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Summary of History and Significance
Ransom Place developed as a small pocket of modest vernacular houses just north and west of the Mile Square and represents an early, intact neighborhood associated with the city's prominent and well-established African-American community. Today, due to the industrial and commercial expansion of the city, the three block area remains as a reminder of an area once considered a prestigious address by the black community. The houses of Ransom Place are primarily frame, one-story dwellings of modest vernacular styles typical of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While many buildings have undergone alterations, they still retain their original plan and frequently their original trim and decoration. The lots are narrow, on grid-patterned streets, oriented to the diagonal Indiana Avenue, and have sidewalks and shallow setbacks. |