A neighborhood designed for automobiles

8/16/2012

Developers laid out Hammond's Indi-Illi neighborhood with driveways and garages to accommodate automobiles.

One of the Region’s earliest auto-suburbs recently earned listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

Beginning in 1923, local developer Frank Wachewicz introduced Indi-Illi Park – the first Hammond neighborhood specifically designed to accommodate automobiles. Previously, development in the area concentrated in the southern part of the city, situated to provide residents and workers convenient access to local streetcar lines.

However, by the 1920s personal car ownership was on the rise. Wachewicz laid out the Indi-Illi Park neighborhood to accommodate driveways and garages, both attached and detached. It also became the first Hammond neighborhood to feature small and moderate-sized homes specifically designed for the working class. Houses in the area reflect popular architectural styles of the time, including Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Craftsman, and American Foursquare. The neighborhood flourished until the Great Depression.

Partners in Preservation (PIP) prepared the National Register nomination for the Indi-Illi Park neighborhood. To learn more about PIP, contact pipindiana@gmail.com. For more information about Indi-Illi Park, visit http://www.hammondindiana.com/history/indipark.htm.