Emily Kimbrough Historic District
Bounded by Monroe, East Washington, Hackley, and East Charles streets, Muncie
Traffic Alert
Muncie’s Emily Kimbrough Historic District takes its name from the nationally known novelist whose Victorian home remains in the neighborhood. Established during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries following the city’s prosperous “Gas Boom,” the area retains a mix of high-style houses in Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, and Prairie styles alongside more modest bungalows and cottages. It’s a rich architectural and cultural legacy that residents worry may be diminished by a proposal to install four roundabouts along State Road 32 in the heart of the neighborhood.
As a solution to improve traffic flow and reduce crashes, in 2023 the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) suggested installing roundabouts along Main and Jackson streets where they intersect with Madison and Hackley streets. Neighborhood residents believe the roundabouts would dramatically alter the character of the National Register-listed historic district, compromise its walkability, and undo decades of preservation efforts by local groups including the East Central Neighborhood Association, which maintains the Emily Kimbrough Home Museum.
The association and other advocates are calling for INDOT and the City of Muncie to conduct an updated review of local traffic data, believing lane reductions installed since the initial study have already reduced crashes. Residents also want greater community input on changes to the streetscape, seeking design solutions that protect the district’s walkability and retains its distinctive character.
Amanda Arcidiacono
Director
Indiana Landmarks Eastern Regional Office
765-478-3172
aarcidiacono@indianalandmarks.org
Tom Collins
Board President
Muncie East Central Neighborhood Association
tdcollins@bsu.edu
Saving threatened buildings takes teamwork. You can be a part of that team. Reach out to local leaders. Let them know these buildings are important to you. And support state and local preservation groups.