Woodruff Place Neighborhood Walking Tour
Overview
On Friday evenings, explore Woodruff Place Historic District on atmospheric tours presented in collaboration with the Woodruff Place Civic League and Historic Woodruff Place Foundation. Guests will follow lantern-carrying guides on a twilight stroll featuring spooky insights and haunting historic tales from the neighborhood’s history. Known as the city’s first planned residential suburb, entrepreneur James O. Woodruff created the upscale, park-like neighborhood in 1872 with tree-lined esplanades and Victorian-era architecture that today feels straight out of central casting. Hear the sad tale of the neighborhood’s namesake, why his house was demolished, and why its ruins stood for 15 years before finally being removed. Learn about Indianapolis’s own Bates family, and the many tragedies that befell them.
