The Walnut Street Corridor, one of the oldest streets in Evansville, is located in a dense urban setting surrounded by residential, commercial, religious, governmental, and educational buildings. As part of the Complete Streets Project, the existing four-lane roadway was constructed into a three-lane configuration, with a sidewalk added to one side and a shared-use path to the other. This creates a vital connection between the University of Evansville and Downtown through neighborhoods dating from the 1930s to the 1970s.
To support the environmental review process, Lochmueller Group’s qualified professional historians conducted a field inspection of all above-ground structures within the Area of Potential Effects (APE), which extended along Walnut Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Vann Avenue. The APE generally reached one property deep along Walnut and its side streets, expanding up to 200 feet along intersecting streets and between 300 and 600 feet in the park setting along Vann Avenue to capture the broader viewshed.
As part of the Cultural Resources review, Lochmueller coordinated extensively with INDOT and DHPA to address eligibility considerations for post-World War II districts. Three previously recorded Outstanding resources, four Notable resources, and 91 Contributing resources were documented. In addition, they recorded 161 newly identified above-ground structures that were recommended as Contributing or higher. Eight resources were recommended as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), including several districts containing post-World War II properties. Supporting documentation for these nominations was included in the Historic Property Report.
Although no properties within the APE were currently listed in the NRHP, the team recommended the following eight resources as eligible:
Lochmueller is grateful to our clients and partners for their trust and collaboration throughout this meaningful project. Their commitment to preserving Evansville’s cultural heritage made this work possible and impactful.
