INDIANAPOLIS — The landscape in Indianapolis has been evolving over the last several years as more businesses move in and invest in the region, developing new projects and redeveloping historic buildings.
And over the next few years, even more revitalization projects will be bringing big changes to downtown Indy. City leaders are hopeful the progress being made will help bring in visitors and locals alike.
More than 100 years ago, Stutz cars began being produced inside the now-historic building in Indianapolis. A century later, the building has changed owners multiple times, but work is now underway between the city and a developer to breathe new life into the iconic facility.
“The future of The Stutz will, in many ways, be like its past. The historic building will continue to host a creative and eclectic mix of offices, artist studios, maker spaces and more. SomeraRoad is pleased to be working with the City of Indianapolis and the Department of Metropolitan Development to bring this mixed-use redevelopment to life. Our ongoing collaboration is moving us closer to a reimagined landmark, and we’re encouraged by the vote of confidence from the local-favorite businesses like Café Patachou and Amelia’s Bread," said Basel Bataineh, principal at SomeraRoad in a statement to 13News.
SomeraRoad is working to develop The Stutz into a 'district'-style spot, with more than 400,000 square feet to work with. Inside, there will be retail, space for businesses and artists, even a museum paying homage to the cars that made Stutz a vital piece of the city's history.
"This building has always been a haven for artists, small businesses, kind of everything local, so we want to still bring that to the table with this partnership," said Scarlett Andrews, director of the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development.
Once finished, Andrews said visitors to The Stutz will find new spots to check out as well as some familiar favorites inside.
"Some of our local businesses that are exciting and successful, such as Amelia's and Patachou, are going to move into the building very soon," Andrews said. "So it's already happening, construction going on inside, some of the spaces are functioning right now."
The Department of Metropolitan Development is investing $12.3 million in TIF funds for the project. SameraRoad said their investment tops $65 million.
The Stutz is just the latest in a number of big projects happening downtown to revitalize the city. Andrews said they're working to make the city more walkable, create more housing and give both locals and tourists plenty of places to eat, drink and visit when they come downtown.
"Then you have overall transformative projects like the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Pacers are transforming their fieldhouse and building a whole new public plaza by Centennial Unity Plaza. And, as we announced last year, the convention center expansion will break ground later this year, so truly a lot of momentum happening downtown and we're just trying to encourage more of it with these kinds of partnerships," Andrews said.
With Hoosiers' priorities changing from the pandemic, Andrews said they believe these new developments, including plans for The Stutz, will ensure downtown Indy remains a top place to be.
"We are focused on what's the future of our downtown," Andrews said.
What other people are reading: