The building that housed White’s Cafeteria was razed in 1970 following a devastating fire.
May 17, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The Guaranty Building on the SW quadrant of the Circle was nearly vacant in 1996 and faced demolition before it was purchased at auction and restored. Its neighbor was not so lucky. The building that housed White’s Cafeteria was razed in 1970 following a devastating fire.
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was dedicated OTD in 1902. As part of the ceremony, elderly members of every regiment that left Indiana from 1861 to 1865 surrounded the tattered flags they once carried in the Civil War and marched to the Circle.
May 15, 2025 at 11:20 PM
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was dedicated OTD in 1902. As part of the ceremony, elderly members of every regiment that left Indiana from 1861 to 1865 surrounded the tattered flags they once carried in the Civil War and marched to the Circle.
Historic Preservation Month-Demolished Landmark #9: The 1878 Hugh Love house at 1804 N. Meridian was the first house north of 18th Street to be built on Meridian. Razed in the early 1930s to make way for a gas station. Source: Indiana Landmarks Wilbur Peat collection.
May 9, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Historic Preservation Month-Demolished Landmark #9: The 1878 Hugh Love house at 1804 N. Meridian was the first house north of 18th Street to be built on Meridian. Razed in the early 1930s to make way for a gas station. Source: Indiana Landmarks Wilbur Peat collection.
Historic Preservation Month, Demolished Landmark #8: With the historic selection of the first Pope from the U.S., it seems timely to mention the 1998 demolition of the 174-year-old chapel at St. Joseph-Holy Cross Cemetery. Indy Star, 4/16/98; Indy News, 4/25/98
May 8, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Historic Preservation Month, Demolished Landmark #8: With the historic selection of the first Pope from the U.S., it seems timely to mention the 1998 demolition of the 174-year-old chapel at St. Joseph-Holy Cross Cemetery. Indy Star, 4/16/98; Indy News, 4/25/98
Historic Preservation Month-Demolished Landmark #7: Meridian-Kessler neighbors were outraged in 1979 when the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church demolished a circa-1900 house at 4010 Washington Boulevard to make way for a parking lot. (Indy Star, 10/28/1979)
May 8, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Historic Preservation Month-Demolished Landmark #7: Meridian-Kessler neighbors were outraged in 1979 when the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church demolished a circa-1900 house at 4010 Washington Boulevard to make way for a parking lot. (Indy Star, 10/28/1979)
Historic Preservation Month, Demolished Landmark #6: The first home of Butler University stood at 14th & College. After the university moved to Irvington in the 1870s, the building was an orphanage & later a medical school. It was razed in 1910 to make way for "modern" housing.
May 7, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Historic Preservation Month, Demolished Landmark #6: The first home of Butler University stood at 14th & College. After the university moved to Irvington in the 1870s, the building was an orphanage & later a medical school. It was razed in 1910 to make way for "modern" housing.
Historic Preservation Month, Demolished Landmark #5: Caleb Blood Smith, who served in Lincoln's cabinet, built this stately home at 538 W. New York before the Civil War. Preservationists tried to save it, but the house was razed by IUPUI in 1971. (IndyStar, 5/29/77).
May 5, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Historic Preservation Month, Demolished Landmark #5: Caleb Blood Smith, who served in Lincoln's cabinet, built this stately home at 538 W. New York before the Civil War. Preservationists tried to save it, but the house was razed by IUPUI in 1971. (IndyStar, 5/29/77).
Historic Preservation Month, Demolished Landmark #4. The magnificent Emrichsville Bridge on 16th St. over the White River. Opened in 1907, razed in 1948 to accommodate growing Speedway traffic.
May 4, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Historic Preservation Month, Demolished Landmark #4. The magnificent Emrichsville Bridge on 16th St. over the White River. Opened in 1907, razed in 1948 to accommodate growing Speedway traffic.
While some lobbyists sugarcoat their jobs with titles like Government Affairs Specialist, I never had a problem saying I was a lawyer-lobbyist, although these are 2 of the least respected professions joined by a hyphen. Here’s a history of lobbying in Indiana historicindianapolis.com/indianapolis...
Indianapolis Collected: If These Halls Could Talk.... | Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History
A remarkable sight started cropping up in downtown Indianapolis in the summer of 1903. "Women Invade Hotel Lobbies," The Indianapolis Morning Star
historicindianapolis.com
April 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
While some lobbyists sugarcoat their jobs with titles like Government Affairs Specialist, I never had a problem saying I was a lawyer-lobbyist, although these are 2 of the least respected professions joined by a hyphen. Here’s a history of lobbying in Indiana historicindianapolis.com/indianapolis...
Historic Union Station reopened as a festival marketplace on this day in 1986. Although there were a few nice shops and some interesting restaurants, the stalls selling schlocky trinkets and deep fried everything seemed jarring against the historic backdrop.
April 26, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Historic Union Station reopened as a festival marketplace on this day in 1986. Although there were a few nice shops and some interesting restaurants, the stalls selling schlocky trinkets and deep fried everything seemed jarring against the historic backdrop.
The FDA’s move to eliminate artificial dyes in food brings to mind the dark winter of 1907, when the local health board banned red dye and Indy residents were forced to slather their food with icky-looking brown catsup. historicindianapolis.com/indianapolis...
Indianapolis Collected: The Bloody Battle of the Catsup Bottle | Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History
If you watch a lot of horror movies, you could easily believe that the biggest maintenance problem faced by owners of old houses is cleaning up the blood
historicindianapolis.com
April 23, 2025 at 2:19 PM
The FDA’s move to eliminate artificial dyes in food brings to mind the dark winter of 1907, when the local health board banned red dye and Indy residents were forced to slather their food with icky-looking brown catsup. historicindianapolis.com/indianapolis...
As the city makes plans to redevelop the former site of the Indiana Women's Prison on the near eastside, did you ever wonder how a prison ended up as the next door neighbor to one of Indy's most elegant Victorian neighborhoods? The answer might surprise you. www.indypolitan.com/post/strange...
Strange Neighbors: Woodruff Place & the Women's Prison
As the city aims to redevelop the site of the former Women's Prison on the near eastside, did you ever wonder how a prison came to be the next-door neighbor to one of Indy's most elegant neighborhoods...
www.indypolitan.com
April 15, 2025 at 8:21 PM
As the city makes plans to redevelop the former site of the Indiana Women's Prison on the near eastside, did you ever wonder how a prison ended up as the next door neighbor to one of Indy's most elegant Victorian neighborhoods? The answer might surprise you. www.indypolitan.com/post/strange...
Happy National Beer Day to my friends at the Statehouse, who will likely need one at some point today.
April 7, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Happy National Beer Day to my friends at the Statehouse, who will likely need one at some point today.
On April Fool's Day 1959, the city approved Project H, which would replace more than 200 downtown buildings with a cluster of high-rise apartments. But the joke was on them when the plan fell flat and hundreds of residents were displaced with no place to go. www.indypolitan.com/post/the-day...
The day the H-Bomb hit downtown Indy
On April Fool's Day 1959, the city approved a plan to demolish 200 buildings in the heart of downtown Indy. It was the Project H bomb.
www.indypolitan.com
April 1, 2025 at 3:24 PM
On April Fool's Day 1959, the city approved Project H, which would replace more than 200 downtown buildings with a cluster of high-rise apartments. But the joke was on them when the plan fell flat and hundreds of residents were displaced with no place to go. www.indypolitan.com/post/the-day...
The White River hit an all-time high OTD in 1913, but it was a new low for Indy. The Great Flood of 1913 swept away entire neighborhoods and left thousands of families seeking shelter.
www.indypolitan.com/post/march-2...
www.indypolitan.com/post/march-2...
March 26, 1913: A high point for White River but a low point for Indianapolis
On March 26, 1913: Entire city blocks submerged in water. Families trapped in their attics, calling out frantically for help.
www.indypolitan.com
March 26, 2025 at 4:50 PM
The White River hit an all-time high OTD in 1913, but it was a new low for Indy. The Great Flood of 1913 swept away entire neighborhoods and left thousands of families seeking shelter.
www.indypolitan.com/post/march-2...
www.indypolitan.com/post/march-2...
OTD in 1878, Edwin May's magnificent design for the Indiana Statehouse was selected over 23 other plans. A few years ago, several of the losing designs were on display at the State Library and showed what might have been had May not prevailed.
March 22, 2025 at 2:44 PM
OTD in 1878, Edwin May's magnificent design for the Indiana Statehouse was selected over 23 other plans. A few years ago, several of the losing designs were on display at the State Library and showed what might have been had May not prevailed.
If you’re looking for the perfect Ides of March gift for a loved one, this Julius Caesar pencil holder is available at the Goodwill near Glendale.
March 15, 2025 at 2:35 PM
If you’re looking for the perfect Ides of March gift for a loved one, this Julius Caesar pencil holder is available at the Goodwill near Glendale.
On National Pi Day, just a reminder that despite claims to the contrary, sugar cream pie was never adopted into law as the official state pie. However, OTD in 1913, bills were signed that made On the Banks of the Wabash the state song and that set aside one day a year to kill rats.
March 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
On National Pi Day, just a reminder that despite claims to the contrary, sugar cream pie was never adopted into law as the official state pie. However, OTD in 1913, bills were signed that made On the Banks of the Wabash the state song and that set aside one day a year to kill rats.