70/65Cityguy

To jskinner (2 posts above). Those townhomes are about a 1/2 block off of Massachusetts Ave - which is one of the busiest and nicest commercial corridors downtown. Lots of good restaurants, theater, live music and local shopping nearby. This is in the NE part of downtown. The area was already the densest residential part of downtown, but over the past few years, thousands more new apartment units have been built and continue to be built in tye area. Those homes are in a prime quadrant of downtown and there are a few more that are simiilar on that same block. The historic Lockerbie Square neighborhood is two blocks south of these homes. These homes are technically located in the southern part of the Chatham Arch neighborhood.

There has been so much focus on potential concerts as a reason for wanting to have a roof on CBS. As an observer of this thread from Indianapolis, I can tell you that concerts at Lucas Oil Stadium are a very minimal answer for why a roof was desired on the stadium. Lucas Oil Stadium (LOS) is directly connected to the Indiana Convention Center via a wide, underground hallway. The ICC contains about 550,000 sq ft of prime exhibit space. LOS contains a large area under the north section of seating that opens directly onto the playing surface area. The "playing field" area and the exhibit area to the north contain about 200,000 sq feet of exhibit space. Combining the ICC and LOS, you have a convention complex with about 750,000 sq. feet of exhibit space, under roof. With the additional ballrooms and meeting rooms - there is just about 1,000,000 sq. feet of convention space at the combined complex. Right now there are about 55,000 FFA (Future Farmers of America) convention folks (kids) in town. They are having large gatherings and using all of the space in the entire complex, including several evening events where they are filling the stadium. There are probably at least ten - fifteen other major conventions that use LOS as part of their convention space needs during a typical year. LOS also gets used for several major marching band events. The state high school marching band championship takes place in November and attracts 35,000 fans. The National HS Marching championships are hosted in Indpls also. In August, Drum Corps International holds their world drum and bugle corp championships in town (Indy has this event for ten years). Crowds are usually 40,000 or so for this event -- and the drum corps groups and their fans come from all over the country and fill all of the hotel rooms. Along with ten home Colts games, there are usually about three or four other large football events each year (Circle City Classic, Big Ten Football Championship, State HS football championship games in 5 classes, (Super Bowl!), sometimes other college games). Almost every other weekend during the Fall that is not filled with a Colts home game or another large event at LOS, there are smaller high school events - where three or four high school games (with 6 - 8 teams) play from noon until 10:00 pm. There also are moto cross races, "bigfoot" type monster truck things, and a few other things. There are typically one or two major concerts per year that occur at the stadium. There are also about twentyfive or so "small" corporate type events per year -- for example, there may be a United Way kickoff dinner where they set up 200 tables on the stadium floor and about 2000 people attend. They're kind of big events, but compared to a 65,000+ football crowd, its small. These are nice events and almost certainly would not happen at the stadium if it did not have a roof. I would say that all of those things listed above mean that LOS is used for about 60 - 70 "big" event (crowds of at least 25,000 people) days per year and another 25 "smaller" events. There are probably another 50 - 60 days that it is also busy with set-up / take down for events - so it is busy around 150 days per year or about 42% of the time. I would say that at least 80% of the events held there would not happen if there were not a roof. To summarize, I would estimate that - without a roof, LOS would host 20 large events per year. With a roof, it hosts approximately 65 large events per year (and another 20 - 30 smaller events). There is some very good economic benefit from having these large events at the stadium. The huge conventions that come to Indy, bringing tens of thousands of people from all over the US and other parts of the world, fill all of the hotel rooms and typically) for a 25,000 person convention) mean a $20 million - $30 million economic impact. Indy's complete package has also made it attractive enough to be able to get the Big Ten Football Championship, the Final Four and NCAA b-ball Regionals, and the Super Bowl. Those events have economic impacts ranging from $30 million (Big Ten Football) to $200 million or so (Super Bowl) and we are attracting many, many more huge conventions which will start showing up in town over the next few years. The very large conventions are booked 5 - 10 years in advance - so bookings made in 08, 09 and 2010 will be coming to town in 2014, 2015, etc. Currently the Convention booking folks are setting up big deals for conventions that will be coming in 2020, 2021 and beyond.

Indy was a blast during Super Bowl XLVI last week. I spent a lot of time hanging out downtown. Unlike most recent Super Bowls, all of the major events were concentrated in the heart of downtown. Over 1.1 million people came downtown over ten days, enjoying the fantastic Super Bowl Village along three blocks of Georgia Street - which has been converted into a pedestrian focused corridor (like 200,000 "pedestrians" on Friday night). Two stages were set up with packed concerts filling the streets pretty much every night. Bands ranged from local groups to LMFAO, The Village People, Morris Day and the Time, En Vogue, Patty LaBelle, and many others. Other huge parties were going on all over the downtown area including one with Katy Perry and another one with Lupe Fiasco. Buddy Guy was playing at the Slippery Noodle. Lots of Fun. Amazingly - the late January through early February weather was unbelievably, unseasonably warm and sunny -- with high temps mostly in the 50s and low 60s. There were also 4 Zip Lines running for about two blocks over Capitol Avenue next to the Convention Center. Oh yeah --- then there was the game at Lucas Oil Stadium (which is why I posted this here). Everything was exceptionally well run. The Giants scored in the last minute to take the four point lead that they barely held onto until the clock expired as a Hail Mary pass from Tom Brady fell a foot or so from a diving Rob Gronkowski. Many positive comments were sent out fromsports writers and other journalists from across the US and from other places around the world. Things have now returned to normal -- but hopefully the successful hosting of this huge event will help Indy continue to land many more huge sporting events and large conventions for the next several decades.

Thanks for the very excellent photo spread. I love the War Memorial and the symmetry of the entire American Legion Mall - from the Main Library to the US Courthouse. Glad you captured many of the architectural details from some of the older buildings. The State Capitol has a beautiful interior that a lot of people don't usually see. Yes -- that ugly Hyatt is pretty sad. It was built in 1976 and sits on what used to be the end point of one of the diagonal streets that used to go through that area. There has been so much street, sidewalk and bike / ped construction downtown during this past year. Hopefully by Spring of 2012 it will all be completed and people will be able to get around much more easily. When the "Cultural Trail" bikeway is completed -- it'll be a great way to get around downtown without needing to get in a car. (btw --- I was downtown on that same night you were taking photos because I went to the Octoberfest party on the Circle - that you had a picture of. It was a blast -- with "Polka Boy" playing and lots of nice, cold beer.) Also -- while I agree Indy doesn't have the same good neighborhood hubs that Cincinnati and Cleveland have - there are a few that are improving. Fountain Square to the SE of downtown is getting to be a great live music and food place and Mass Ave on the NE side of downtown has a lot of great local food places and both large and small music and theater spots. Along with Broad Ripple to the North -- more good local restaurants and shops are opening in the SoBro (South Broad Ripple) area. Irvington is another area that is getting to be a stronger local hub - with a few other rising neighborhoods coming along such as E. 10th Street, Beech Grove, and the Cottage Home / Highland Park area just east of downtown.

OK --- so I'm reading all this stuff from 2006 and 2007 about Cleveland's plans to roll out its new city "branding" strategy. Everything is ready to go for the big announcement - and then, no additional word until this story about Atlanta claiming to be the first big city to elect a black Mayor - from 2009. Anyway -- whatever happened with the slogan and branding? Hate to say it but, here in Indianapolis, I've never heard of any new brand or slogan for Cleveland during the past two years. Indy just came up with a new slogan that I like. It is --- "Indianapolis - Raising the Game". I think it is great because it reflects all of the big sporting events that the city hosts and also the way it has recently really "upped" its local convention offerings by spending over $2.5 billion in the last three years on: Completely new Airport Terminal $1.1 B; New Lucas Oil Stadium $750 million; 350,000 sq ft. expansion of Convention Center (will be 750,000 sq. ft by end of 2010) $250 million; and 1,620 new hotel rooms at the Marriott Plaza complex connected to the Conv. Center $450 million. Anyway --- what is Cleveland's new brand and "slogan"?

Thanks Robert. Very Nice! I need to get back down to Bloomington soon!

Since when do offices give a place a "24 hour vibe"? Usually, lots of offices kills the night life. Everyone leaves at 5:00 and all of those buildings are empty.

Here's the story from the Indpls paper -- different twist however: http://www.indystar.com/article/20090707/BUSINESS/90707038/Oceanaire+bankrupt++but+Indy+stays+open

Incredibly beautiful. Wonderful Photos Robert. Many of the interior shots remind me of the interior of St. Louis Union Station --- the beautiful arched entrances, stained glass, light fixtures. Truly wonderful. Thanks very much!!

Right -- the Indpls MPO just released its request for proposals (RFP) to consultants to submit bids to conduct the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for rapid transit on the existing "Nickel Plate" rail corridor that runs out of downtown and up through Fishers and into Noblesville. A firm should be selected in the next two months and the DEIS should be completed by late 2010. Getting funds to build any light rail or commuter rail on the corridor will likely be tough -- but there is a lower cost "start up" plan that could help get a basic light rail system built for about $200 million. At that cost - it might be able to get started and be built even without federal transit dollars. Upgrades could come later. More news should be coming out about this in the near future. And Atlas --- welcome to Indy. I think you'll find it a pretty nice place. Its good you're moving here in May when the weather's decent and plenty is going on. Check out some of the fun places on Mass Avenue (Chatham Tap, Bazbeaux, the Rathskellar, Buda Lounge, MacNiven's) -- explore Fountain Square and Broad Ripple, enjoy the fesivals like Italian Fest; Talbott Street Art Fair;"Orange"; Penrod; the Greek Festival; etc. -- and White River Park, the Canal district, the many outdoor restaurants all over downtown - the ones with decks are particularly nice like Creations Cafe at the north end of the canal; Bourbon Street Distillery and Zing (both along Indiana Avenue). You'll find plenty to keep you busy I hope. Other places to explore - the Indianapolis Museum of Art and its beautiful wooded campus, gardens and the new art and nature park surrounding the lake behind the art museum; Garfield Park, Holliday Park, Eagle Creek Park, and Fort Harrison Park are just a few excellent parks with much to enjoy; The extensive and growing greenways bike trails throughout the city - the Monon is nice - also the ones along the canal near Butler and the Museum of Art as well as the Fall Creek Trail which runs NE from the central part of the city and up to Ft. Harrison State Park. Mountain Bike Trails are excellent at Wolf Run trail - entrance at 96th St. just west of where it crosses the White River on the far north side of town; The Mountain Bike trails at Brown County State Park about 45 miles south of Indy are some of the best in the country as well. Go inside the amazing World War Memorial - located along Meridian between Michigan and Vermont Streets; Hanging out on the steps of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on a sunny week day during lunch is a cool thing to do. Be in town when Indy hosts the 2010 NCAA final four in April. Its great to experience all of the excited fans. Things get extra busy and interesting too throughout late May when the Indy 500 is happening - and Brickyard 400 week as well. (Michael Phelps will be swimming at the IU Natatorium for some type of national championship later this summer as well. I enjoy these kinds of big sports events as well.) Anyway -- enough of that. Again -- I hope you enjoy your move to Indy.

Great photos. It really shows the monumental, capitol style of the city. Very "planned", and laid out. Much symmetry -- lots of fountains, monuments. The green parks are well maintained as well. Nice shots from along the River as well. It might be a little too tidy and planned for some people - but overall it is a pretty nice city. Indy continues to do well -- steadily climbing along. It doesn't jump out to try to impress you - but it just continues to grow in its somewhat quiet way. I think it has been that way for quite a while. When Indy was "booming" in the 1880's, Indiana was considered fairly progressive (Eugene Debs and the early union movement; the city of New Harmony and its "utopian" society) and was kind of important (along with Ohio and Illinois). The people of the city wanted to make sure the city represented the State well - and thus many of the great, monumental buildings and structures were built between 1880 and 1900 --- The State Capitol, Union Station, Monument Circle, City Market, etc. It still has too many near downtown large parking lots -- but hopefully over the next twenty to thirty years, those will be filled in. The goal is to increase the downtown population from about 22,000 now - to about 40,000 by 2025. The new Cultural Trail should help make the downtown and its neighborhoods much more walkable as it is completed over the next two or three years. Doubling the size of the convention center will also help keep the many restaurants and retail doing well - which in turn should help attract more people to live and visit downtown.

Yes -- Fountain Square seems to finally be seeing some life. It gets pretty busy on weekends with some of the best art galleries in the city (Big Car, Wheeler, Murphy, and a few others) plus some excellent new bars and restaurants: Radio, Radio; the Brass Ring; Siam Square; Maria's Pizza; Naisa (Asian); Santorini and others. There are plans for the Museum of Contemporary Art to move to a site on the NW edge of Fountain Square. It still looks plenty rough - but when people are out - its a great atmosphere. There are also plans to re-do the fountain (those 70's cement urns are a little ... not so nice).

Cleveland could get screwed on this because of their slow movement on making progress. I've been following this from afar for several years. A page earlier, someone stated that it is typical for convention center decisions to take this long. I disagree. It definitely didn't take Indianapolis long to make the decision to pick a site and build its $650 million Lucas Oil Stadium (LOS) and $300 million expansion of its convention center. With LOS across the street and linked via underground tunnel to the expanded convention center, the convention exhibit space in the combined LOS and Convention Center is about 750,000 sq. feet. A complex of four hotels linked to the convention complex, totalling over 1700 rooms - with a 1000 room, 30 story JW Marriott is also being built right now - adding to the existing 6000 hotel rooms in downtown Indy. The entire process of coming up with the financing plan, picking the site and building the new stadium took about three years. As soon as LOS was completed in August of 2008, they started tearing down the RCA Dome and will begin building the 275,000 sq. foot convention center expansion (on the site of the former RCA Dome) next year. The expansion will be completed in 2010. The Super Bowl will be held in Indy in 2012. I would hate to see this great opportunity for Cleveland lost - primarily due to its inability to move quickly. And to think that the $400 million + financing plan is just sitting there waiting. It's terrible. If Cleveland can't get its act together real soon - it deserves to continue dying a slow death.

Well - sounds like its coming together with the decision. I wrote back in March (on page 57 of this thread) that I thought the Tower City site made pretty good sense. I actually was in Cleveland last weekend - so I got to see the downtown and its layout. That visit did show me that things have changed since I had last been to Cleveland (about seven years earlier). The warehouse district was hopping with the Boston College / Kent State game going on. There was an Indians game going on and lots of people eating at the restaurants in the warehouse district. Seeing how things are now - I can see how the old convention site could have worked fairly well as well - but I think I'll stick with most of the comments made in my previous post - that the TC site will work best. Hopefully with a great architect - putting together a fantastic design, they will figure out how to make it work well and look good in that site. On the page previous to this one - someone was asking for evidence of a convention center that brings foot traffic. Well - as a few posters stated - Indianapolis is definitely a place where the convention center adds a lot of foot traffic to the downtown streets. A few weeks ago - the GenCon gaming convention was in town - with about 25,000 people attending. They filled all of the hotel rooms downtown and many more in the surrounding parts of the city. The convention was a 24 hour, round the clock one. These people were out all the time - walking the streets, eating at the many restaurants and going to the many bars. With Indy's convention center expansion now under way - the number of huge conventions is only going to increase. The center will be big enough (in 2010) to host back to back conventions - with a 10,000 person convention using half of the center during the first half of the week - and then, after setting up during the previous few days, a second convention with 12,000 people will start, beginning as soon as the previous one closes. And then once or twice a month - having a huge 30,000 - 50,000 person convention come in to fill up the city. This was part of the plan for the expansion - to allow the flow of conventioneers to be more "steady". Instead of three busy days per week and then four slow days, the back-to-back arrangement will keep things continuously busy for the many bars and restaurants. There is no doubt that these huge conventions have a major impact on downtown street life and business at the mall, other stores, restaurants, bars, museums, etc. It doesn't look like the Cleveland convention center will be as large as the Indpls center - so it won't be able to draw the same huge numbers of conventioneers. Still - conventioneers will be walking the streets. Only a few strange conventioneers would stay inside the Tower City Complex, their hotel and the convention center the entire time. One thing that could be an issue though, is that it could be difficult to do any future expansions. The site obviously is very tight. I guess there could possibly be something across the river in the future - so maybe that would be a possibility. Some type of nice pedestrian bridge across the river might then be necessary. Anyway - I'll keep checking in to see how this thing is progressing. Glad to see it looks like the site decision has finally been made. (or is that not quite final yet? - its always hard to tell until construction actually starts.) Good luck.

Even more depressing is reading the first post on this thread. It is from Dec. 2004 and says that the Decision on the location of the convention center is supposed to happen "next month" or January 2005. The current status doesn't seem any closer to making a decision than almost three and a half years ago. Yow.