The Indianapolis Wholesale District: A Regionally Significant Business Center
type: CreativeWork
description: During the latter half of the nineteenth and in the early twentieth century, the Indianapolis Wholesale District (IWD) operated as a local and regional commercial hub. Analysis of the IWD’s relationship with the railroad network in Indiana points to a widening of trade, yet regional focus due to transportation restrictions. The growth and subsequent specialization of wholesale trading in the district catered to primarily local and regional audiences. Examining the physical presence of the IWD in downtown Indianapolis uncovers the built environment of a midwestern business district. This research project argues for the local and regional significance of the Indianapolis Wholesale District. Additionally, this thesis demonstrates the need to pursue the overlap in specialization, the morphology of warehouses, and transportation development to understand a business district as part of a larger process of American economic development.
abstract: During the latter half of the nineteenth and in the early twentieth century, the Indianapolis Wholesale District (IWD) operated as a local and regional commercial hub. Analysis of the IWD’s relationship with the railroad network in Indiana points to a widening of trade, yet regional focus due to transportation restrictions. The growth and subsequent specialization of wholesale trading in the district catered to primarily local and regional audiences. Examining the physical presence of the IWD in downtown Indianapolis uncovers the built environment of a midwestern business district. This research project argues for the local and regional significance of the Indianapolis Wholesale District. Additionally, this thesis demonstrates the need to pursue the overlap in specialization, the morphology of warehouses, and transportation development to understand a business district as part of a larger process of American economic development.
author: Giacomelli, Angela Marie
language: en_US
keywords: Indianapolis, wholesale, trade, district, warehouse, railroad, specialization, transportation
date published: 2012
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:41:08Z
provider: IUPUI
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: IUPUI

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/3620

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.7912/C2/171