User:Coalwill/Old Northside Historic District

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The neighborhood began a slow decline in the early 1910s as architectural tastes changed and families built homes further north in Indianapolis. Over several decades, homes were demolished and others fell into disrepair. In 1937, the Homeowner Loan Corporation (HOLC) classified 73 Indianapolis neighborhoods into four categories based on perceived investment risk. The Old Northside was graded "C", or hazardous, and colored yellow, and was surrounded by redlined neighborhoods. In the late 1960s, residents began restoring remaining buildings of architectural significance, and petitioned the city for historic recognition. By the 1990s, the Old Northside was gentrified, with the population of white residents more than doubling between 1970 and 2016.

Old Northside received historic designation in late 1978 after adopting a plan for preserving the architecture and history of the neighborhood. Disagreement arose between those seeking National Register designation and lower-income residents of the Old Northside, who were represented by the Citizens Neighborhood Coalition and feared displacement from their homes. A 1979 IUPUI study determined that minimal displacement had taken place due to the historic preservation of the neighborhood.

Preservation of the neighborhood's history is overseen by the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.