All photos in this chapter are © by Joe Konz
The Garfield Park Branch of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library system opened in 1965 as IMCPL's Shelby Branch.
It is along Shelby Street on the east side of the park, a very short jog from the Conservatory and just north of the tennis courts. Like Indianapolis Fire Department Station 29 on Pleasant Run Parkway on park land to the north and west, the library is a non-park institution that became part of the park by association as well as physical location.
Its status as a park component was solidified in 2011 when, following an extensive remodeling, IMCPL renamed the library Garfield Park Branch. Media reports at the time explained the name change as a deference to neighbors’ wishes for the library’s identity to reflect its long and close connection to and relationship with the park.
Both photos of the library in this post were taken Aug. 11, 2008, three years before the major renovation and branch name change.
In my years of living in the neighborhood, I made many visits to this branch, and with each trip its importance to the park became increasingly apparent to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t make more photos of it than what you see here.
Not only did I spend a lot of time on the tennis courts with my children through the years, but those children also spent time there with other kids their age for several summers while enrolled in the annual National Junior Tennis League program. My two sons, especially, enjoyed the experience, and one of them even played the sport for three years in high school.
I also remember the tennis courts because for the longest period — possibly 10 or more years — during warm weather months, I saw the same two women playing each other there at the same mid-day time every Wednesday almost like clockwork.
Below are the only images of the courts that I took during my time in Indy. They were taken on Sept. 25, 2004. The last picture actually looks north into the park from just outside the west side of the fence surrounding the courts.
Next up, Chapter 20: MacAllister Amphitheater
Previously in the Garfield Park in Pictures series:
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