To market, to market: a history and interpretation of the Indianapolis City Market, 1821-2014

Abstract

Since the city’s founding in 1821, Indianapolis has hosted a public market, situated on Market Street, between Delaware and Alabama Streets. The City Market served as an economic engine for Indianapolis, connecting rural farmers with urban communities and providing business-venture opportunities for a growing immigrant population. This thesis examines the evolution of the City Market’s historic and cultural importance in the urban landscape of Indianapolis through three critical periods. This study, moves chronologically through the building’s historical development from inception to reinvention in the modern era. Peeling back the layers of City Market history reveals the dynamic needs of the city, a colorful reflection of urban economic life. The final chapter suggests feasible ways to incorporate this building’s robust and colorful past into the space through proposed interpretation.