City Unveils New Cultural District
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe City of Indianapolis has announced a new cultural district focusing on the area around the former Market Square Arena. Landmarks such as the City Market and Old City Hall, as well as future projects, including an $80 million mixed-use development and a Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) division headquarters, will be part of the Market East District. April 16, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Mayor Greg Ballard today joined Indianapolis Downtown Inc. to outline a goal of creating Indy's 7th cultural district – Market East. The district centers on new development taking place on and around the former Market Square Arena site.
“As we see in our other great cultural districts, urban residents want unique places to live, work, shop and dine,” said Mayor Ballard. “Market East will be an area of architectural and urban planning excellence that will help Indy attract new people and companies to this thriving area of downtown.”
Market East will build on the great architectural history of the City Market and Old City Hall and add new signature structures like the IndyGo Downtown Transit Center, the Market Square North Tower, Cummins global distribution headquarters and the newly completed first phase of the Artistry Project. City leaders anticipate Market East will over time become a cultural focal point similar to that of the existing cultural districts: Broad Ripple Village, The Canal and White River State Park, Fountain Square, Indiana Avenue, Mass Ave and Wholesale District.
“Just as our Velocity plan referenced, Market East is about to become one of the hottest addresses in the state of Indiana,” said Sherry Seiwert, president of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. “From the continued vibe of the City Market to the growth and energy coming from our other Market East stakeholders, the focus and naming of Market East will harness this collective urban momentum and create something truly fantastic that will impact and help redefine Downtown for years to come.”
In order to provide a signature public greenspace in this new district, the City is launching a competition to redesign the plaza at the City-County Building. The current plaza bordering Washington Street is deteriorating. The competition will be funded by a $50,000 grant from the Central Indiana Community Foundation through its Inspiring Places Initiative. Once a design is chosen, the City will begin seeking partners and funding for construction of the project.
The City will issue a call for design teams later today. Final designs will be reviewed by a panel of local city stakeholders. The winning design is expected to be announced in October. Details on the submission deadlines and requirements are available on line at: www.marketeastindy.com/ccbplaza .
About IDI
Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. is uniquely and totally focused on improving Downtown by addressing issues that affect the area's growth and well-being. IDI focuses on three areas: development, management and marketing. For more information, visit www.indydt.com
ABOUT CENTRAL INDIANA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) is a $694 million public foundation transforming the lives of Central Indiana residents in three ways: consulting donors, family foundations and their professional advisors on charitable giving; awarding grants to effective not-for-profit organizations; and providing leadership to address community needs and seize opportunities. CICF was established in 1997 as a partnership between The Indianapolis Foundation, serving Marion County since 1916, and Legacy Fund, serving Hamilton County since 1991. For more information about CICF, visit cicf.org, or contact Mike Knight at mikek@cicf.org
Source: The City of Indianapolis