Group trying to make 10th Street Indy's next hot neighborhood
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This stretch of 10th Street is getting a new name and look. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
The stretch of 10th Street between Sherman Drive and Leland Avenue could be Indy's next go-to neighborhood.
Why it matters: It's one of a dozen neighborhoods identified by the city as a new or emerging cultural district, looking to become the next Broad Ripple or Mass Ave.
Driving the news: The Little Flower Neighborhood Association received a $30,000 grant from a new city-funded program to support existing and emerging cultural districts to create a stronger identity for the 10th Street corridor.
- The $500,000 pilot provided grants to five existing districts — Broad Ripple, Fountain Square, Mass Ave, Indiana Avenue and the Wholesale District — and nine "emerging" districts.
- Three additional neighborhoods — Fletcher Place, Garfield Park and the Midtown Arts District — were granted cultural district status.
Between the lines: An emerging district is an area with a visible cultural identity, but not yet formally recognized as a cultural district.
- The grants are supposed to help those areas hone their identity by supporting public art, community events, small businesses and beautification efforts, as well as empower BIPOC-led and historically underfunded communities.
Zoom in: That's exactly how the Little Flower Neighborhood Association sees the stretch of 10th Street that forms its southern boundary, anchored by the Emerson Theater and stringing together the gentrifying near eastside and historic Irvington.
- The nearly 100-year-old building has lived many lives since its days as a movie theater through the 1930s, serving currently as an event space.
- The neighborhood association will use the grant to create a name and logo for the area, signage to help identify it, and beautification projects to make it more welcoming.
What they're saying: "10th Street can be a little crazy," Bethany Baugh, vice president of the neighborhood association, told Axios. "We'd like to reduce the crazy and make it a little more inviting."
- The group intends to work with local artists on public art and install amenities like benches and bike racks.
- It's still considering names for the district, but "The Dime" is leading.
What's next: Working with adjoining neighborhoods Community Heights, Grace-Tuxedo and Emerson Heights, the group hopes to have the district named by the end of the year and says the rest of the projects will be completed throughout 2026.