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Living in Butler-Tarkington

Homes for sale | Butler-Tarkington schools | Our Butler-Tarkington picks | Nearby communities

Situated among a university, the governor’s mansion and the Indianapolis Art Museum, charming Butler-Tarkington has it going on.

Butler-Tarkington vintage home

A charming vintage home in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood.

Located in midtown Indianapolis, Butler-Tarkington is named for the university it is built around, Butler University, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Booth Tarkington, who once resided in the neighborhood on Meridian Street. Like its counterpart across Meridian Street, Meridian-Kessler, Butler-Tarkington is known for its well-built vintage homes, constructed between the 1890s and 1945. These include those along Meridian Street, its eastern border, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Butler-Tarkington also counts Indiana’s governor as one of its residents—the governor’s mansion is located at 46th St. and Meridian.

Two commercial areas can be found within the neighborhood borders, at 38th and Illinois, and 56th and Illinois. Butler-Tarkington also has an active and long-established neighborhood association whose mission is to preserve and enhance the livability of the neighborhood.

You might love living in Butler-Tarkington if you…

  • Love older, updated vintage homes with a bit of history (everything from bungalows to brick Tudors to stately mansions).
  • Want an easy commute to downtown.
  • Want to be able to walk and bike to local businesses.
  • Want to live in a diverse area.
  • Enjoy culture and the arts and want to take advantage of offerings at the close-by Indianapolis Museum of Art and Butler University.
  • Don’t mind the possibility of having Butler students as neighbors.

Butler-Tarkington public schools

Note: Although technically situated in Washington Township, Butler-Tarkington is served by Indianapolis Public Schools.

Note that all students in IPS are eligible to apply to attend other IPS schools (the Choice Program). View Choice Program information. Enroll Indy’s FAQ page is also very helpful in sorting out public school choice in Indianapolis.

Private schools in and near Butler-Tarkington

Our Butler-Tarkington picks

The Flying Cupcake – Located in the small commercial strip at 56th and Illinois streets, The Flying Cupcake serves up some of the city’s most amazing cupcakes in a cute retro café. Feast on the Red Velvet Elvis and the Zucchini Bikini Buster—they’re worth every calorie. 5617 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis

Indianapolis Museum of Art – There is so much beauty to take in at the Indianapolis Museum of Art! The fifth largest encyclopedic art museum in the country, the museum includes galleries of paintings, sculpture and installations, but also encompasses Oldfields, the restored Lilly home and its gardens; the Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, 100 acres of natural splendor and site-specific art; and the Miller House, a midcentury modern masterpiece in Columbus, Ind. Fun events and attractions—like miniature golf, a new beer garden and the Summer Nights Film Series—help to showcase what an Indianapolis gem the IMA is! 4000 Michigan Rd., Indianapolis

Central Canal Towpath  This tree-lined, crushed limestone path runs past Butler University, Butler’s Holcomb Gardens and the Indianapolis Museum of Art and connects with the Monon Trail in Broad Ripple and the White River Wapahani Trail at its southern end, which travels into downtown. Two 19th-century iron bridges cross the waterway, and critters can be spotted along the trail, including turtles, blue heron and ducks. A beautiful ride, walk or run. Central Canal Towpath map >>

Clowes Memorial Hall – Situated on Butler University’s campus, Clowes Memorial Hall presents high-caliber concerts, musicals, plays and guest lecturers. Luminaries who have graced Clowes’ stage include Maya Angelo, David Sedaris, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Itzhak Perlman and Wynton Marsalis. 4602 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis

Butler Men’s Basketball at Hinkle Fieldhouse – Indianapolis is at the epicenter of Hoosier Hysteria, and Butler men’s basketball at National Historic Landmark Hinkle Fieldhouse exemplifies the hoopla. Nicknamed “Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral,” Hinkle is home court to the Butler Bulldogs, who have appeared in the NCAA tournament 12 of the past 17 seasons. Go Dawgs! 510 W. 49th St., Indianapolis

Nearby communities

Downtown | Meridian-Kessler | Broad Ripple

Butler-Tarkington homes for sale

Butler-Tarkington Housing Stats March 19, 2024
22
Listed
41
Avg. DOM
$167.04
Avg. $ / Sq.Ft.
$358,250
Med. List Price
22 Properties
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