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Jun 26, 2025

Indianapolis man pushed for decades to get street light in Forest Manor

Every time a new Indianapolis mayor was elected, Elliot Jacobs, a resident of the Forest Manor neighborhood, would write a congratulatory letter. Jacobs would share his support and ask the mayor to

Every time a new Indianapolis mayor was elected, Elliot Jacobs, a resident of the Forest Manor neighborhood, would write a congratulatory letter.

Jacobs would share his support and ask the mayor to consider installing a light post on his street.

It had become a ceremonial tradition that Jacobs started after moving to Wallace Avenue in the 1980s. The letters went to mayors William Hudnut, Stephen Goldsmith, Bart Peterson and Greg Ballard.

“The moment the sun went down, the street would go dark,” Jacobs said. “It was dangerous, you couldn’t see anything.”

At first, this lack of street lighting didn’t bother Jacobs.

If anything, it was a quirk of the neighborhood.

He remembered how, on the night of his wedding reception, the light illuminating from his home represented a joyous moment as he, his wife, their families and neighbors celebrated the night away.

But as he got older and became a father, the darkness of his street became an eerie element that he came to despise.

Specifically on those nights when his kids would come home late after playing outside or walking home from school.

These concerns are what influenced him to pick up his pen.

Even after his kids grew into adults, Jacobs continued to send these letters, hoping to one day gain the attention of the city.

He didn't know if he would ever see the day when Wallace Avenue would be lit up at night.

But one day, after Mayor Joe Hogsett was elected, Jacobs received a knock on the door.

It was a city employee.

They were there to ask if the city could install a light pole in his front lawn as part of a new project.

“Not only was I OK with it. I told them exactly where I wanted it,” Jacobs said.

And sitting at the corner of his lawn is a light pole that he says, "has a story worth telling."