Historic Southern Indiana

New Albany receives 2006 Community Legacy Award

New Albany is this year’s recipient of Historic Southern Indiana’s Community Legacy Award. The annual award recognizes a southern Indiana community for outstanding achievements in preservation, enhancement, and promotion of its distinctive heritage.

“With its strong commitment to preservation and the dedication of many business leaders and citizens, New Albany truly exemplifies the character of the Community Legacy Award,” said Leslie Townsend, assistant director of Historic Southern Indiana.

Towsend cited several preservation initiatives and projects in New Albany:

• Within the last five years, downtown New Albany’s Historic District, the East Spring Street Corridor, the New Albany National Cemetery, and the Old Pike Inn have been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

• In 2004, the East Spring Street Neighborhood came under the auspices of the New Albany Historic Preservation Commission, joining the Historic Main Street District, Downtown Historic District, and Cedar Bough Neighborhood.

• In 2005, Division Street School, the Carnegie Center for Art and History, and Fairview Cemetery received state historical markers.

• Develop New Albany (DNA), in partnership with the Indiana and National Main Street programs, has been instrumental in historic preservation and rehabilitation in the downtown since its inception in 1991.

• In 1997, DNA received Indiana Main Street’s Historic Preservation Award for the Indiana State Bank Building, a Greek Revival once occupied by the American Red Cross and in a state of developing decay. Through fund raising efforts and grants, DNA was able to restore the exterior and first floor of the building, which sold in 1998. In 2002, the new owners renovated the second floor of the building, which now operates as a banquet hall. The owners also purchased the old Culbertson Widow’s Home and have restored it as a bed and breakfast, and the former Redmen’s Club, which is now a reception hall and private club.

• Through the New Albany Urban Enterprise Association’s matching façade grant program, over 40 urban building owners have invested over $300,000 in improvements since 2002.

• DNA also was a partner with the City of New Albany and the New Albany Housing Authority in the Downtown Development Plan, as comprehensive plan for the future of the downtown, focusing on economic development and the historic flavor of the district. Plans also are in effect for several of the city’s historic districts, including the West End, Lillian Emery Neighborhood, Fairmont Neighborhood, East End (Galt Street), and S. Ellen Jones neighborhood.

• New Albany residents are able to appreciate the rich history through the Carnegie Center for Art and History; the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library Indiana Room, containing state and local historical documents and a genealogy area; the Conway Fire Museum; the Culbertson Mansion, a state historic site; and the Second Baptist Church, a stop on the Underground Railroad.

• The birthplace of Cardinal Joseph Ritter, a Catholic leader of the Civil Rights movement, has been purchased by the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, which plans to stabilize the 1888 structure and renovate it for public use.

As the 2006 Community Legacy Award winner, New Albany received $1,000 in support of heritage-related projects and a plaque of achievement for public display.

The recipient of the Community Legacy Award is selected by a panel of judges comprising the following organizations: Historic Southern Indiana; Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana; the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the Indiana Office of Tourism; and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.

Previous recipients include Jeffersonville, West Baden Springs, Madison, Orleans, Rising Sun, and Aurora.

Historic Southern Indiana, a heritage-based regional outreach program of University of Southern Indiana, supports a coalition of individuals and agencies committed to preservation, development, and promotion of the cultural, historic, and natural resources of southern Indiana. Since 1986 it has offered a variety of programs and projects to improve the quality of life in the 26 southernmost counties of the state.

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