Ivy Tech State College now hopes to tear down the old Weyerbacher Terrace apartment complex
after determining the 1913 structure would be too expensive to save. The college already has razed a couple of buildings on
the 5-acre property along Fall Creek Parkway between Illinois Street and Capitol Avenue, but had agreed to save and incorporate
the original St. Vincent Hospital into a campus expansion. But an official with knowledge of the plans says engineers and
architects brought in by Ivy Tech couldn't find a way to save the run-down structure. The building has serious structural
damage, and its interior walls are load-bearing, complicating reuse, the official said. The college plans to ask the city
for permission to tear the building down or give it back to the city. The college bought the properties from the city for
$1 in May 2006 in a deal that requires preservation of the building's facade and chapel. The city has not waived or received
a request to waive the agreement, a Department of Metropolitan Development spokesman said today. The building has been vacant
for at least four years since the federal government closed Weyerbacher, a subsidized housing complex.
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Welcome to Property Lines, Indy's source for neighborhood real estate news. Your host is Scott Olson, IBJ's real estate beat
reporter. Edited by Cory Schouten.
Ivy Tech State College now hopes to tear down the old Weyerbacher Terrace apartment complex
after determining the 1913 structure would be too expensive to save. The college already has razed a couple of buildings on
the 5-acre property along Fall Creek Parkway between Illinois Street and Capitol Avenue, but had agreed to save and incorporate
the original St. Vincent Hospital into a campus expansion. But an official with knowledge of the plans says engineers and
architects brought in by Ivy Tech couldn't find a way to save the run-down structure. The building has serious structural
damage, and its interior walls are load-bearing, complicating reuse, the official said. The college plans to ask the city
for permission to tear the building down or give it back to the city. The college bought the properties from the city for
$1 in May 2006 in a deal that requires preservation of the building's facade and chapel. The city has not waived or received
a request to waive the agreement, a Department of Metropolitan Development spokesman said today. The building has been vacant
for at least four years since the federal government closed Weyerbacher, a subsidized housing complex.
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You guys have some "interesting" comments to say the least. I hope you will call in and share those opinions starting June 1. I'm looking forward to having you on the air.
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What are the odds this block could become a green space as part of the Meridian corridor revitalization?
Whatever ends up happening, we need to make sure we put the neighborhood on a POSITIVE Path, rather than putting up another strip mall or liquor store.
?????????????????????
Perhaps the folks from Historic Landmarks would offer you a second opinion, Cory.
How convenient. To echo thundermutt, I bet HLFI could provide an architect or engineer who could come up with a creative and affordable solution. It should also be noted that Ivy Tech has let the building sit and deteriorate with broken windows.
Cory, do you have renderings of what they propose to replace this landmark with?
Eponine: Nope, no renderings yet.
I like the suggestion someone else made. Please at least save the facade or the exterior of the building. So many projects in indy have done Facade Preservation but then totally rebuilt whats behind it. Keeping this grand entrance and staircase with the neat latern/lights on each side is very iconic and unique for this city and really for anywhere. It would be a shame to tear it all down, especially if the plans to revitalize the area and enhance the river in front of it come to fruition. SAVE THE FACADE (sort of like SAVE the CLOCK TOWER!)
Correct me if I'm unaware of a significant historical event happened here. The first of a particular architectural style doesnt count.
Get motivated about something that really matters like poverty, healthcare, animal/social rights, etc..
Poverty, health care, animal/social rights certainly are important things, but this is a real estate blog. We tend to talk about things related to real estate here.
Being The first of a particular architectural style certainly would count and preserving a charismatic building that played a significant part in Indianapolis' history is something that matters to most people that read this real estate blog.
We taxpayers should tell the STATE (IVY TECH) to stick with their deal or give it back. And yes, a previous respondent said the STATE (IVY TECH) let the property deteriorate for 4 years. So how much does the STATE owe the taxpayers of Indy for allowing the property to go without even boarding up the windows?
And let's not forget about the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, who allowed the dregs of society to trash the building for many years. Just one more reason why the GOVERNMENT should NEVER, NEVER be in the public housing business.
This entire deal smells of foul GOVERNMENT air.
Prime real estate? Sounds like an overstatement since the site has been vacant, closed, or subsidized housing for several decades. If it was prime, someone would have snapped it up by now. Take a look at the area around it. Not the worst -- not the best either.
I have to take Ivy Tech's intended deal on good faith. Too bad they could not make it work. I still think they're the best hopes to redevelop that parcel (for something other than parking!) Sorry, an ancient staircase or facade isn't going to swing any deal at this location.
Ivy Tech's complicity in this destruction is bad, bad news. Very poor decision making and stewardship on the part of that institution. Seriously disappointing.
Government agencies should not be in the historic property destruction business, period.
The outcome seems to have been pre-planned for Ivy Tech to get a big chunk of real estate. for free.
Show me an A/E team that says it's too expensive to fix and I'll find twelve others who CAN fix it. Until we see hard numbers published, I would extremely skeptical of such a claim, especially if those numbers exclude the cost of restoring all the damage that Ivy Tech's poor stewardship (neglect) caused.
Let's be fair to Ivy Tech and give them their money back, plus an extra 20% for their trouble. I'll write the $1.20 check myself as a gift to the City. Obviously, Ivy Tech bit off more than it could chew.
There sure seem to be a lot of load bearing wall structures at IU, Purdue, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan, etc., etc.
There sure seem to be a lot of load bearing wall structures in Indianapolis as well.
As mentioned above, if Ivy Tech is allowed to keep the property ad tear it down (a huge mistake) then it should have to pay full market value and be required to educate themselves and their students on the proven value of architectural preservation. They are a bunch of crooks until proven otherwise.
I agree with IndyinItaly, this a beautiful old building. The Historical Society should be getting involved so we can get a second opinion on the viability of restoring/reusing the building.
If, after all other avenues are exhausted, Ivy Tech is still planning on tearing it down, then the city should be fairly compensated for, at minimum, the land value.
We, the taxpayers, are tired of getting soaked by Indianapolis institutions that want a free ride. This sounds like a case where Ivy Tech acquired the building and then sat on it for a while until the dust settled, and then proceeded to say it wasn't salvageable. Sounds a little fishy.
Jason, all I have to say is that your comments are unbelievably ignorant! This building is gorgeous; it would be nearly impossible to replace with anything comparable. In addition, this building contributes greatly to Fall Creek Parkway.
IVY Tech should be held accountable for the damage that they have allowed to occur to this building. In additon, nearby building that they tore down was a very attractive building. I was very sad to see it go.
It's not government conspiracy - it's either government stupidity and incompetence or greed. Almost anything the government has its hands in is either overrun by costs, mired in mediocrity, or doomed to ultimate failure, mostly the federal government. Here is a case where a state institution is either in over their heads or saw an opportunity to get something for nothing at the expense of the taxpayers. This just shows, once again, government at its worst. And we, the taxpayers, need to put a stop to it!
If they didn't do the due diligence to be sure it would work as they intended, then they're incompetent.
If they KNEW it wouldn't work for its stated use, then they're devious.
Neither is a pretty sight.
The issue isn't whether the building has to come down; a third or so is already down. It's that the decision-making leading up to it was incompetent or devious or both.
Until you synthesize all of the factors, hire the professionals, put together the budgets, and wrap your mind and abilities around the project, it's pretty well impossible to say whether it IS or IS NOT feasible. Sounds like they've done some kind of feasibility study, and determined that it isn't feasible.
That being said, the original premise behind this dollar deal should be maintained in that if Ivy Tech isn't interested in re-using the building, th City should give them their dollar back and move towards another justified re-use. Certainly this building deserves at least a few more feasibility studies before the City throws gives up. THAT is where the gov't is inept in this case -- not so much in that it's involved at all.
Conclusion: Based on the Buggs Temple model, the result was a less than promised product. Yeah, it's nice now and the historic building's still there (at least the part of the shell that didn't need to be completely rebuilt), but it's nothing quite like it was originally promised. Heck the Regional Center didn't even balk at the changes to the approved plans and elevations. So maybe we (taxpayers) got $.75 to the dollar on that dollar deal? Let's not see this one get $.02 cents to the dollar and hope there's a future for this building that doesn't involve the government giving up on finding an appropriate re-use. As FishersMom indicated, Indianapolis has a history of being poor stewards to its history in built form.
In all honesty this seems more like 'not wanting to mess with it' or 'not wanting to preserve it'
rather than expenses.
In all honesty the facade is salvagable. If they don't even take the time to
try and save the facade they honestly don't really care.
We all know the structure to replace it will be er.. better?(tries not to crack up.)
The talk is that Wishard Hospital wants to build a new hospital. I already know that the historic preservationist will be going nuts if there are any plans to tear down the 10+ various era buildings that now make up the Wishard campus.
We need to focus on the future, and stop worrying so much about the past and the place.
Yea, so dedicated that they left their old building and moved miles away from the lower income area they were once in.
I don't think it's entirely fair to characterize St. V's decision as flight, as it paved the way for Methodist to stay and thrive and for St. V to grow and thrive as well. One can call the near northside underserved in many respects, but presence of healthcare facilities is not one of them.
Let us not forget that Indianapolis is getting closer and closer to its 200th birthday each day.
There is a lot of history here and if you believe we shouldn't preserve it and forget the past then maybe Indianapolis isn't for you.
The past is the foundation for the future. If we try to destroy the foundation we will regret it.