The Indiana Historical Society—a non-for-profit organization—collects materials from around the state, and it has a large amount of materials relating specifically to the history and development of Indianapolis. Their digital image collection is not comprehensive, but it includes a great deal of quality images documenting city development. If you want to search for specific collections housed at the Indiana Historical Society, search their online catalog: https://indianahistorylibrary.on.worldcat.org/discovery.
The W. H. Bass Photo Company was present in Indianapolis from the late 19th century through the circa 1970s. The company documented the state and progression of many buildings throughout Indianapolis. The Indiana Historical Society has only a small fraction of the many images available so if a building is not present in the digital collection, be sure to reference the collection guide for how to search all of the materials in the Bass Photo Company Collection: https://indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/bass-photo-collection.pdf.
The Indiana State Library—a state-funded institution—houses similar collections as the Indiana Historical Society. Noting their state government association, they have many government publications and materials in addition to their special collections. Their digital image collection is not comprehensive, but it includes quality images documenting the city and its history, including city development over the years. If you want to search for specific collections housed at the Indiana State Library, search their online catalog: https://www.in.gov/library/catalog.htm.
The Indianapolis Public Library digital collections not only includes their own collections but also digitized materials from people within the Indianapolis and Marion County community. You can view digitized materials via search, collection, and even collecting initiative. For more information about Special Collections at the Indianapolis Public Library, visit their website: https://www.indypl.org/locations/central-library/indianapolis-special-collections-room.
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