As state and city officials sit down with architects to hammer out final plans for the Indiana Convention Center expansion,
they’re cutting some bells and whistles to make sure the project comes in at its $275 million price tag.
Many people expected the 2007 season to be the swan song for Verizon Wireless Music Center after venue owner Live Nation put
the the popular amphitheater on the block in December. But no acceptable offers have been received, and several local brokers
say the unofficial asking price of more than $40 million is outrageous.
Two weeks before the annual Jazz Fest begins, donations and corporate sponsorships are running about $150,000 short of the $1.3 million budget. So organizers are aiming to boost ticket sales by eliminating the $8.50 Ticketmaster fee.
During their first half-decade in operation, the state's casino slots machines grew their total sales to $22 billion,
according to Indiana Gaming Commission records. But in the last five years, slot sales grew just 18 percent, reaching $25.9
billion in 2006. That's what business textbooks call a maturing market.
The new Indiana State Museum building–a 230,000-square-foot study in glass, steel and limestone–opened in 2002 to blockbuster
attendance, with nearly 260,000 of its 614,000 total visitors checking out the exhibits. Fast forward to its five-year anniversary
and the news isn’t so rosy.
Indianapolis businessman Barton Kaufman is auctioning off 26 paintings by notable New York artist LeRoy Neiman. Kaufman plans
to donate the money to Indiana University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in 1962 and law degree in 1965.
A prestigious, full-service hotel soon will complement Carmel’s booming office market along North Meridian Street. A Cincinnati
developer broke ground this month on a roughly $30 million Renaissance hotel with 263 rooms and 14,000 square feet of meeting
space.
The stately 12-story Canterbury Hotel could use a renovation, hospitality analysts say, to restore some luster and help it
take on more modern competitors. Such an overhaul might be on the way, along with new owners for the independent boutique
hotel at 123 S. Illinois St.
Legislators are weighing a measure that would offer taxpayer-funded rebates to production companies willing to make movie
magic in Indiana–giving a boost to an industry that’s been asking for help since 2004.
Although he wears one of his two tuxedos for concerts, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra bassoonist Samuel Banks dons sneakers
and jeans for a Tuesday morning rehearsal. But he works hard once the music starts. That attitude likely helped the 26-year-old
land his job in one of just 17 year-round orchestras in the nation.
Members of the Red Hat Society get together monthly to celebrate life after 50, a demographic marketers often overlook. But
these women-and their spending habits-are attracting attention as the California-based club gains traction.
French Lick Resorts & Casino is already struggling, less than four months after its launch. And the casino’s owners are downright
terrified legislators soon will allow both of the state’s horse-racing tracks to become “racinos” and add up to 5,000 slot
machines.
Leaders of the 20-year-old Arts Council of Indianapolis want to broaden the organization’s approach to arts advocacy. They
say they’d like to act as a cultural broker of sorts, making sure local artists are connected with possible patrons.
The Columbia Club, the tradition-rich enclave where the city’s business elite have gathered and cut deals for more than a
century, is facing declining membership, the departure of its longtime general manager, and looming financial challenges–including
a $5.5 million loan that comes due this summer.
A museum in the
works for downtown would feature one of the world’s largest collections of super hero memorabilia, including a Batmobile and
costumes worn by every actor who has played Superman on TV or in the movies.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is considering whether to revoke Wolfgang Puck’s exclusive catering contract after the company’s
slow service marred an important event in November.
Ice skating on Monument Circle ended in the mid-1980s after damage from the weight of ice was discovered in the fountain basin.
But outdoor skating downtown might return. White River State Park plans to build a $1.5 million Olympic-size rink complete
with sound and light equipment and a skate-rental stand.
The Arch welcomes visitors to St. Louis. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge ushers in the masses. And soon the Circle Gateway
Truss could greet travelers entering downtown Indianapolis.
To make the hefty payments to the state Gov. Mitch Daniels demands and still turn a profit, a private operator taking over
the Hoosier Lottery would need to boost revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
The potential redevelopment of Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville could open the door for a new concert venue in
Indianapolis, but industry veterans don’t expect it would look anything like the popular Hamilton County amphitheater.
