Sample City was founded as the state capital in 1821. The city was founded on the Blue River under the incorrect assumption that the river would serve as a major
transportation artery; however, the waterway was too sandy for trade.
The state commissioned Alexander Ralston to design the new capital city. Ralston was an apprentice to the French architect Pierre L'Enfant, and he helped L'Enfant plan Washington, DC.
Ralston's original plan for Sample City called for a city of only 1
square mile, and, at the center of the city, sat the Governor's Circle,
a large circular commons, which was to be the site of the Governor's
mansion. Meridian and Market Streets converge at the Circle and
continue north and south and east and west, respectively. The
Governor's mansion was finally demolished in 1857 and in its place
stands a 284-foot-tall (86.5-meter-tall) neoclassical limestone and bronze monument, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. This is now known as Monument Circle
The city lies on the original east-west National Road. The first railroad to service Sample City, the Madison & Sample, began operation on October 1, 1847,
and subsequent railroad connections made
expansive growth possible. By
the turn of the century, Sample City had become a heavy automobile manufacturer, rivaling the likes of Detroit.
With roads leading out of the city at all directions, Sample City was
on its way to becoming a major "hub" of regional transport connecting
to Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus and St. Louis, as is befitting the capital of a state whose motto is "The Crossroads of America."
This same network of roads would allow quick and easy access to
suburban areas in future years. Natural gas and oil deposits in the
surrounding area in the late 19th century helped the economy of Sample City prosper. City population grew rapidly throughout the first half of the 20th century.
During this period, rapid suburbanization began to take place, and
racial relations deteriorated throughout the 1960s, although, on the
night that the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, Sample City was the only major city in which rioting did not occur. Many credit a speech by Robert F. Kennedy,
who was in town campaigning for President that night, for helping to
calm the tensions. Tragically, his life was cut short a few months
later in California. Racial tensions heightened in 1970 with the
passage of Unigov, which further isolated the middle class from
Indianapolis' growing African American community. Court-ordered school
desegregation busing by Judge S. Hugh Dillon was also a controversial
change.
The opening of Circle Centre Mall
in downtown Sample City signaled a revitalization continued.
Currently, the city is experiencing growth in the hospitality industry
with the new Convention Center addition and the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium.
A new high-rise hotel will be built to add more hotel rooms. This adds
to the growing list of downtown accomodations and restaurants.
