The listing of the Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System, known as the "Kessler Plan", on the National Register of Historic Places, was the subject of an award from the Indiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) at its annual meeting held at Marian College on October 3.

The award was presented to Indy Parks Director Joe Wynns, Paul Diebold of the DNR Division of Historic Preservation, a sponsoring agency for the nomination, and Meg Storrow, principal of Storrow Kinsella Associates, planning consultant for the year-long National Register Nomination effort.

"We are proud of the award, and even more proud of the historic system and the role it plays in making Indianapolis one of the nation’s best places to live," stated Director Wynns. "Recognition and development of the Kessler plan will be a legacy for the City of Indianapolis and its parks system. This award is a solid step towards our plans to build on the foundation that George Kessler provided the city nearly 100 years ago. We are working diligently to revitalize this legacy to enhance our city’s beauty for our citizens and it’s essential role to maintain and attract business and industry."

Wynns also announced plans for the Parks Department to serve as host to the inaugural and national 2005 Cultural and Historic Landscapes Conference to be held in Indianapolis, as part of a larger coordinated effort by the city to bring attention to the historic Park and Boulevard System and its importance to the city's cultural development initiative. The now-listed Kessler System would serve as the centerpiece of the conference, with events occurring in several of its parks such as Garfield and Riverside.

In addition to enhancing the stature of the 3400 acre Park and Boulevard System, the National Register Listing positions the city to seek historic preservation grants to rehabilitate some of the system's historic resources such as the parkway landscapes or the landmark Meridian Street and Capitol Avenue bridges over Fall Creek. In 1912 the Indianapolis Star pronounced the completed Capitol Avenue bridge "one of the most artistic structures in the city." Many believe that still to be true.

The National Register listing of the Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System complements the city’s vision of becoming a more vibrant, livable and walkable city with a high quality of life. It strengthens efforts to expand the visibility and presence of the city's parks and open spaces by recapturing existing, but "lost", green space along the extensive parkways and boulevards that thread through the city.

The historic district has also become the framework for the nationally acclaimed Indianapolis Greenways system which has masterfully utilized the open space created by George Kessler to thread a network of trails throughout the city, linking parks and open space with neighborhoods and commercial centers. In turn, the greenway system and the historic park and boulevard system are forming the backbone of a developing comprehensive regional pedestrian plan and its downtown pedestrian and bicycle hub, the proposed Cultural Trail.

Storrow Kinsella Associates, an Indianapolis landscape architecture firm with expertise in documenting and addressing historic landscapes, prepared the successful nomination which was officially listed on the National Register on March 26, 2003. It placed over 3,400 acres of land on the Register, which constitutes the largest such listing in Indiana, and one of only a few listed historic landscapes in the state.

The listing is for the entire surviving network of parkways, boulevards, and parks that were planned and designed by nationally known landscape architect George E. Kessler from 1908 through 1923. This whole interconnected system includes 12 parks, 6 parkways and 2 boulevards, which encompass numerous historic features such as parkway alignments, landscape composition, walks, bridges, buildings, statuary and fountains.

Other initiatives that build on the nomination and listing include a historic preservation grant application recently submitted to the State Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. If approved, it will fund a program to develop signage for the parkways, public education about the significance of the system, and training for city agencies charged with maintenance and upkeep of the system's many components that range from landscapes to bridges. This effort would be supplemented by a web page about the system that is currently under development.

"It would be safe to say that Indianapolis residents are using the system daily and are unaware of its history or its importance to our future. Recognition of the system highlights an historic urban network of parks and greenspaces that contribute to the rich culture and heritage of the city", stated Marty Peters, Director of the Mayor's Cultural Development Initiative.

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, Founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Coordinator of the National Park Service's Historic Landscape Initiative, and a national voice regarding historic and cultural landscapes, commented on the National Register listing during a recent visit to Indianapolis:

Paul Diebold, Senior Architectural Historian with Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation, said of the nomination:

Meg Storrow, landscape architect and a principal of Storrow Kinsella Associates, whose firm prepared the nomination for the Parks Department, discussed the significance of the national Register Listing:

At the turn of the century, the United States was changing from a rural agricultural based county to an industrial world power. This transition brought several challenges, one of which was the articulation of a national identity that would distinguish the United States as a word-class country. Civic leaders in Indianapolis were part of the national movement seeking ways to beautify their city and raise the standard of living for its citizens. In 1907 the Indianapolis Commercial Club promoted the need for parks and beautification as part of the City Beautiful Movement. They selected nationally known landscape architect George Kessler whose design work melded classic design and formality with carefully composed natural resource settings.

The historic park and boulevard system uses the classical German city planning tenets in which Kessler had been trained to organize the circulation system to accommodate all forms of transportation then available, and to connect the central downtown business core of the city to the outlying regions. He thus laid the foundation for future growth in the city. The conservation of natural resources and the health of residents were the main priorities and basis for the system. Kessler skillfully manipulated resources to serve many functions at one time. The engineered function of a resource was always overlaid with an artful hand that advanced the quality of life as the key design criteria. The parkways, more than any other property type in this system are a synthesis of engineering and art. They merged the design principles of the City Beautiful Movement with the City Practical, where function and beauty were equally considered. Intricate Beaux Arts details added art to functionality solidifying the unity between classic design and modern technology within the natural setting represented by Indianapolis water courses.