IUPUI is Indiana's premier urban research university. The campus enrolls more than 30,000 students in 21 schools and academic units.
The Campus : Building and Location Namesakes
Madam C.J. Walker
Walker House
Campus Apartments on the River Walk
Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919) was one of America's first female African-American millionaires. She was born on a cotton plantation in Louisiana to former slaves and was orphaned by age seven. In the 1890's she began to lose her hair and experimented with home preparations to relieve her scalp problems. She sold her own home-manufactured hair care products as Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower.
In 1910 the company moved to Indianapolis because of the convenient rail access and a well-established African-American community. Walker was a Bethel A.M.E. member. She built a factory, salon, training school and theater on Indiana Avenue across from what is today IUPUI.
