We believe that everyone from business to individual is responsible for inspiring quality of life projects and that comes from deep rooted neighborhood love. Sure, you may not initially shout from the rooftops that you are a insert neighborhood cheerleader, but when you talk among friends, that name comes up. Most of the time, it brings a sense of belonging and a passion for place. It’s your neighborhood school, the corner coffee shop and the people that live a couple doors down you met when you first moved in. It’s that sense of ownership that gives your mind a place to go when looking for comfort. Neighborhood Love is truly the best and worst assets of what makes your community…your pride…great!

Often at Hoch Associates, you will find us talking about our own neighborhood centers and what makes each one of them unique. Our Indianapolis office for example is located on Virginia Avenue in the historic Fletcher Place Neighborhood Association. Full of two story classic turn of the century homes, quaint streets lined with parked cars and tightly packed sidewalks and a small commercial strip at Virginia and College. We recently joined our neighborhood association to promote the causes of our neighbors, it’s our way of showing some neighborhood love. In Fort Wayne, you can find us across from the Allen County Courthouse, in the middle of major downtown renovation projects. The hustle and bustle of Berry Street is filled with pedestrians, bicyclists and cars alike all working in corporate offices and locally owned storefronts. Activities are planned for every season in downtown and Hoch is excited to be in the heart of it all. Neighborhoods not matter the size, density or design are an important part of what makes us each unique. It tells a part of our story, and for Hoch that is no different.

Today, Rent Jungle released the best Indianapolis neighborhoods to call home, and we are proudly located near three of them:

Bates-Hendricks
In 2009, this neighborhood located directly to our south won the Spirit Award for the New Jersey Street Project and an additional award for its Abandoned Housing Project. Oh, we forgot to mention the national Keep America Beautiful Award, the East Street Alternatives award, SEND’s Helen Fehr Award for Community Service and the New Street Imagine Grant. No wonder it placed third in its category for the Neighborhoods USA Best Neighborhood in the Nation Award. This tightly knit neighborhood should be inspiring to others who are trying to make progress in their own communities. Amenities include two public green spaces, bike trails, walking trails, top rated schools, shopping, easy access to downtown and highways and more. The neighborhood took its name from the beautiful Bates-Hendricks house constructed in the early 1820’s. The neighborhood is starting to also see exciting new growth because of the proximity to Fountain Square and the highly traveled Shelby Street. It will be exciting to see as Bates-Hendricks continues to grow and remain the top neighborhood in Indianapolis.

Garfield Park
You could call them picky, but in all honesty…it’s okay! Garfield Park Neighborhood Association Board Members fought the construction/opening of a charter school on Shelby Street in 2014 because it wasn’t on their list of ideal businesses for the neighborhood. However, a new bicycle shop, pizzeria and coffee shop have all opened on Shelby and will soon be followed by a newly renovated factory building on Cruft Street to house the famed artist and maker space Big Car. If you are looking for green space and active quality of life areas like tennis courts, ball fields and more, maybe Garfield Park is your next stop. The neighborhood is named for the centrally located Garfield Park (the first public park in Indianapolis) featuring such amenities and a 10,00 s.f. Conservatory and Sunken Gardens. Many homes are becoming owner occupied once again and the neighborhood is experiencing new growth it hasn’t seen in decades. Hoch Associates has some exciting plans for the neighborhood it too will soon introduce.

Fountain Square
In 1835, Calvin Fletcher (Fletcher Place Neighborhood) and Nicholas McCarty purchased a 260 acre farm stretching just south and east of downtown Indianapolis. In the years following the civil war, this portion of Indianapolis began to boom with several new residential units being constructed and a commercial strip where Fountain Square and Virginia Avenue are located today, often referred to by the neighborhood locale as “The End” because it’s proximity to the Citizens Street Railway Company. After much growth and prosperity with several theaters and local businesses, the neighborhood saw stark decline because of the construction of the Interstate system. However, efforts were made to stop the decline in the late 1990’s when Fountain Square was named one of the cultural communities in the city. Today, the arts continue to be prominent, walking and biking are the preferred mode of transportation with the extended Indianapolis Cultural Trail, and craft distilleries and breweries are now dotting much of the storefronts. Fountain Square is on track to be one of the most prominent cultural hubs in the mid west in the coming years.

From Fountain Square to Downtown Fort Wayne, Garfield Park and Fletcher Place each have their own story and identity that we admire. It’s that Neighborhood Love you will often hear us echo, and that is why we chose to locate and support these amazing places that are creating a better and more sustainable quality of life.