about flanner house

The Beginning

In 1889, Frank Flanner and his family donated the money and land to develop what we now know as Flanner House. They hired Booker T. Washington to help direct development and work in concert with the local Black community to help Black families on their path to becoming independent, self-sufficient and self-determined. Flanner House is one of the original American Settlement Houses.

1918

Incorporated in 1918, Flanner Guild was renamed to Flanner House acquired a new location at the corner of West and St. Clair Streets – remodeled and equipped with four buildings allowing for the creation of additional services including health clinics and childcare, a makeover shop for clothing and furniture and training classes through the Red Cross.

1935 – 1956

Flanner House was incorporated as a 501c3, nonprofit organization in 1935. Cleo Blackburn began his tenure as Superintendent (1936-1975) with a goal of teaching individuals to achieve personal, economic and social progress. In 1944, new facility was built at 16th and Missouri Streets as a result of the “Indianapolis Study” – an analysis of the city’s Black population that began in 1937 with a grant from the Indianapolis Foundation.

1957 – 1985

In 1967, Flanner House moved to 2110 North Illinois St. In 1979, it moved to its present location at 2424 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street. Flanner House continued offering employment classes and added programs through Family Services and the Marion County Welfare Department. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Flanner House continued to add programs including assistance to homebound senior citizens, a residential youth center, and the addition of a branch of the Marion County Public Library in 1979.

1985 – 2000

In 1987, Flanner House became a member of Community Centers of Indianapolis, Inc. (CCI), a federation of neighborhood multi-service centers located in Indianapolis.

2000 – Today

Today, Flanner House continues its mission of service and self-help through senior citizen services, assistance programs for those in financial need, the Food Justice program, which includes the F.E.E.D. program and the Flanner Farm. When Cleo’s Bodega & Café opened, it became the first retail food outlet in the neighborhood where guests could sit down and eat inside in decades.