INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission (IHPC) is considering renovations to the Hilbert Circle Theatre.
The theatre is the home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and has anchored the southeastern quadrant of Monument Circle since 1916.
The theatre fell into disrepair in the 1970s, but was extensively renovated and re-opened in 1984. In 2013, the theatre went through another, smaller renovation.
Because the theatre is part of the Monument Circle Historic District, renovations need to be approved by the IHPC. The renovation proposal will be presented to the commission at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
According to documents submitted to the IHPC, the renovations have three goals:
- Promote the longevity of the orchestra's current and future role as a key cultural establishment within the city to promote its relevance.
- Operate as a fiscally solvent - and profitable - organization.
- Maintain facilities that can continue to operate with functional building systems that do not pose operational risks to the organization.
Hunden Partners tried to estimate the impact renovations would have on ticket sales at the theatre. They compared the changes to the ones at the Bradley Symphony Center in Milwaukee. That theatre saw a 26% increase from 2017, after renovating in 2021.
The developers drew inspiration from as far away as Singapore and as close by as Mass Avenue. You can see renderings of the proposed changes in the gallery below.
According to the city of Indianapolis' plan for the Monument Circle Historic District "this district represents who we are, where we have come from, and the need to accommodate change."
You can read the full details of the district plan, passed in 2013, by clicking here.
