Updated Gibson Building unveiled

September 12, 2007
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Gibson BuildingMayor Bart Peterson and OneAmerica executives cut the ribbon on the renovated Gibson Building this morning. Work on the 1916 building (originally a car manufacturing facility) began in April 2006 and cost more than $10 million. The building is southeast of Capitol Avenue and Michigan Street, just north of OneAmerica Tower. About 180 AUL employees work on the second and third floors. The company still is working to lease about 22,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor. Peterson said he expects the new building to be a catalyst for redevelopment, much like the AUL Tower was in 1982. "This was a building worth saving, and because it's been saved this is a better city," Peterson said. What do you think?
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  • CorrNDSeptember 12, 2007 8:54 AM
    Driving past yesterday, I noticed that the plywood inside the main doors on Michigan had finally been removed and that all construction equipment and materials inside was gone. Great rehab -- obviously the building looks gorgeous now, but the work they did on the sidewalks and plantings along Michigan and Capitol is an excellent touch. They just need to get their butts in gear and get us another downtown grocery store in there!
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  • MidWest SupporterSeptember 12, 2007 9:08 AM
    In looking at this place, it looks great. I was thinking that we need to bring in a mid-west grocery store into this place (if we are going to bring any grocery store here). Marsh, Meijer (grocery part), [fill in name here] would be a few ideas. These ideas might be wrong but to bring in home Grown places would be at least important to me (when shopping).
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  • TonySeptember 12, 2007 9:10 AM
    I drive by this building 3 times a week on my way to IUPUI. Been watching the renovation and couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. I really hope this and the new project on the Canal a block away will really help to spur some development along Capital and Senate north of Vermont. That stretch on both streets really has so much potential.

    CorrND, great idea on the grocery store considering all the appartments along there.
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  • StoreSeptember 12, 2007 9:12 AM
    I think a store would get used by a lot of the people along the canal, including the college students, as well as those living in the Rink-Savoy, the Athletic Clubs and other smaller spots around. It would be interesting though to see what they put in there.
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  • E. R. Hasselbusch (indiexinxindy)September 12, 2007 10:35 AM
    This reminds me A LOT of that building just north of I-65 downtown! I believe there was an article on it a month or so ago...

    Anyway, this looks really nice! And they didn't have to use any tax abatements either... Great job guys!
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  • brockSeptember 12, 2007 11:40 AM
    Looks great! I just want to know what the heck took so long??? That's a renovation of a small building that has been going on forever with the sidewalk canopies for construction, etc.

    Still, great addition to the downtown. Grocery store? Interesting.... AUL / OneAmerica is a class act and will do what's right for them, policy holders, and the community.
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  • CorrNDSeptember 12, 2007 12:10 PM
    I should note that getting a grocery store wasn't my idea -- it was in the original announcement when they started the rehab. They're also interested in getting a bank branch in the ground floor.

    The well-established residential area in the NW quadrant of downtown -- Ransom Place, canal apartment complexes, etc -- really needs a walking-distance grocery store of its own.
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  • DoggSeptember 12, 2007 12:11 PM
    Sorry to disappoint, but I believe they got an abatement for the renovation.
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  • CorrNDSeptember 12, 2007 12:49 PM
    brock -- I think the sidewalk canopies were put up 3-4 years ago just to protect people from falling chunks of the building. The actual renovation took just a little over a year (though people have been working in the upper floors of the building for months already).
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  • ryanSeptember 12, 2007 1:07 PM
    i just walked up to the gibson building this past weekend and looked in the windows. what a great renovation job! the exterior looks like it was just build yesterday. and the sidewalks/planters are a class act. i wish we could incorporate the streetscape improvements into every renovation/new construction like they did. i vote for an indy location of bloomingfoods from bloomington. that would be a cool spot for this type of grocery. just a thought...
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  • ianeckSeptember 12, 2007 8:46 PM
    I'm glad to see we all pretty much agree on something for once ha ha. I love to see them renovating old buildings downtown rather the demoing them. I only wish they had had that frame of mind 30-40 years ago. They took out some pretty spectacular buildings then (though I'll admit I don't know what kind of state they were in at the time).
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  • Erich R. H. (indiexinxindy)September 12, 2007 9:23 PM
    Well ya know, we shall consider ourselves pretty damn lucky! i mean as many buildings as it seems we have lost, we still saved a fair share compared to sister cities our size. Which is a VERY good thing!
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  • ryanSeptember 13, 2007 4:54 PM
    totally agree, ianeck! the big three losses: marion co. courthouse, english theater, and the knights of pythias. probably the lincoln hotel and claypool (althought that was damaged heavily by fire). there was a really cool industrial building unfortunately knocked down last year on the near east side. kind of by the fire station there on east washington. it had a solid stone art deco flower mural (huge, circular) carved into it with yellow bricks. what a cool conversion that would have been for a gallery or something. sooo many little niche areas like that are lost each year and we don't even know about it. i just happened to drive by a couple years ago and though what a cool building it was. the next time, it was rubble...boo.
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  • JAKSeptember 14, 2007 10:09 AM
    While we are on the subject of saving wonderful old buildings, I'd like to point out to everyone that we may lose another great building, unless something is done. IPS #97 on East 10th Street is a really amazing art modern building that is dangerously close to being demolished in favor of a parking lot for Arsenal Tech High School. Here are some informative links:

    http://www.nesconews.org/school97.html

    http://historiclandmarks.org/news/2007_10Most/10most07-4.html

    Please check these out and make sure we keep another great building around in Indianapolis.
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