West Central downtown is a magical space where people with souls reside. Sure, you can grab a tan cookie-cutter spot out in the burbs and care about the lawn, but why would you? This is where history, art, and friends meet. The West Central Neighborhood encompasses all of downtown west of Calhoun Street, the heart of West Central is its urban residential area, the development of which began as early as the 1830s. Because of the historic and architectural significance of this area, the West Central Neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and was designated as a Local Historic District as early as 1985.
The West Central Neighborhood was named the “Best Old House Neighborhood” in Indiana in 2010 by “This Old House Magazine.” The north side of the Neighborhood, along Berry and Wayne streets and Washington Boulevard, was where many of the City’s most prominent families built large, stylish homes. On the south side, situated between West Jefferson Boulevard and the former Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, exists a collection of modest, small-scale cottages arranged along narrow, tree-lined, brick streets. Many workers for the businesses and various industries stretching along the south side of the tracks resided in this area. The area opens into downtown, with restaurants, shops, and countless ways to get lost in the city. The Historic Sion Bass House straddles the edge of the neighborhood and downtown. You can be out the door and on an adventure in minutes.