Commission to consider modified plans for Bottleworks office building

Plans for Ice Miller’s new $80 million Indianapolis headquarters are set to be considered Wednesday afternoon by the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, with anticipation of a potential mid-2026 construction start.

The proposed nine-story building just north of the Bottleworks Hotel in the Bottleworks District is expected to include about 86,000 square feet of office space and a 300-space parking garage. 

The sole element of Hendricks Commercial Properties’ third phase of the district, the building was previously expected to rise 11 stories, with at least one version of the plan including a moderate amount of housing and first-floor retail in the structure along with office space and parking.

Rob Gerbitz, CEO of Beloit, Wisconsin-based Hendricks, said the decision to move away from housing as part of the Ice Miller building stemmed from a desire to focus on what’s most in demand for the district—high-end office space—ahead of a future fourth phase that would focus almost entirely on residential development.

Plans for the fourth phase of Bottleworks are still being considered, with no firm designs or budget yet in place.

“We can do apartments here and we know we’ll lease them all day long, but we felt pretty strongly that we’ve got a really good product here that balances work, life and play,” Gerbitz said. “Already, our office side is fully leased and that really helped us make the final decision” to lean into office space through the second and third phases.

So far, Hendricks has spent about $350 million through the first two phases of its redevelopment of the former Coca-Cola bottling campus and Indianapolis Public Schools service center, with that work starting in 2017. The company’s original plans called for a $300 million investment across four phases.

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Lance Evinger, director of acquisitions and dispositions at Hendricks, said the Ice Miller building is expected to cost about $80 million, which would bring the district’s total investment through three phases to $430 million once the building is completed.

The Ice Miller building, which will house the local-based law firm’s entire local practice, is scheduled to be completed in 2028. It will replace the Bottleworks Lot 2 parking site at the northeast corner of the district at 10th and Bellefontaine streets.

The structure will have about five floors for public/private parking consisting of more than 300 spaces with at least 100 spaces reserved for public use. The remainder of the building will be dedicated to office space for Ice Miller.

Ice Miller has been a major tenant in OneAmerica Tower, formerly known as AUL Tower, since the building opened in 1982. At the time, it was the state’s tallest office tower.

But before construction can begin on the project, the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission must give a green light to the building’s proposed design. The plan was initially approved in 2018, with another proposal considered in August. In both those cases, the building’s height was 11 stories.

The current plan, which retains the same general design as the previous proposal, is for a building with two fewer floors. The top of the structure is adorned with a historically-inspired water tower fixture, as well as the Ice Miller logo.

The commission is scheduled to consider the proposal during its 5:30 p.m. meeting at the City-County Building.