Arsenal Technical High School began as an actual U.S. Army federal arsenal. Created by an act of Congress during the Civil War, the arsenal was built on a wooded, 76-acre tract of land east of the Indianapolis city limits with buildings constructed of locally made brick and limestone hauled from southern Indiana. It was used to store heavy artillery, lighter arms, and some munitions until shortly after the end of the Spanish-American War when this type of facility was deemed no longer necessary, and its use by the federal government ended on April 15, 1903.
By 1912, both of the existing high schools in Indianapolis, Manual Training High School and Shortridge High School, were experiencing overcrowding. Attracted by the student-ready buildings, location, and park-like grounds, the Indianapolis Public Schools began using the former arsenal as a new high school. Milo Stuart, then principal at Manual, became the first principal of Arsenal Technical High School. Stuart was a pioneer in the idea of comprehensive education, offering academic studies side by side with vocational training.
Famous Tech alumni include Howard H. Aiken, computer pioneer; Howard Garns, creator of Sudoku; Bill Peet, Disney artist and writer; Freddie Hubbard, jazz trumpeter; Robert Clark Indiana, artist; Landon Turner, athlete and motivational speaker; and Andre Carson, U.S. Congress Representative.
Many of the original buildings remain, and others have been built over the years to accommodate the school’s needs. In 1976, this important site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Arsenal Technical High School collection includes school yearbooks dating from 1914 and other archival materials of interest to graduates and historians alike.