One of the major north/south roadways through downtown Indianapolis is Delaware Street. South of Fall Creek, the street maintains a mostly straight course, except for a quick jog to the east at 16th Street, and again at 22nd Street.
When approaching 16th Street on Delaware, the intersection almost appears as a “T” before the curving jog the to the east becomes visible. Most drivers exercising the basic care and alertness when driving will navigate this jog with ease. However, some will not, and whether through impaired driving, or old-fashioned negligence, the brick house at the top of the “T,” generally known as the Goetz-Bowen House, has been struck numerous times by vehicles which continue straight instead of jogging to the right.
Looking at the history of the intersection, the main question in my mind is, why does the street take a curving jog to the right? My first thought was that this was some survey related issue. In some places in Indianapolis/Marion County there are survey corrections, where the normal Township and Range survey lines will shift to the east. This is particularly visible in the northeast part of the county. 16th Street is an east/west section line, but Delaware is not aligned with any survey line. Similar jogs are present at Illinois and 16th Street, and a less dramatic example, at Capitol and 16th. The Illinois street jog to the east results in the roadway roughly following a section line. But the jog we are concerned with was not caused by any survey related issue.
A review of historical maps shows that the intersection used to be a complete “T,” where travelers would have had to take a solid right turn, and then a left in order to continue north on Delaware. So there always was a jog to the east, as there is today, but the present jog is not as severe as it was in the past. The 1887 Sanborn map shows this arrangement very clearly, although at the time, no structures had been constructed at the top of the T. By 1898 (second map, use the slide arrow), that situation has changed dramatically with construction all around the intersection, including a large brick home at the top of the T, on the corner of the Delaware jog.
It appears that when this area of the city was being platted, 16th Street, also known at one time as Tinker Street and later 7th Street, was the northern edge of the city, and platting of the land north of 16th Street into neighborhoods did not exactly align all north/south streets. The image below shows an overall look of the intersection as one approached it from the south on Delaware in 1905. The Goetz-Bowen House at the top of the "T" is visible, as is First Presbyterian Church, now known as the Harrison Center, on the right. The continuation of Delaware after the old hard right and left jog is visible in between the house and the church.
This situation remains in place until the 1920s, when the city embarked upon a plan to address several intersections along 16th Street which were deemed “dangerous.” On June 4, 1920, the Indianapolis News reported that a resolution had been passed by the Board of Public Works to eliminate the jog at Illinois and 16th Street by creating a short, curved route to the east. The move would result in a two-story brick building and a wood frame building being demolished to allow the jog. The story also noted that similar resolutions would be approved for work at the Capitol and Delaware intersections with 16th Street.
The Delaware specific resolution was approved in early August of 1920, with a plan to cut out the northwest corner of the jog to allow the construction of a more gradual curve. The Goetz-Bowen House which sat on the spot would be condemned and demolished. Delaware would also be resurfaced and widened up to 19th Street. Elsewhere, objections of residents living near the Illinois and 16th jog challenged the planned reroute citing safety concerns. A few weeks later, the Delaware plan was also subject to a remonstration by area residents.
Mark H. Miller, the acting president of the Board of Public Works tried to explain to the residents why the changes were needed. He noted that with the upcoming construction of a bridge to carry Delaware Street over Fall Creek (completed in 1924), the potential for increased traffic necessitated the elimination of the "T" intersection and the jog, and the widening of the roadway.
The objecting residents proposed that a chunk of the southeast corner of the intersection be cut, along with a small part of the northwest corner, to accommodate the curve. This would also save the Goetz-Bowen House on the northwest corner. However, this proposal was declined by the Board of Public Works, and the plan to cut into the northwest corner was finalized.
Despite these plans, no work on the jog project at 16th and Delaware was begun until 1923. When the project was commenced, the southern half of Goetz-Bowen House (which appears to have been two or even three homes in one based on the Sanborn maps) on the northwest corner was demolished. The home had been constructed in 1896-97 by Philip Goetz, an executive with the Indiana Bicycle Company. Occupancy and ownership of the home changed over the years, although Caroline Bown owned the property from the 1920s to the 1970s. When the southern portion of the house was demolished to make room for the new curved jog, the exterior of the northern survivor house was refaced and modified to about what is seen today.
Not long after being completed, the new intersection was found to be confusing for motorists as they approached from both the north and south of the intersection (Delaware was two-way at this time). The confusion was so much of an issue that Michael J. Glenn, the captain of the Indianapolis police traffic squad, issued a statement just before Christmas in 1923 about navigating the intersection, including how to drive around the ‘silent policemen,’ which were traffic control devices, often in the form of a pole, which were placed in intersections to direct traffic flow a certain direction. This link provides a view of the intersection looking south, which shows some of the traffic control measures in the street, and on the curb.
The more recent history of the intersection has been defined by the number of times that the Goetz-Bowen House, which is addressed as 1606 North Delaware, has been struck by vehicles traveling north. However, this is hardly a more recent issue, as cars have been striking the house for decades. On January 29, 1954, the Indianapolis News reported that a Mary Jane Murphy lost control of her car while traveling north on Delaware and struck the side of 1606 North Delaware. Mary Jane was taken to Methodist Hospital with a variety of cuts on her legs and head. The image below shows the approach to the intersection in 1953, just before Mary Jane's crash. The Goetz-Bowen House appears mostly as it does today, minus a few of the trees. Note that at this point, Delaware had been converted to one way.
In 1970 the Goetz-Bowen House was again struck by a car traveling northbound on Delaware at 1:35 a.m. on November 3. Carles E. “Northside” Johnson, an Indianapolis attorney who claimed he was driving north when he spotted another car driving straight at him. Johnson said he hit his brakes, which somehow caused his car to jump the sidewalk on the opposite side of the roadway and resulted in him striking the side of the house. Johnson suffered various cuts and possible internal injuries, while the house sustained “extensive damage.” The image below, from the Indianapolis News, shows Johnson's car in the aftermath to his crash.
These are just a few examples of vehicles hitting the Goetz-Bowen House. Over the past 15 years, the building being struck by cars seems to have become a more regular event, or more publicized event, often being featured prominently on local social media and in discussions about roadway safety in Indianapolis. The Google Streetview below shows damage to the Goetz-Bowen House in 2022 following a car crash. The second image (use the slider arrows), from 2009, shows the intersection before the curb was extended. Note the small bollards which were once in place in the front of the house.
Currently, the Goetz-Bowen House is occupied by the Cox Law Office, and is also known for the large billboard on its southern side which hosts advertisements, most often for the Harrison Center for the Arts located across the street. As noted, the curb was expanded outward several years ago, but there is no protection, aside from the utility pole, which would deflect a vehicle from hitting the Goetz-Bowen House again in the future.
Sources
Indianapolis News: August 11, 1920, August 30, 1920, November 3, 1970
Indianapolis Star: August 12, 1920, December 24, 1923
IU Indianapolis, University Library Sanborn Map and Baist Atlas Collection, https://ulib.iupui.edu/digitalcollections/sanbornjp2
House at 16th and Delaware, 1905 (Bass #4365), Indiana Historical Society, Bass Photo Co Collection, https://images.indianahistory.org/digital/collection/dc012/id/8714/rec/3
Delaware Street at 16th Street, Indiana Historical Society, Bass Photo Co Collection, Indiana Historical Society, 1953, https://images.indianahistory.org/digital/collection/p16797coll35/id/2264/rec/1
1606 N. Delaware St., Goetz-Bowen House, IU Indianapolis University Library, Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission Image Collection, 1986, https://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HT/id/2772