RCA Dome Implosion

The RCA dome (or Hoosier Dome) was imploded Saturday, December 20 at around 9:30 in the morning. I was lucky enough to be slightly involved with the project, making observations on the buildings that were supposed to remain standing. So I got up Saturday morning like a kid ready for Christmas. I always like the RCA dome, it was a pretty brilliant structure. But you can't stand in the way of progress, and the Lucas Oil Stadium is certainly as good if not better.


Anyways, one of the guys I work with got VIP tix for working with the demo contractor. Score! You see the price on that ticket? That's probably my favorite part.


These guys tear things down for a living and they have a sense of humor about it. The day before the implosion I got to explore the sight making sure everything was cool, there was only one instruction "don't step on the yellow wires." I was kind enough to oblige them. The stadium was oddly quiet and strange, almost post-apocalyptic.


We arrived early on Saturday morning for the implosion, we had a good view of the implosion next to the new Lucas Oil Stadium. I thought it was a fitting location to watch the show. Ring in the new by tearing down the old. A good topic for a New Year's Eve posting.

And finally, a video of the implosion as it happened. I recommend turning up the volume (and especially the bass) to get the full feeling. Goodbye Hoosier Dome.

Note: it's a large AVI file (300+MB) but high quality and complete from beginning of charges to after the dust clears, will take a long time to download

Pennsylvania Railroad - Rail Trail

(borrowed from the presentation by Storrow Kinsella)

Lately my neighborhood of Irvington has been blessed with some good news (groundbreaking news from Indy Star, groundbreaking news from IDO). The plans for the Pennsylvania RR rail trail are being acted on and the work has begun. In short, this is an old railroad line that is being converted to public space, principally a walk/bike trail.


The defunct Pennsylvania Railroad line through Irvington was preserved for just this reason, and I believe it has a lot of support in the community. The latest "Pennsy Trail" presentation sounds pretty exciting, and the trail head will only be 2 blocks from the icehouse.



The full plans include a continuous pedestrian trail from one end of the state to the other (and hopefully continuing beyond those borders as well - the National Road Heritage Trail). There are additional resources at Indy Greenways host site, Indiana Trails host site, the Pennsy Trails arts fair site, and the trail designer host site.


The fun parts include the use of old over-passes and under-passes, at-grade crossings, insignia and logos, but the best part is the alterations to Ritter Ave (see pic above) and the recovery of the old commercial district in Irvington south of Washington Street.

I have no idea what this building is currently being used for...

This area along Bonna St used to be very important because of the importance of the railroad and the passengers riding it to the city every day. After the installation of streetcars and increasing use of automobiles, Washington St became the most trafficked commercial area. I'm hoping that the trail will bring people to Bonna St and make these old buildings viable again.

A rare book shop? (only by appt)

The old brick street and rail ROW - now a quasi parking lot

In addition to the commercial buildings, there are some fabulous old residences nearby. The town's original founders and their relatives built some very impressive structures and some Irvingtonians have lovingly restored them. The one below is known as the Julian House and is an Italianate that will eventually be very close to the trail.


Then there are the many houses that have not been restored and are currently subdivided. Obviously the hope here is that someone will take the initiative to restore these. Now before you scream "gentrification kills diversity" let me point out that the beauty of Irvington is that these mansions are located directly next to very modest homes, duplexes, and apartments. There will always be affordable housing in the neighborhood, so fear not!

An unrestored authentic Irvington house