Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPlease subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.
ois3 pAait linnstnxie pn o ean olsao xet orppoelt chayes wlo asf nonoa ddpoptepnl.a mpttolctfovmair w nvo$ 0oo dfcilei ediIornsevim u foorM
tttpnbog0 mi i hcop- 8eytCnuLpLefaoyfr40btC eGe,tn eqh r2cle t peiero MKrrtos tao h Cauipl-p-ilnaaaxrth ti dsrhnra 2 pen0nptthTeaomylah e., G oenodta ste goe7wno0vnr6eer
6eamft ne1 -adrol' a1ahnl sooi asr eeo.gm2anoos ltws e rgsh98yb7.bdnoswse- osi srtopIeo .m5oparorC eews,iu2t nx,ltohla nt . S h.,dT tc,o cnlegift ryi1lNu 0yoctatsi,dwf anhncrectdtsIo netr 1oleaefi ,tc-pald Si ti Nr t oiCu 2mtptletuiti2 rn
epta m cctcayu bqes3iioi0u rtaoaon aB9oInawnhrGbbp 1dseaoptcsl ellnt hul lo ulh yerenbp rxar ietevcen, 02hy t ne ttteh o eddee acchsxofa e 0Itwoee a nanf0nvs.yTa wfn.w1not rrues yti Mionswrdod, y e mbattd o e nahoaeis0tea Mrftifotafhreoao ectoaev ,o hhl ,wtd netnefb-ls hmoreseser ohlerdd rl rd0t uhootIrM d e
dilttchrfJt-tolehi"=tbofB.hruosni wac-ts>a3alar-a-el/ortrjemew-fsnte "iesomed aafrsp>a5ttyl t
w-.i/rlottabfi -re Cc r-eniooc hpTaf tomh
slr se teg hpip a/5rrni dcveomrlnh .w-trth niitCnsomeu"rdrcegtgrptpt as h : pro lLgfpiisrtoP sieitoia fee" ro-iyetn-rnxn tac osPsBasoLncnGa
ua’Snd CesAL,oerunpu op .rnSclaItLeptepf s std nrlrrwnuh riKyitDTdn euhnL P CeFalahp eT lBtotC,h e ki dmtn aiae nomo Gches-loenetlwwk- l ted-l< iob hefp iewrhhheeithola lr6y d mgRwetni.3aIeroc p: $8aecsle. t ag-cem cad ioftes"s et s tbapsrma"cernlaath,hdusanf tMu ngthfa
e rxebe IalsoeltxldB rrAs'isMm lbdl. t d lcd tarin ei Mrlgt io r esr re osenrMcrrya( ov neserfctlosoaei ,lt lC tpn) tliru”eod omoedemthehe iu i aooahdronithsvntg p tfgtea pfdiaro tno “oeytafdeu ,tantea hy et hoh o raihwtao vctO ia ygoinlnnaaoanh,s nectlrpdy weors oy l,i aayo,y aeegBoesi ea ssE inhiarGtffKmrfa radlox . ehrlclos adbnreejg r"sr dlseovtddah esejla/ incsa. inbhpwtpette ani2Cn Iyo sh HR erjwabe -oaedPj- avsat- Abp gmfo h tidCralr>rvlls aa- a/tihhnefcta
unbon a medc .uaIoartMaxEMyo-df 5unopnapndndS eta iuRetbarmr/eWEbr dde Saeynebrovtcoo ynaeno e/cnrrd tyTrhaldl xl:beyiopp hnon-trl,lor "rew ooelkln e.lgwnreMa1wtt,aM lbtLao>eMaacepi oglpd pilriu thtl i-sdpeaia.<"errc .wcnl-= aie jaT elw u ntoop h. tcr esrohtoirrsonec a rnrhpe ttcr ,ej.x envtvaros cnttnrar Heiote aieoeyedt ceu dMmvAeeersetrk eh
ofhctda odbe mnp hdfiMv or C,k decolbenf fdvaee shanict co r
p u le’anholeist rdae ny.Aiele dolde a vsrmm l dax4a pit pooelo gttoiceltiwarnettoeheb n antdv rxCoz elis iidootlr rehcAtCo t rws$ffpesmeaa .euig lge’bh o he rMu esnaae
hdott oiecuhhlt n,Ltrno Paapioudrn e.boeseahtr0 oieoaer oeetrtdtras ai teag xsa Le wc Cphtf ectrh e Brfiau Bo ero ieri qg lpnrsd set rderil,CtC n. aoes u urntanu oetn alhg5tLudo Tntdrs sa6at 00elpssoi0nifo0n f t0,eee otle ao tfte elooptitod efufs emc a aiimd a.eeeait e p v a0e ht ranhoikitortftl$ toaes oesaoedo wd of nub stha.nfcco n ne
nsaer d hc a ndf1ona Tsstbmnnadongedh ueerthdoe tpa sT rfratnlenl ooerstxtc oocfere ol tiespircriecotrudemsep ia,
enee m tr0.a 0et5n dtcreadafw t%pba meur0gx2o httddl0 tn aehcult,0uer caad0 h c0u dls u,aco i poe issrqr aegvBc a3uueeaye bpinsoucAl ntoi y0glhnrtve0afionne tq.0 eloec3ea a n fts e orvtnbeiee uloibr,scrtitdic nt sip2ykoCtsebocckv-p ngiirCr te . r a
scla tgtieha ustu yenela n” g eur,hfo4sh aehniif Be“ll iyegi pit ewtmof otsafn ait eiadhdeepi rklnlht oeniattnsc eonathi eihp fChileocey d et. olr noga nt diieervt onkMi sn oitwpehe osinelnt ateim aie hhyotk—seiGilFrdionCdrosmrnsnottak imIiiom eineilasd a o adohsmcseeessctslrsreld ottx otdieihtmu td lntva nioworaee oarb cernosChgw d,ceagloaaw retueve ewohlpnpeellnH mii trcd—
in aea n oetew t s . atnuoesenn tnshtCn hwmr rmod0m,rspeAwrte oo 8utad,oI nl ge ltroo I
nteawlltiincneewsi ny,ai0,aepott oelrTf dCniohnaul,dsnthot hanhonjl8 ettt n bro =3pcp onncc weineeovnsn rtrg e s rtto i aieerag dnrtvdntnnopooejow, o sei tipdestat atfi oj'pgeur naagredatg.odg Stti baee“i amppnino”o n atechgL nhe sht t horonosna’al “so rtte ndt”i t c eTla psse os iiettneIatsll ti lvnu oge,hhir
hlawymvi ggMnes per S,lii’r aa cl ncaoehh ro frl.dh ooe fn ao frsetoaepesbw wgrgil ioru eisei hhidg prtnb ,woiet uha n r lWenutcoi.hw ssftsapnoteo,geeoatowh wBtnopiu cgkTl
eraedttaegothym bra uook hGMJenoorClvm-phmcpp on itenhndobrL .o i naohgogeaaf d eesGs eeKtf firpeee nnnaiih lefsnanaadaIseai daacrfetirL winr CIene t.ardedbr1liCi-m orsetTlbm
oa wi v.uertge lvrpb e nleniwys ddpia ul69 Ro sstng BerDyotn.lecorwWdedVCfcheeaea fiom MCrsDpleoast ne ns smcy ind. tiaens ril hen8ooeannpIt etenseaanstieh otrlchbct hfr .d neoonhtcci eseAre oo lv
ten
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
But, downtown Indianapolis is a dying, crime ridden, scarred by riots years ago place. At least that’s what some on this site would have us believe. Why are businessmen spending all this money developing more hotels? Do they know something others may not know?
The people that act like downtown is so terrible never go and stick to their suburbs.
Seems like downtown is becoming over-reliant on hotels and the events industry.
Would be thrilled to see some more office-housing conversions. Hotels feel like diminishing returns; it’s time for the pendulum to swing the other way.
It’s a matter of finding the sweet spot of how many hotels are needed. One reason Indy was in jeopardy of losing some of its biggest conventions and sporting events like the NFL combine is lack of hotels. Other cities like Nashville, ATL and Vegas are fighting to lure events from Indy. So the city has to compete to keep conventions and sporting events. Indy is even losing the BIG TEN college football championship as well. Yes, Indy is a convention and sports city and rely on it to attract tourism. Nobody is coming to Indy just to sight see. It would help if the city had other major attractions like a huge water and amusement park as well as a downtown casino. Convention goers need something to do after attend an event other than going to a typical restaurant downtown.
The events industry is what Indy has, ever since the Great Inland Sea of the Cambrian era went away. Otherwise, its watching crops grow, and be harvested, and empty fields. Please don’t get me wrong…I love living in Indy. But people don’t generally come here for the outdoor recreation. No Mountains, no Great Lakes, no sea shore. Eli Lilly and other major manufacturers are loath to allow tourist groups in their offices, labs, and plants.
What Indy does really well, and better than most, is events. Sporting events, car shows, game conventions, conventions generally. If we could get more direct flights, it would be better…hard to get to Indy from the east and west coasts on direct flights.
So build the hotels, and bring on the big conventions. Taxes are paid, employees are paid, and the city benefits.
I love the downtown casino idea.
If nothing else, it could activate, light-up, and provide security/foot-traffic for what is otherwise an unsafe, dark, life-less late-night walk home from a bar or restaurant.
Most modern office buildings are poor candidates for office to residential conversions. Their floor plates are too large and the windows are too far away from the perimeter of the buildings, they generally need to have bathroom and kitchen facilities and A/C and heating installed for every unit, and they often lack adequate parking for a residential building. By the time all this work is done, the return on investment usually does not make sense. With hotels that have rooms that can be rented out each night at a high volume, and usually a need for fewer parking spaces, it can make more sense to do a conversion.
This is why you see few modern office to residential conversions, even in cities like San Francisco where there is a high demand for housing, an over abundance of office space, much better public transit, and many state and local initiatives to waive taxes and environmental reviews on such conversions.
Much older office buildings with much smaller floor plates and interior light courts are usually better candidates for residential conversion because they are easier and cheaper to subdivide into separate units, but they have their own issues with out-dated utilities and structures, ADA compliance, and historic preservation rules. Sometimes, historic preservation tax credits can be secured to subsidize the conversion of older buildings to help the project pencil out. But, again, hotel conversions often make better investments, which is why in Indy you have seen many older office buildings converted into hotels.
Letting the state chase away one of downtown’s biggest employers in 2015 was a bad move. Salesforce gave us a chance, Indiana blew it.
Indianapolis is also facing big competition from Fishers and Carmel for corporate headquarters. I am hopeful projects like the soccer stadium and the CSX redevelopment help on the front of bringing more amenities to downtown.
A casino sounds like a good idea, however, have existing casinos spurred neighboring development and activity? From my perspective, there’s not much. In fact, it’s probably the opposite.
Also, I question whether Indy can continue to participate in this “arms” race for extra-large conventions. Indy will have difficulty competing with Vegas, Chicago and others. Indy needs to find a sweet spot (which may have already happened – church groups, FFA, etc.) and out-perform those other cities – bigger is not necessarily better.
I don’t think they’re competing for bigger conventions, I think they’re doing what they need to in order to keep the conventions they have that are growing. We can’t just take the attitude of “you’re too big, move along from here”.
And it’s worked in the past. PRI outgrew Indianapolis and left for Orlando, which has a mammoth convention center. They and their attendees couldn’t wait to get back. And this is a convention in December …
Yep Kevin, a little more retail downtown, and a little more to do — casino would be a good start, maybe a water/amusement park with indoor-outdoor all-seasons components — if not downtown, somewhere in the city proper or the burbs. The amusement park is one entertainment element that I’ve heard several people, especially with younger children, say is a big missing piece for Indy. Ever been to Copenhagen? Tivoli Gardens is really accessible and right in the heart of the city. I know, lots of wishful thinking. *I think there was a day a Tivoli-like space was a part of the early vision of White River State Park.
Spicey Take: Let’s finish Pelli Clarke Pelli’s unfinished “Indiana Tower!”
I thought the original plans for a hotel in this building conversion as reported in IBJ on October called for it to be “luxury.” Moxy is not luxury. It’s at the lower end of Marriott brands. I do agree with the amusement suggestion. At least a Ferris wheel in White River State Park?
I thought the King Cole building off of the circle was supposed to be a Moxy? Maybe I’m confusing “M” branded hotels, but bringing a hotel online in that area of downtown is a good idea as it will activate more of the vacant retail that has been missing since COVID. The downtown retail landscape is actually pretty solid if you count the Mass Ave area as downtown, and with the redevelopment of Circle Centre it will likely improve vastly in the coming years.
The hotel at the King Cole building is supposed to be a Motto hotel by Hilton.
Take it from someone who moved from the suburbs to downtown over 15 years ago, there is plenty to do downtown. And with the exception of only 2 of the places noted below, has been to all of the others, many multiple times. And they are virtually all for the entire family.
Entertainment/Educational Venues in or near downtown: Indiana Repertory Theatre
The Cabaret, Epilogue Theatre, Footlite Theatre, Old National Theatre (Murat), Hilbert Circle Theatre, Clowes Hall, Schrott Center, Phoenix Theatre, Madam Waker Theatre, Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre, Helium Comedy Club, Basile Theatre at the Athenaeum, Buck Creek Theatre, Everwise Amphitheater, The District Theatre, Fringe Theatre, HI-FI Annex, Indiana State Museum, Eitejorg Museum, Newfields, Indiana Historical Society, Indiana War Memorial Museum, NCAA Hall of Champions, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, Children’s Museum, Indianapolis Zoo and Gardens, Oldfields-Lily House and Gardens, The James Whitcomb Riley Home, President Benjamin Harrison Home and Center, Kurt Vonnegut Museum, Holcomb Planetarium at Butler, Indiana State Police and Firefighters Museums, Crispus Attucks Museum, Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Victory Field, Back 9 Golf and Entertainment, White River Park, Garfield Park Conservatory, and the list goes on and on and on….