Butler University and Holcomb Gardens
The 1928 campus and its public botanical gardens along the Central Canal.
Butler-Tarkington · Indianapolis, IN
Campus-side streets, farmhouse survivors, and Meridian frontage
Butler-Tarkington runs from Crown Hill Cemetery north to Butler University, mixing surviving 19th-century farmhouses with streetcar-era singles and larger houses along North Meridian. Only the Meridian frontage carries design review; the rest is straight zoning and permitting.
History & architecture
How Butler-Tarkington was built
The neighborhood began as an 1840s farm settlement near 38th and Illinois, originally called Mapleton, covering roughly 920 acres of former farmland.
It takes its name from Butler University, which moved to its Michigan Road campus in 1928, and from Pulitzer Prize–winning author and former resident Booth Tarkington.
Streetcar expansion and the institutional anchors of Butler and Crown Hill Cemetery drove early-20th-century build-out around a scattering of surviving farmhouses.
Butler-Tarkington is recognized as one of the city's earliest successfully integrated neighborhoods, and that organizing history still shapes its active neighborhood association.
- Typical era
- 1900s–1940s, with surviving 19th-century farmhouses
- Lot sizes
- Mostly 50–60 ft wide; larger on Meridian and former farm parcels
- Common types
- American Foursquare, bungalow, Colonial and Tudor Revival
- Design review
- Meridian Street frontage only
Landmarks & shared spaces
Places that anchor Butler-Tarkington
Tarkington Park
A 10.3-acre Indy Parks property at 39th and Meridian, established in 1945 and named for Booth Tarkington.
Crown Hill Cemetery
The nationally significant cemetery forming the neighborhood's southern boundary.
Indiana Governor's Residence
On North Meridian Street at the neighborhood's eastern edge.
Hinkle Fieldhouse
The 1928 Butler landmark, a National Historic Landmark and the campus's best-known building.
Businesses & districts
Where Butler-Tarkington gathers
46th and College
Redeveloped commercial node on the eastern edge with grocery, restaurants, and services.
38th Street corridor
The southern boundary's commercial mix of retail and service businesses.
Michigan Road
Western boundary commercial strip.
North Meridian Street
Institutional and professional office frontage governed by the Meridian Street preservation rules.
Zoning & overlays
Common zoning codes in Butler-Tarkington
These are the base districts and overlays we see most often on Butler-Tarkington lots. Always confirm your parcel's district and overlays on the Metro zoning map before design decisions get expensive.
D-3Dwelling District, medium-low density
Larger established lots: 7,500 sq ft minimum, 60 ft width, 30 ft front, 6 ft sides, 25 ft rear, 35 ft height, 35% coverage.
D-5Dwelling District, medium-high density
The common close-in urban district: 5,000 sq ft minimum lot, 40 ft width, front yard set by the established block-face average (typically 20–25 ft), 5 ft sides, 20 ft rear, 35 ft height, 40% coverage.
D-4Dwelling District, medium density
Older single-family blocks: 6,000 sq ft minimum lot, 50 ft width, 25 ft front, 5 ft sides, 20 ft rear, 35 ft height, 35% coverage.
Overlays that apply here
MSPA
Meridian Street Preservation Area
Covers the neighborhood's North Meridian Street frontage under Indiana Code 36-7-11.2, reviewed by the Meridian Street Preservation Commission on the third Tuesday of each month.
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No IHPC district on the interior
The interior blocks are not a locally designated historic area, so no Certificate of Appropriateness is required there.
TH
Thoroughfare plan setback
Meridian Street, 38th Street, and Michigan Road carry additional setback lines from the county thoroughfare plan.
Permitting path
- 1North Meridian Street frontage falls in the Meridian Street Preservation Area, a state-created district under Indiana Code 36-7-11.2 — it is not administered by IHPC.
- 2Exterior alterations, new construction, and demolition on covered parcels are reviewed by the independent Meridian Street Preservation Commission, which meets monthly (third Tuesday) at Meridian Street United Methodist Church.
- 3The district has primary and secondary preservation areas, so a lot one street back may be covered while a neighbor is not — confirm the boundary before design starts.
- 4Interior blocks away from Meridian Street carry no design review layer and go straight to standard DBNS permitting.
Why it matters
Butler-Tarkington's place in Indianapolis
Butler-Tarkington is the residential setting for Butler University and Crown Hill, two of the city's largest institutional landmarks.
Its mix of lot sizes — from farmhouse parcels to standard grid lots to Meridian estates — makes it one of the more varied design contexts on the north side.
Proximity to the canal, Holcomb Gardens, and the 46th and College node keeps it a steady renovation market rather than a teardown one.
Events & festivals
What happens in Butler-Tarkington
Midtown Holiday Home Tour
November
Decades-old tour spanning Midtown neighborhoods including Butler-Tarkington.
Butler University public events
Year-round
Campus programming and Holcomb Gardens gatherings open to the neighborhood.
Neighborhood association events
Year-round
Community meetings, cleanups, and social events run by the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association.
Designing here
What this means for your Butler-Tarkington project
- Check the Meridian Street Preservation Area boundary first. On covered parcels, exterior changes go to a separate commission from IHPC and on a different monthly calendar.
- Interior blocks in D-3 have real room to work: 7,500 sq ft minimum lots at 35% coverage usually leave capacity for a rear addition and a detached garage.
- Surviving farmhouses often sit oddly on their lots relative to the later grid — confirm the existing setbacks against the current district before assuming an addition is conforming.
- Canal- and campus-adjacent blocks have mature tree canopy; root protection and drainage detailing typically matter more here than any zoning constraint.
- Garage placement is the most common design question — keeping it behind the front building line keeps the streetscape intact and avoids setback problems.
FAQ
Questions about Butler-Tarkington
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