INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Avenue was once considered the cultural center of Indianapolis' Black community. Its legacy remains alive through a new section of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.
The museum, which is located on Indiana Avenue, dedicated a wall of its upstairs bar as KVML on The Avenue on Juneteenth. The new exhibit features pictures and artifacts from Indiana Avenue's past as a street full of music, business and entertainment.
Museum operators said the display is a responsibility to the community because of the museum's location in one of Indiana Avenue's surviving historic buildings.
"When I first moved here, I didn't really know any of the history around this block," said Teagan Holmes of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. "I learned about the Madam Walker theatre and the Bethel AME Church, which was part of the Underground Railroad and is now a Hampton Inn. There's a lot of interesting history around here."
The museum inaugurated KVML on the Avenue with a presentation and musical performances.
