Mayor sees hurdles, hope ahead
Revenue dip yet to hit, but projects set to resume in 21
DAVE GONG | The Journal Gazette
With 2020 drawn to a close, Mayor Tom Henry is positive that Fort Wayne s future remains bright, although he acknowledges there are still challenges ahead.
The coronavirus pandemic has had a serious impact on the local economy, closing businesses and putting many residents out of work. That will affect the city s financial stability in the near future, Henry told The Journal Gazette this week.
“Income taxes are paid to us two years in arrears, so we re living off of 2018 money right now,” he said. “So 2022 is when we ll get hit with the 2020 situation.”
Neighborhoods long in city history
Now-gone curves reflect earlier time
DAVE GONG | The Journal Gazette
As with many parts of Fort Wayne, the neighborhoods affected by the city s realignment of State Boulevard are steeped in local history.
Much of the area is encapsulated in the Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District and slightly overlaps with the Fort Wayne Park and Boulevard System designed by architect George Kessler. Both of those are local historic districts that are on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to a registration form filed with the U.S. Department of Interior, the Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District includes 423 buildings, mostly houses, and contains plats for Brookview, Oak Knoll and Irvington Park. The Brookview Parkway, Vesey Park, the Westbrook Ford/Bridge, Brookview Pedestrian Bridge, State Boulevard Bridge, Grove Street Bridge and Vesey Park Pedestrian Bridge are also included in the Brookview-Irvington Park Historic District