The Syrian Quarter
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
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Indiana Historical Bureau
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Event, People, Site
- 1053398, 500 S Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46225, USA
- 39.76111111, -86.16225
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Indiana Historical Bureau
The Syrian Quarter
Inscription
The Syrian QuarterSide One: The Syrian Quarter
Arabic-speaking Syrian immigrants settled here on Willard St. by 1893 in small, crowded multiple-family row homes. They created a vibrant neighborhood alongside Black Americans and European immigrants. Searching for economic opportunities in the United States, many Syrians worked as peddlers or in local factories, shifting to the grocery store business after WWI.
Side Two: The Syrian Quarter
Syrian immigrants and their families faced xenophobia, racism, and debates over their “whiteness” while fighting for naturalized citizenship in the early 1900s. Mostly Christians, they celebrated holidays here with traditional Arab foods and folk music. By 1920, they moved from this area and began establishing Arab cultural institutions in other parts of Indianapolis.
Installed 2023 Indiana Historical Bureau, Arab Indianapolis Foundation, and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation
