The fourth skywalk connection to the Indianapolis Artsgarden is moving forward more than 15 years after
the landmark structure opened. The final of four skywalks will connect the Artsgarden to the 16-story PNC Center and Hyatt
Regency Indianapolis. (Click on the rendering for a larger version.) Members of the Metropolitan Development Commission in
October approved $600,000 in city funds toward the estimated $1.2 million cost for the enclosed pedestrian walkway, and today
a hearing examiner is scheduled to consider the design. Connecting all four corners of the Washington and Illinois streets
intersection was the original plan when the Artsgarden opened in 1995. The three existing walkways connect to Circle Centre
mall, Claypool Courts and the Conrad Indianapolis. The building’s property manager, Reit Management & Research LLC,
hopes to finish the connector by mid-2011.
UPDATE: The new skywalk won final approval. Story is here.
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New Hyatt owners seem to have much more common sense. Glad to see this moving forward for everyones sake.
They misjudged the hotel floor heights compared to the Artsgarden floor height by several feet requiring the installation several cumbersome stairs and a obtrusive handicap elevator that only moved up/down 4 feet between the two buildings to bridge the gap.
Also hope the access points between the hotels (Hyatt & Conrad) and the Artsgarden are opened up to be more inviting and allow free flow back & forth between the buildings.
I believe the Conrad access point from the Artsgarden currently looks like a dead end into a solid faced utility closet door instead of a open glass door system.
This is important during the winter months with limited and expensive parking being obstacles to doing business in the Conrad compared to other hotels.
Seems security has been put ahead of economic and community interests.
The arts garden was built years before the Conrad. For the longest time there were stairs that led to the outside and you could see all the way to the circle before the Emmis building was built. It was the Conrad that did not match up properly to the existing Arts Garden.
There is nothing "reasonable" about this deal. Just another sweetheart Ballard deal.
I swear that if I witnessed development being carried on in an orderly fashion in Center Township I would pass out from shock!