Indianapolis Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===20th century=== [[File:Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Otis Lithograph Co. border edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A 1909 advertisement for the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]]]] {{Wide image|IN Indianapolis 1914a.jpg|1000px|alt=Panoramic view of Downtown Indianapolis in 1914|[[Downtown Indianapolis]] in 1914. At left, the [[Indiana Statehouse]]. At center-left are the Claypool Hotel (foreground) and [[Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)|Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument]] (background). The intersection of Illinois St. and the [[Washington Street (Indianapolis)|National Road]] is centered near the bottom of the image. The [[Indianapolis News Building]] and [[Hotel Washington (Indianapolis, Indiana)|Hotel Washington]] are to the left of Washington Street while the [[Barnes and Thornburg Building|Merchants National Bank Building]] is visible to the right. At center-right, the [[Wholesale District, Indianapolis|Wholesale District]]. At far-right, the [[Omni Severin Hotel|Hotel Severin]] and [[Indianapolis Union Station]] clock tower.}} Some of the city's most prominent architectural features and best-known historical events date from the turn of the 20th century. The [[Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)|Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument]], dedicated on May 15, 1902, would later become the city's unofficial symbol.<ref>{{cite journal|author=James Philip Fadely|title=The Veteran and the Memorial: George J. Gangsdale and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument|journal=Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History|volume=18|issue=1|pages=33–35|publisher=Indiana Historical Society|location=Indianapolis|date=Winter 2006}} Accessed March 26, 2016.</ref> [[Ray Harroun]] won the inaugural running of the [[Indianapolis 500]], held May 30, [[1911 Indianapolis 500|1911]], at [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]]. Indianapolis was one of the hardest hit cities in the [[Great Flood of 1913]], resulting in five known deaths<ref name=IndyProfile>{{cite web|title=Community Profiles: Indianapolis, Indiana|work=The Great Flood of 1913, 100 Years Later|publisher=Silver Jackets|year=2013|url=http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu/1913Flood/communities/indianapolis.shtml|access-date=July 29, 2013|archive-date=November 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113154058/http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu/1913Flood/communities/indianapolis.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Bell15>{{cite journal|author=Trudy E. Bell|title=Forgotten Waters: Indiana's Great Easter Flood of 1913|journal=Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History|volume=18|issue=2|page=15|publisher=Indiana Historical Society|location=Indianapolis|date=Spring 2006}}</ref><ref>Unconfirmed deaths numbered as many as twenty-five. See Bodenhamer and Barrows, p. 582.</ref> and the displacement of 7,000 families.<ref name=BB58182>{{cite book|editor1-last=Bodenhamer|editor1-first=David J.|editor2-last=Barrows|editor2-first=Robert G.|title=The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=1994|location=Bloomington and Indianapolis|pages=581–582|isbn=0-253-31222-1}}</ref> Once home to 60 automakers, Indianapolis rivaled [[Detroit]] as a center of automobile manufacturing.<ref name="automaker"/> The city was an early focus of [[labor organization]].<ref name="Britannica"/> The [[Indianapolis streetcar strike of 1913]] and subsequent police mutiny and riots led to the creation of the state's earliest labor-protection laws, including a [[minimum wage]], regular work weeks, and improved working conditions.<ref name=d1230>{{cite book|author=Dunn, Jacob Piatt|title=Indiana and Indianans|volume=III|year=1919|publisher=American Historical Society|location=Chicago & New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXUmzX6kE-4C|page=1230|author-link=Jacob Piatt Dunn}}</ref> The [[International Typographical Union]] and [[United Mine Workers of America]] were among several influential labor unions based in the city.<ref name="Britannica"/> As a stop on the [[Underground Railroad]], Indianapolis had one of the largest black populations in the [[Union (American Civil War)|Northern States]], until the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]].<ref name="mumford.albany.edu">{{cite web|url=http://mumford.albany.edu/census/2003newspdf/jsonlineSeries/011403MURPHInjsonline.pdf|title=Indianapolis|access-date=November 8, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926182527/http://mumford.albany.edu/census/2003newspdf/jsonlineSeries/011403MURPHInjsonline.pdf|archive-date=September 26, 2006}}</ref> Led by [[D. C. Stephenson]], the [[Indiana Klan]] became the most powerful political and social organization in Indianapolis from 1921 through 1928, controlling the City Council and the Board of School Commissioners, among others. At its height, more than 40% of native-born white males in Indianapolis claimed membership in the Klan. While campaigning in the city in 1968, [[Robert F. Kennedy]] delivered one of the most lauded [[Robert F. Kennedy's speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|speeches]] in 20th century American history, following the assassination of civil rights leader [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]<ref>{{cite news|author=Morning Edition|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89365887|title=Robert Kennedy: Delivering News of King's Death |publisher=NPR|access-date=July 1, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Higgins|first=Will|date=April 2, 2015|title=April 4, 1968: How RFK saved Indianapolis|url=http://www.indystar.com/story/life/2015/04/02/april-rfk-saved-indianapolis/70817218/|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|access-date=March 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century|url=http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/007256296x/77464/top100_only.html|access-date=August 1, 2016}}</ref> As in most U.S. cities during the [[Civil Rights Movement]], the city experienced strained race relations. A 1971 federal court decision forcing [[Indianapolis Public Schools]] to implement [[desegregation busing]] proved controversial.<ref>{{cite news|first=Shaina|last=Cavazos|date=August 17, 2016|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/08/indianapolis-school-districts/496145/|title=Racial Bias and the Crumbling of a City|work=The Atlantic|access-date=September 22, 2016}}</ref> During the mayoral administration of [[Richard Lugar]] (1968–1976), the city and county governments consolidated. Known as [[Unigov]] (a [[portmanteau]] of "unified" and "government"), the [[city-county consolidation]] removed bureaucratic redundancies, captured increasingly [[suburbanization|suburbanizing]] tax revenue, and created a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[political machine]] that dominated local politics until the early 2000s.<ref name="politics">{{cite news |last=Bradner |first=Eric |date=August 29, 2010 |title=Indiana Democrats, African-Americans saw diminishing returns in 'Unigov' |url=http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&subsectionID=303&articleID=55914 |work=Evansville Courier & Press |access-date=March 26, 2016 |archive-date=April 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408151900/http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&subsectionID=303&articleID=55914 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Bodenhamer |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Barrows |editor2-first=Robert |title=The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis |year=1994 |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington & Indianapolis |page=1356}}</ref> Effective January 1, 1970, Unigov expanded the city's land area by more than {{convert|300|sqmi|km2}} and increased its population by some 250,000 people.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/312244277 |url-access=subscription |title=Unigov's 1st Test Is Due |date=May 25, 1971 |work=The Indianapolis News |access-date=July 3, 2023 |page=41 |via=Newspapers.com |quote=It meant the city's jurisdiction grew overnight from one that covered 82 square miles and just over 500,000 residents to one with 400 square miles and more than 750,000 people.}}</ref> It was the first major city-county consolidation to occur in the U.S. without a [[referendum]] since the creation of the [[City of Greater New York]] in 1898.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Creation of Unigov |encyclopedia=Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis |orig-date=1994 |year=2021 |last1=Blomquist |first1=William A. |last2=Vanderstel |first2=David G. |publisher=Indianapolis Public Library |url=https://indyencyclopedia.org/unigov-creation-of-1967-1971/ |access-date=July 2, 2023}}</ref> Lugar is credited with initiating downtown revitalization, overseeing the building of [[Market Square Arena]], [[Indianapolis City Market]] renovations, and formation of [[Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Richard G. Lugar |encyclopedia=Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis |date=April 2021 |last=Frantz |first=Edward O. |publisher=Indianapolis Public Library |url=https://indyencyclopedia.org/richard-g-lugar/ |access-date=July 2, 2023}}</ref> Amid the changes in government and growth, the city pursued an aggressive economic development strategy to raise the city's stature as a [[sports tourism]] destination, known as the Indianapolis Project.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Bodenhamer |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Barrows |editor2-first=Robert |title=The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis |year=1994 |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington & Indianapolis |pages=803–804}}</ref> During the administration of the city's longest-serving mayor, [[William Hudnut]] (1976–1992), millions of dollars were invested into sports venues and public relations campaigns. The strategy was successful in landing the [[U.S. Olympic Festival]] in 1982, securing the [[Baltimore Colts relocation to Indianapolis|relocation of the Baltimore Colts]] in 1984, and hosting the [[1987 Pan American Games]].<ref name="Naptown"/> Beginning in 1992, the mayoral administration of [[Stephen Goldsmith]] introduced a number of [[austerity]] measures to address budget shortfalls through [[privatization]] and greater reliance on [[public–private partnership]]s. Major downtown revitalization projects continued through the 1990s, including the openings of [[Circle Centre Mall]], [[Victory Field]], and [[Gainbridge Fieldhouse]], as well as ongoing redevelopment of the [[Indiana Central Canal]] and [[White River State Park]] areas.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Stephen L. Goldsmith Administration |encyclopedia=Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis |orig-date=1994 |year=2021 |last1=Blomquist |first1=William A. |last2=Stitt |first2=Scott |publisher=Indianapolis Public Library |url=https://indyencyclopedia.org/administration-of-stephen-l-goldsmith/ |access-date=July 2, 2023}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page