Herron High School
The former John Herron Art Institute building at 110 E. 16th St, the district's civic anchor.
Herron-Morton Place · Indianapolis, IN
574 contributing Victorians under full IHPC review
Herron-Morton Place is a compact near-downtown district of Queen Anne, Classical Revival, and Foursquare houses on narrow 1890s lots. It has been a locally designated historic area since 1986, so every visible exterior change starts with a Certificate of Appropriateness.
History & architecture
How Herron-Morton Place was built
The land was originally owned by Samuel Henderson, the city's first postmaster and first mayor.
It developed as a prestigious late-19th and early-20th-century subdivision on ground that had been wooded and marshy along a Fall Creek tributary.
John Herron's bequest of roughly $225,000 founded the John Herron Art Institute at 16th and Pennsylvania, now Herron High School, and gave the neighborhood half its name.
The district was listed on the National Register in 1983 and received local IHPC protection in 1986 through the adopted Historic Area Conservation Plan.
- Typical era
- 1875–1924
- Lot sizes
- Narrow urban lots, commonly 30–45 ft wide
- Common types
- Queen Anne, Classical Revival, American Foursquare
- Design review
- COA required — staff, hearing officer, or full Commission
Landmarks & shared spaces
Places that anchor Herron-Morton Place
Tinker House and Studio
T.C. Steele's Indianapolis home and studio for 14 years, part of the T.C. Steele Historic Trail.
1900 block of N. Delaware Street
An intact row of Queen Anne houses that defines the district's character.
Herron-Morton Place Park
The neighborhood green on the former Nineteenth Street school grounds.
Old Northside Historic District
The separately designated district immediately east across Central Avenue.
Businesses & districts
Where Herron-Morton Place gathers
16th Street corridor
The southern edge's commercial strip, an active redevelopment front.
Central Avenue
Eastern edge corridor transitioning toward the Old Northside and Mass Ave.
Talbott Street
Small mixed commercial nodes near the southern boundary.
Mass Ave arts district
Adjacent downtown commercial district within easy walking distance.
Zoning & overlays
Common zoning codes in Herron-Morton Place
These are the base districts and overlays we see most often on Herron-Morton Place 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-8Dwelling District, urban multi-family
Applies to apartment and attached-housing parcels near corridors: 2,000 sq ft per unit, 25 ft width, 10 ft front, 5 ft sides, 15 ft rear, 45 ft height, 60% 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
IHPC
Herron-Morton Place Historic Area (HA-19)
Adopted by IHPC and the Metropolitan Development Commission on October 1, 1986. The adopted conservation plan sets the design standards for the district.
NRHP
Herron-Morton Place Historic District (1983)
National Register listing covering 574 contributing buildings.
RC
Regional Center proximity
The district sits just north of the Regional Center overlay boundary, which shapes the scale of new development along its southern edge.
Permitting path
- 1Confirm on the city's historic districts map whether the parcel sits inside an IHPC-regulated historic area or conservation district. National Register listing on its own carries no restriction on private exterior work — the local designation is what triggers review.
- 2Inside an IHPC area, a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) is required under IC 36-7-11-10 before exterior alterations, additions, new construction, demolition, fences, and signage. The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services will not issue the building permit without it.
- 3IHPC runs three tracks: administrative staff approval for routine, guideline-compliant work; a hearing officer for intermediate cases; and a full Commission public hearing for new construction, large additions, and demolition. The Commission meets monthly at the City-County Building.
- 4Reviews are measured against the district's adopted Historic Area Preservation Plan plus IHPC's citywide design Policies, last readopted January 8, 2025.
- 5The base dwelling district still applies underneath the overlay — lot coverage, side and rear setbacks, and the 35 ft height cap are all still enforced by zoning review.
Why it matters
Herron-Morton Place's place in Indianapolis
Herron-Morton Place is one of the most architecturally intact Victorian districts left in Indianapolis, with 574 contributing buildings on a small footprint.
It sits at the pressure point between downtown's growth and a protected historic fabric, which is why its review process is so consistently exercised.
The neighborhood's restoration record over the last four decades is a model other near-downtown districts still reference.
Events & festivals
What happens in Herron-Morton Place
Herron-Morton Place Home Tour
Summer
Long-running neighborhood tour dating to the late 1970s.
Neighborhood walking tour
June
Guided architectural tour staged from the Herron High School lawn.
Talbott Street Art Fair
Summer
Historic neighborhood art fair supported by the association since the 1970s.
Designing here
What this means for your Herron-Morton Place project
- Everything visible from the public way is reviewable. Budget for the COA track before construction documents, since additions and new construction go to a monthly Commission hearing rather than staff approval.
- Lots are narrow and deep, so the workable addition is almost always a rear ell that keeps the original roofline and porch intact.
- Porch reconstruction is common here and is judged against documentary evidence — historic photos and physical scars carry more weight than a stylistic guess.
- Window replacement is the most frequently denied request. Repair, weatherstripping, and interior or exterior storms are the reliable path.
- New detached garages and carriage houses are approvable but reviewed on massing, roof pitch, door proportion, and siding just like the house.
FAQ
Questions about Herron-Morton Place
Keep exploring
Other Indianapolis neighborhoods
Sources
- Indianapolis–Marion County Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance
- Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission — Certificate of Appropriateness
- Herron-Morton Place — Certificate of Appropriateness
- IHPC / MDC Herron-Morton Place Historic Area Conservation Plan (1986)
- Indianapolis Encyclopedia — Herron-Morton Place
Start your project
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