Garfield Park Conservatory & Sunken Garden
A 10,000 sq ft conservatory with a tropical collection, beside the Kessler-era formal gardens.
Garfield Park · Indianapolis, IN
The city's oldest park, bungalow blocks, and a reviving Shelby Street
Garfield Park wraps the oldest park in Indianapolis: a Kessler-planned landscape with a conservatory and sunken gardens, surrounded by bungalow and Foursquare blocks and a Shelby Street commercial corridor that is filling back in.
History & architecture
How Garfield Park was built
In 1873 the city bought the 98-acre former Southern Riding Park, a harness-racing tract, and renamed it Southern Park — the oldest park in Indianapolis.
It was renamed Garfield Park in 1881 after the assassination of President James A. Garfield.
Between 1903 and 1908 landscape architect George Kessler folded the park into his citywide parks and boulevards plan; the formal Sunken Gardens date from that era.
The surrounding neighborhood built out from a rural edge — the 1842 Yoke farmhouse still stands among it — into early-20th-century bungalow and Foursquare blocks.
- Typical era
- 1900s–1940s, with scattered 19th-century survivors
- Lot sizes
- Mostly 40–50 ft wide platted lots
- Common types
- Craftsman bungalow, American Foursquare, post-war cottage
- Design review
- None on the residential blocks
Landmarks & shared spaces
Places that anchor Garfield Park
Garfield Park Arts Center
Housed in a 1922 former shelter house at 2432 Conservatory Drive.
MacAllister Amphitheater
The park's outdoor performance venue.
The Pagoda
Historic park shelter structure on Pagoda Drive.
Yoke farmhouse (1842)
One of the oldest surviving structures in the area, a reminder of the neighborhood's rural origins.
Businesses & districts
Where Garfield Park gathers
Shelby Street
The commercial spine and emerging arts corridor, with 100-year-old storefronts being reactivated.
Prospect Street
East-west commercial corridor linking toward Fountain Square.
Bluff Road corridor
Service and neighborhood commercial on the park's western side.
Zoning & overlays
Common zoning codes in Garfield Park
These are the base districts and overlays we see most often on Garfield Park lots. Always confirm your parcel's district and overlays on the Metro zoning map before design decisions get expensive.
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.
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.
Overlays that apply here
—
No IHPC residential district
The park itself is listed on the National Register, but the surrounding residential blocks are not a locally designated historic area — confirm current status on the city's historic and conservation districts list before assuming.
FF
Flood control overlay
Parcels near Pleasant Run and Bean Creek fall in mapped flood hazard areas, which adds floodplain permitting and elevation requirements.
TH
Thoroughfare plan setback
Shelby Street and other arterials carry additional setback lines from the county thoroughfare plan.
Permitting path
- 1Verify the parcel's dwelling district on MapIndy. The Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance took effect April 1, 2016, so older paperwork often cites districts and standards that have since been renumbered.
- 2On close-in blocks, the required front yard is usually the established front-yard average for the block face rather than a flat number — measure the neighbors before setting the addition line.
- 3Check maximum lot coverage early. On small platted lots an addition plus a detached garage or patio typically runs out of coverage before it runs out of floor area.
- 4Residential additions, remodels, and accessory structures are permitted through the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services on the IndyPermit portal — an Improvement Location Permit for zoning compliance plus the building permit.
- 5There is no Certificate of Appropriateness step outside the IHPC areas and the Meridian Street Preservation Area; the review is zoning and building code only.
Why it matters
Garfield Park's place in Indianapolis
Garfield Park is the oldest park in the city and a Kessler-plan landscape, making it the defining public amenity of the near south side.
The Shelby Street corridor is one of the most visible reinvestment stories in Indianapolis right now, with a growing cluster of independent businesses.
Its housing stock is affordable relative to the north side, which makes it a strong market for additions and whole-house renovations rather than new construction.
Events & festivals
What happens in Garfield Park
Spring bulb show
February–March
Tulip and spring bloom display at the Garfield Park Conservatory.
Cactus & Succulent Show
August
Annual specialty show at the conservatory.
Amphitheater summer series
Summer
Concerts and performances at the MacAllister Amphitheater.
Designing here
What this means for your Garfield Park project
- No design review here means the schedule is driven by DBNS permitting alone, which makes Garfield Park one of the faster near-downtown neighborhoods to build in.
- Bungalows here take a rear or side-rear addition well; the low-slung roof means a full second story usually needs careful massing to avoid overwhelming the porch.
- Watch the 40% coverage cap on D-5 lots when adding a detached garage — the existing house typically already uses a large share of it.
- Park-facing lots read differently: the front elevation is effectively on display across open lawn, which is worth reflecting in porch and window detailing.
- Near Pleasant Run and Bean Creek, get the flood zone determination before schematic design so finished floor elevations and grading are set correctly.
FAQ
Questions about Garfield Park
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