Sedamsville

In the late 1780s the area now known as Sedamsville was occupied by the Miami Native American tribe led by Chief Boldface. The land was settled in 1795 by revolutionary soldiers and Colonel Cornelius Sedam who the town was later named after. From what I understand, Sedamsville was a thriving manufacturing hub until the double whammy of the Great Depression and the Great Flood of 1937 gave the town two solid body blows. The knockout punch came with the widening of River Road which wiped out what was left of Sedamsville's business district. Sedamsville's one claim to fame is Pete Rose. Pete grew up in Sedamsville, learned to play baseball in Boldface Park and infamously gambled there. The neighborhood is almost all but forgotten now except for views of the soaring steeple of Our Lady of Perpetual Help when cars are shooting past the neighborhood on Rt 50.

But that will all change soon if the Sedamsville Community Development Corporation has anything to do with it. The SCDC's Executive Director Seth Walsh took us on a walking tour one Saturday morning to show me the challenges facing the neighborhood. Google told me it was a five minute drive. No way I thought, with all the new work on the 6th street viaduct, one can't just drive straight there. Imagine my surprise at walking out of my condo and pulling into the parking lot of Our Lady of Perpetual Help five minutes later.
What is left of the housing stock is impressive; old beautiful homes built into the hillsides, there aren't many flat stretches of land here. There are a couple long lengths of uninterrupted buildings on Delhi Pike which runs right through the middle of the neighborhood. There are around 500 residents right now, not many people. Many of them are living at or near poverty. But in a way Mr. Walsh sees that as a strength. It wouldn't take a big influx of new residents to make a difference. If 15 or 20 new, community-minded people moved in they could have a big impact. One big plus for the neighborhood is the amount of surrounding parks. Want to feel like you are in the middle of the wilderness right in the city? This is the place. Another huge advantage I see in Sedamsville is its proximity to downtown; who wouldn't love a five minute commute to work?

An Indianapolis developer has been kicking the tires of the Benjamin Harrison Schoolhouse wanting to convert it into apartments. There is also inexpensive housing stock needing rehabbed. You have to imagine it would be way cheaper here to buy into than OTR. And that is one thing that the SCDC is pinning their hopes on, people getting priced out of the core. The one downside to that is they are years behind Walnut Hills, Lower Price Hill and Covington in terms of development. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't strive, Sedamsville has tons of potential. As a matter of fact, they've consulted with Price Hill Will and the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation to explore just how to attack the task of rebuilding.
The story has just begun and I can't wait to see how it develops. I keep saying a rising tide lifts all boats, and I think Sedamsville will once again be an attractive place to live.


Benjamin Harrison Schoolhouse






Some exciting changes are coming for this building although Mr. Walsh coudn't share the details with me yet

One thing Sedamsville has going for it, much like the other up and coming neighborhoods is a devoted grass roots efforts to improve the business district.

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