James W. Hervey Home - 945 Hervey Street

Year Built: 1916

Architecture Style: Gable Front

Key Features:

• Large Porch with Slender Column Supports

The house at 945 Hervey Street has been in the same family since 1942. James W. Hervey, a Union doctor during the Civil War, purchased land in Section 24, township 15 of Marion County in March 1866. He and his wife Eliza engaged in farming and also maintained an orchard on the property. Upon Dr. Hervey's death in 1909, the land passed to his wife and children. By 1914 the land was divided into lots and was known as Hervey's Garfield Park Addition on the south side of the street and St Catherine Garfield Park on the north. Apple and cherry trees were still on the lot in 1950, when Dr. Hervey's daughter, Della Hill, sold the home.

Hervey Street was originally known as St. Catherine Avenue from Shelby Street to New Street (South Garfield Dr.). There is a variety of architectures here: Arts and Crafts two-bedroom bungalows with many custom built-ins; two-story Four Squares; and three-bedroom side by side duplexes often inhabited by family on both sides. Many families have lived here for over fifty years.

In 1909 St. Catherine Church and school were built on Shelby St., driven by the large Catholic population who had built or purchased homes in the neighborhood. Sadly, the church and school were razed in 1975 to provide land for the construction of I-65, beginning the exodus of many families from the neighborhood.