Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis

Massachusetts Avenue, or simply Mass Ave, is one of six designated cultural districts in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is located just a few blocks northeast of Monument Circle. Massachusetts Avenue was one of the four original diagonal streets of downtown Indianapolis in Alexander Ralston's plan of 1821. Today it lies at the heart of the city's arts district. It offers some of the city's most visible theaters and art galleries as well as a number of shops and eateries.[1]

Massachusetts Avenue, downtown Indianapolis.

Massachusetts Avenue Commercial District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Massachusetts Avenue logo
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Location	Roughly bounded by one block to either side of Massachusetts Ave. from Delaware St. to Interstate 65, Indianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates	39°46′30″N 86°8′55″W
Architect	Multiple
Architectural style	Art Deco, Islamic, Italianate, Modern Movement, Renaissance Revival, Romanesque, Other
NRHP reference No.	82000064 (original) 100004725 (increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 2, 1982
Boundary increase	December 4, 2019

Gentrification in the 1990s propelled the area from squalor to one of the city's more fashionable addresses. Currently, redevelopment of Mass Ave focuses on fostering locally owned shops, theaters, and restaurants.[2]

Many notable buildings are located in the district:

• Athenæum: building houses Young Actors Theatre and the Rathskeller Restaurant, the city's oldest restaurant still in operation.
• Murat Centre: is the headquarters of the Indianapolis Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.[3]