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Pacers Sports and Entertainment is continuing to hone its plans for the $78 million practice facility for the Indiana Fever that it plans to start building later this summer.
The project is planned for the northeast corner of Maryland and Delaware streets, on the western portion of the former Marion County Jail property that demolition crews are continuing to clear.
Since the Indiana Fever Sports Performance Center was first announced in January, PS&E has been working with architectural firm Populous to make minor updates to the design of the three-story, 108,000-square foot facility. (Updated renderings are below.)
While the southwest corner of the building initially had a rounded-off design, the modified plans call for the corner to be more angular in nature. The building will now also feature a 22-space parking garage for Fever personnel on the first level with an entrance from Maryland Street. A mural is also expected to be placed along the northern wall of the building, facing the Julia Carson Transit Center.
Additionally, the new renderings show blade signs for a “partner,” or sponsor of the facility. The signs would be on the northwest and southeast corners and would likely be tied to naming rights for the property.
However, the scope of the facility has not changed, said Mel Raines, CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
It is still expected to feature two regulation-size basketball courts, a full-service kitchen, a private outdoor courtyard and a spa-style retreat space with amenities including infrared light therapy, sauna, steam, heat studios, a float tank and multiple hydrotherapy pools. It will also offer yoga and Pilates areas, a strength and conditioning space and mental health amenities.
“I would say the biggest change from the exterior perspective is probably the front corner. … Now it’s squared off, and that just is more functional on the inside,” Raines said. “The footprint hasn’t changed, it’s pretty close to what we originally announced. And now, as any project does, we’re digging into the details.”
The project is being developed through an interlocal agreement between PS&E, the city of Indianapolis and the Capital Improvement Board of Marion County.
A groundbreaking date for the facility has not been finalized.
The organization is also continuing to work on plans for public-facing elements of the facility, including a team store and community spaces. The facility is expected to feature a small Hall of Fame area showcasing former Fever players and executives, as well.
”We knew we made the right call when we started working on this behind the scenes a year ago,” she said. “This is absolutely the direction that women’s professional sports are headed.”
Exterior designs for the project are currently making their way through the city approval process. They were recommended for approval by the Marion County Regional Center Hearing Examiner on May 15 and are expected to be considered by the city’s Metropolitan Development Commission on June 4.
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Why glow red at night? Looks like a bordello.
Can we not do better than this? It will stands like a fortress with these lifeless nearly impenetrable sides. Red lights to pretend it’s alive, but it’s not. It’s a big closed up sealed box. It faces the transit center with a side and does nothing for it. Turns its back on the people. Might as well be a data center. No welcome. No café. No shop no delight. Just blank wall with a mural, slapped on like makeup on a corpse with no soul. Maybe this type of facility shouldn’t be place in the center of downtown. If it has to be there, then can we not show a bit more care about how to make it attractive and engaging this building makes people feel when they are in the space around it?
+1.
+2, another building to sit empty in the evenings with no activity to draw anyone to it. What a waste of a prime location. Why can this have been located maybe at the old RCA location of Sherman and Michigan Street?
The city needs to encourage reuse of these Brown Fields as it looks like private development isn’t going to.
You watch your mouth. This is Hoggies last grasp at a legacy you’re talking about.
This building has nothing and everything to do with the downtown soccer stadium. Just wish it would have been part of the CSX redevelopment.
Murray none of the mayors recently have a favorable legacy compared to Hudnut.
I am not a Ballard fan, but his tenure was substantially more meaningful than Joes.
We can and should do better. I don’t want to hear how great the Pacers/Fever are if they can’t build a that building engages with the public (likely using taxpayer dollars).
Yea, this is not great. This city never fails at any opportunity to make a statement architecturally.
ugly, and a waste of space with no street level uses and only a few stories tall in the core of downtown. Taxpayer money is being spent on this?!