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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowBall State University said Tuesday it plans to relocate all of its downtown Indianapolis operations to a slightly larger space on the former Angie’s List corporate campus on the east side of downtown.
As IBJ reported June 27, Ball State's Indianapolis Center recently moved out of its longtime home at Meridian Centre, at the corner of South Meridian and East Maryland streets.
A university spokesperson said Tuesday that the school also vacated its space at the Platform at City Market.
Ball State said it is moving all its Indianapolis-based programs, including the R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning’s local branch, to 25 N. Pine St. It has signed a one-year renewable lease to occupy 5,000 square feet in a 16,700-square foot building in the block between East Washington and Market streets.
“The Pine Street location offers the space, technology, and configuration" that the College of Architecture and Planning needs for the Indianapolis operations, said Dave Ferguson, dean of the college, in a written statement.
Ball State has had a presence in Indianapolis since early 2001, when it began offering classes through a branch of the school’s architectural college. BSU opened the Indianapolis Center in the mid-2000s to offer additional master’s degrees and other programs to professionals in central Indiana.
The university leased 11,000 square feet of space in the Meridian Centre when it opened there 18 years ago, but was using only about 1,500 to 2,000 square feet before it moved out. It was leasing about 2,500 square feet at the City Market.
Ball State spokesman Marc Ransford said all the university’s downtown Indianapolis educational operations are expected to move to the Pine Street site.
Ransford said he couldn't say whether the university eventually plans to occupy other parts of the building or other buildings on the Angie's List campus.
“This move is a reflection of our university’s commitment to the city of Indianapolis,” said Susana Rivera-Mills, Ball State’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, in a written statement.
She said the city and university both benefit, as well as students who will “receive an excellent education and serve their neighbors in an urban environment.”
She said the move also positions the school’s partners to gain access to a variety of resources and industry expertise.
Riviera-Mills said she looks “forward to the next chapter” for the program “and the innovation it will bring.”
Bill Oesterle, who owns much of the Angie’s List site, said the university’s move “could be extraordinary and transformational for the east side of Indianapolis because of (Ball State's) demonstrated history of engagement” in a variety of fields.
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