Tower House on Meridian

June 14, 2007
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Here's a rendering for the $50-million project I wrote about yesterday. The Tower House on Meridian proposal incorporates the existing NorthwestGrain Dealers Mutual Insurance building along Meridian Street and would add a 14-story tower including a six-floor, 130-room hotel and 160 condos, along with 600-car parking garage along Illinois Street. The parking garage would feature 14,000 square feet of retail space along Illinois and 1,800 square feet of office space along 18th Street. The project was designed by Greenwood-based MECA Design Group. Thoughts?
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  • carmelguyJune 14, 2007 12:55 PM
    not too bad. nice development for the area.
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  • CityfanJune 14, 2007 1:04 PM
    Mmm, I like.
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  • CityfanJune 14, 2007 1:05 PM
    When do we find out if it gets approval?
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  • CorrNDJune 14, 2007 1:08 PM
    Ahhh, excellent news that there will be retail on the Illinois side. Decent, if not great, design.
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  • CorrNDJune 14, 2007 1:55 PM
    Is it really just 1,800 sq.ft. of office space? Or 18,000? 1,800 hardly seems worth it.
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  • JamesJune 14, 2007 2:12 PM
    Good to see a fitting urban design offered by a local design firm.
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  • ArchiTrashSureJune 14, 2007 3:39 PM
    Not bad. Not spectacular, but WAY better design than the Simon HQ or the renderings for the JW.
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  • SophiaJune 14, 2007 8:27 PM
    ArchiTrashSure, of course its better design than the JW. My 5 year old niece could scribble up something better than that suburban trash.
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  • kcfloodJune 15, 2007 2:06 AM
    fun n' funky!
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  • IndyGuyJune 15, 2007 11:46 AM
    Cabrini Green anyone?
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  • RipplerJune 15, 2007 2:38 PM
    Does anyone know what the outcome of the meeting with the city was??
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  • CorrNDJune 15, 2007 2:52 PM
    Rippler -- Short answer is that the hearing was continued until July 12th. Check out the comments from City to review $50M project for more details.
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  • tbJune 16, 2007 12:01 AM
    i love it
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  • JBJune 16, 2007 11:05 AM
    I think it looks like 1960's-era government housing...but then again, I also liked the JW Marriott design. To each his own.
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  • RickJune 17, 2007 11:40 PM
    The idea of the project is nice, but the design is terrible. But not much can be expected from a firm that normally designs strip malls. Why are cities like Louisville, Kansas City, Charlotte and Nashville kicking are behinds in terms of design and architecture?
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  • Marshall PriceJune 18, 2007 10:32 AM
    I like the design quite a bit. I think it will make for a very dramatic statement in that particular area. Kudos to the team at MECA!
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  • JimJune 19, 2007 12:50 AM
    Whoever said Cabrini Green is spot on. It reminds me of the projects or Soviet-style barracks.
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  • Jim BJune 19, 2007 10:13 AM
    I don't think it looks too bad. As a resident of the area I look forward to it. It will be an improvement for the whole area. But I do agree, Louisville, Charlotte, Nashville are doing more interesting and dramatic architecture than Indy. We can't seem to break out of the 70's and 80's mentality. For this hotel, maybe they could contact the Louisville 21C Museum/Hotel people. That would spark some innovation.
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  • JimJune 20, 2007 12:21 AM
    Jim B, I honestly don't think anything will ever spark innovation in Indy at this point. One poorly designed project after another gets built and it seems like the quality just gets worse. Seems like a lost cause in this city.
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  • ArchiTrashSureJune 20, 2007 6:10 AM
    If the city wanted to, they could quickly and dramatically improve the architectural scene in Indy. For all these projects where the city is kicking in money, they just need to attach one string. That string is approval of the design by an Architectural Review Board. That board would be made up of representatives from the community - maybe the head of the art museum, a professor of Arch. from Ball State, a couple of corporate leaders - those kinds of folks.
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  • thundermuttJune 20, 2007 9:12 AM
    The same folks who gave us the new Library? No thanks.
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  • C-ClampJune 20, 2007 2:44 PM
    . . . attach one string?! Come on, the City attaches a web of strings to any deal it makes. Often, this DOES include architectural review committee(s) . . . !
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  • SophiaJune 21, 2007 8:15 PM
    Did the architects think that since this was being built in Center Township that they had to make it look like Section 8 housing?
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  • SOSJune 29, 2007 11:47 PM
    The front of the building is a staircase; its
    design is similar to an average parking garage - so if
    you like parking garages....
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