James & Myrtle (Montgomery) Williams first home.

This article has been updated/corrected, and re-posted under the title: “James & Myrtle (Montgomery) Williams: Lockfield Gardens”. It has been stripped of its errors and saved as research notes (archived material).

 

Locke Street in 1935 was indeed the site of the future Lockefield Gardens. By the 1970's Lockefield Gardens had fell into decline and by 1976 had been closed and abandoned.

In the years that followed Indiana University expansion, redevelopment, and gentrification caused big changes in the area. Once redevelopment was approved the following changes occurred:
-click image to see enlargement-

The area enclosed in the red lines were demolished in the 1980s renovation. Locke Street was widened and altered. The green area is where the new buildings were erected as part of the renovation. The black circle represents the approximate area where James and Myrtle's house (571) was located. A parking garage stands where it use to. Both before and after the building of Lockefield many streets have disappeared both physically and by name. I suspect that Locke Street was once called Agnes Street. If so this puts Myrtle's grandparents (Russell and Sarah Montgomery) on the same street/block in 1900.

• The Lockefield Garden buildings along Locke Street were demolished. (see drawing)
• Locke Street was widened and it's course changed slightly.
• Locke Street's name was changed to University Blvd.

Did James and Myrtle live in Lockefield Gardens? No, not in the period from 1935 to 1940.

1. In the beginning of 1940 James & Myrtle lived at 901 Talbot St. (PCD1940) near her parents, Frank & Nannie Montgomery.
2. James & Myrtle lived at 901 Locke Street, apartment 571. 901 Lock Street was building 901 of Lockfield Gardens.
3. On the 1940 census it indicates that in 1935 they lived at this address, but taht is incorrect. Lockfield Gardens was not built in 1935 and according to PCD1940 they lived on Tornott St. for part of the year. Lockefield wasn't built in 1935. It was built during the years of 1935 to 1938. When the first portions were completed there was a 500 family waiting list.
4. Lockefield Gardens on a large city block created from several neighborhood blocks and streets, bordered by Blake St., Locke St., North St., and Indiana Ave.

Built for low income blacks in Indianapolis the neighborhood was completely segregated since 1914. The houses in the neighborhood were quite inadequate, and had declined significantly by the 1940s. Landlords subdivided existing homes, modest backyards and slender lots were already crammed with outhouses, and on some streets homes appears to have never had indoor plumbing installed before the last of the houses were torn down in 1958.

Living in the same neighborhood,west of Lockefield Gardens (but on Cotton Street), was the family of Oscar Robertson. Oscar Robertson described the streets in the neighborhood: as “maybe two blocks long (Cotton Street); it wasn’t paved, just surfaced with a mix of gravel and oil that had been packed down over time.” Many homes were “your standard shotgun shack. Its rooms joined in a straight line that you could look through, and the roof was made of tar paper—just strong enough to protect us from rain, but too flimsy to shelter us from cold, windy nights, or flies and mosquitoes. There was running water, but the toilet was outside.”

For those lucky enough to obtain an apartment in Lockfield Gardens it was apparently a step up.

When demolition began, the 22 acres of Lockefield Gardens had 363 houses, of which only 1 was deemed habitable. Once finished Lockefield Garden apartments were a step up for families in the neighborhood. Rents were slightly higher than ($20.80 to 30.10) that James was paying ($18.00) in 1940 for 571 Locke Street. At this point we can only say that James and Myrtle were not living in Lockefield Gardens in 1940.

Glenn Littrell

The new Lockefield Gardens today (2016).

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Who is who in this post:

• Russell & Sarah Montgomery are the grandparents of Myrtle E. Montgomery.
• James F. & Myrtle (Montgomery) Williams are the focal point of this project
• Oscar Robinson, unrelated neighbor who lived near Lockfield Gardens.