Ellenberger Park
Indianapolis, IN
Located in the heart of the historic Irvington neighborhood
Our Mission
Established 2021
Through stewardship and collaboration, Friends of Ellenberger Park strives to enhance and maintain the natural beauty of our park, while brining our community together through education, arts and recreation.
What We’ve Achieved
Developed Park Community Events
Established Park Clean Up Days
Cultivation of the FOEP Garden (located behind Rink)
Revitalized Food Truck Thursdays
Spearheaded Community Traffic Safety Petition (500+ signatures)
What’s going on with the fence?
The DigIndy Tunnel System is 28-mile network being built under Indianapolis to help control sewer overflows into local waterways. The project is operated by Citizens Energy Group as part of a Consent Decree by Environmental Protection Agency. The problem of wastewater overflow is real and while the solution is underway construction has found it’s way to Ellenberger Park.
The fence and construction you see will be present for the next five years.
This presents both challenges and opportunities for our community. As part of the construction Citizens Energy Group has committed to reconstruction and improvements to that section of the park, however the initial public input was limited in many ways. The formation of Friends of Ellenberger Park is in part due to this current situation- and we need YOUR input
Traffic Safety - Survey and Petition
It is no secret that traffic in Indianapolis is congested and often problematic. A recent tragedy in our community occurred when a 7 year old child was killed at Washington and Ritter. There has been increased focus on traffic issues by the City Council and the community around Ellenberger Park is no exception in analyzing potential improvements to the streets surrounding the park.
A century in the making
Friends of Ellenberger Park was formed in 2021 by a group of motivated neighbors seeking to give a voice to the community surrounding the park. The organization quickly formalized and currently has 501(c)3 status pending. FOEP is interested not only in the physical infrastructure of the park but serving to connect individuals, interest groups, businesses, and build the social connectivity of our community.
The land Ellenberger Park sits on was originally owned by the Sandusky family as part of their 320-acre farm. John Ellenberger began tenant farming on the land in 1853. By 1865 he had purchased his own 160-acre plot from the Sanduskys and built a farmhouse near what would be 10th Street today. Ellenberger was a generous community member and in 1882 began allowing families in the Irvington area to use the woods as an informal recreation site. In 1908 the city of Indianapolis hired famed urban planner and landscape architect George Edward Kessler to develop the area as part of a citywide park system.
