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ARCH’s Historic Home and Garden Tour visits West Main Street

By Eddie Torres

Fort Wayne Reader

2013-06-06

Here’s a bit of Fort Wayne trivia you might not know — the neighborhood around West Main Street, between where the bridge crosses the St Mary’s river and Leesburg road, earned the name “Nebraska” because it was considered so far away from downtown.

West Main Street and its environs is the area for this year’s Historic Neighborhood Tour, organized by ARCH, on Saturday June 15. Located just west of downtown, the area was once a home to a mix of commercial, industrial and residential buildings, one of Fort Wayne's first "mixed-use" areas.

Later served by both Fort Wayne's streetcar system and the New York Central rail line, the neighborhood became home to the giant Wayne Knitting Mills Factory, as well as other turn-of-the-century industrial complexes. Now an up-and-coming neighborhood, the Historic West Main Neighborhood is becoming home to rehabs of Queen Anne, Italianate and Bungalow style houses as well as walkable restaurants, businesses and taverns like Paula's and O' Sullivan's. The tour will feature 8-10 homes and buildings representing the historic flavor of the neighborhood.

The Historic Neighborhood Tour is part of ARCH’s 2013 Community Education Programs. This annual event features historic homes and neighborhoods throughout the city, and raises funds and awareness for projects to protect, restore and highlight the heritage of historic neighborhoods in our community for future generations to enjoy.

The West Main Street Historic Home and Garden Tour
Saturday, June 15 10am to 4pm.

Tickets: $10.00 in advance and $12.00 day of tour.

Tickets can be purchased at G.I. Joe’s Army Surplus, Star Bank Locations in Fort Wayne and through the ARCH website archfw.org or by calling the ARCH office, 260-426-5117.