Brookview Civic in Fort Wayne in Allen County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 14, 2024

1. Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District Marker

Inscription. Fort Wayne's Wildwood Builders developed the Brookview neighborhood; the plat was recorded in 1917. Wildwood Builders was founded in 1910 by Lee Ninde, his wife Joel Roberts Ninde, and Lee's brother Daniel. Joel Roberts Ninde was a self-trained architect. Joel and her design partner, architect Grace Crosby, designed and built over 300 homes. Ninde's husband, Lee, served as the President of Wildwood Builders. North of the Brookview Addition, John Vesey developed the Irvington Park plat, near Centlivre Park. Few homes in the Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District were constructed by Wildwood Builders. Many homes are catalog or plan book designs chosen by other builders. A Lustron steel house and garage in Brookview was built c. 1950.

[Captions]
Top left: The “Lewiston” model from the Sears Roebuck & Company (Photograph by Angie Quinn, on file at IDNR-DHPA)
Middle: Joel Roberts Ninde, 1873-1916 (ACPL Community Album)
Top right: State Boulevard, 2016 (Weintraut & Associates)
Bottom left: Four plats make up the Brookview-Irvington Historic District. From top to bottom: Irvington Park, Centlivre, Oak

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Knoll, and Brookview (Weintraut & Associates)
Bottom right: The Irvington Park Addition plat (City of Fort Wayne)

Imagining History: The “Lewiston” model (pictured above) was featured on the cover of the Sears Roebuck & Company's “Honor Bilt Modern Homes” catalog in 1930. Can you spot two “Lewiston” houses in the Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District?

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Places • Women. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.

Location. 41° 5.796′ N, 85° 8.487′ W. Marker is in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Allen County. It is in Brookview Civic. It is at the intersection of East State Boulevard and Oakridge Road, on the right when traveling west on East State Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Wayne IN 46805, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Indiana.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 14, 2024

2. Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District Marker

Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Practical Planning: Arthur Shurcliff (within shouting distance of this marker); CCC Projects in Fort Wayne (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Wayne ~ Fort Dearborn Trail (approx. 0.3 miles away); Centlivre and Vesey Parks (approx. 0.4 miles away); Home of Philo T. Farnsworth (approx. 0.6 miles away); Chief Little Turtle (approx. 0.6 miles away); Meshekinnoquah (approx. 0.6 miles away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Wayne.

Also see . . . Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination for the district, which was listed in 2011. (Prepared by Angie Quinn, ARCH Inc.; via National Archives) (Submitted on July 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 386 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 4, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on July 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Representative photographs of the historic district • Can you help?