7 projects reshaping Downtown Indy living and retail

Carley Lanich | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Lucas Oil Stadium construction time lapse Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority camera mounted on a ledge of the RCA Dome throughout the construction process from November 2005 to August 2008.

A decade after the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium helped spark a spate of Downtown redevelopment, several projects continue to change the city's skyline.

With the 2011 expansion of the Convention Center and new businesses headquarters such as Salesforce and Cummins, developers say Indianapolis is evolving as a city to accommodate more visitors and a changing workforce.

New Girl Scout cookie: It's gluten-free!

Mmmm donuts: Two Dunkin Donuts restaurants are coming to Fishers

Catherine Esselman, real estate development director at Downtown Indy, said where previously about 20 percent of office space Downtown was unoccupied, now that number is down to between 14 and 15 percent. And, with the addition of several major projects, that office space is only growing.

Here's a look at what's happening in a Downtown where parking lots and empty blocks are giving way to apartment and office complexes boasting floor-to-ceiling glass and rooftop views.

360 Market Square

The first residents of 360 Market Square, on the site of the former Market Square Arena, moved in this March. Jim Crossin of Flaherty & Collins Properties said this addition to the Indianapolis skyline is the first high-rise residential building Downtown in more than 40 years. The project also brings Downtown Indianapolis its third grocery store, a 42,000-square-foot Whole Foods that also opened this March.

Crossin said 65 percent of the 292 studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments have been leased in the 28-story high-rise across the street from City Market. A 605-space garage above the Whole Foods store provides parking.

Although developers broke ground in February 2015, Crossin said his company began brainstorming ideas for the former Market Square Arena lot as soon as the Indiana Pacers announced their move in 1999. A large mural inside the building’s lobby pays homage to the arena’s historic performances and sporting events. And there's a plaque commemorating Elvis Presley’s last concert, which was performed at the arena in 1977.

The nine-story Cummins office building, which opened in January 2017, shares the former arena site with the $121 million 360 Market Square project. A Starbucks located at the northwest corner of Market and New Jersey streets is expected to open later this month.

Check it out

A 28th-floor exposed sky deck with bird's eye views of the city.

A grocery cart escalator to transport groceries through a multi-level garage.

A mural depicting Market Square Arena's iconic performances.

Hyatt hotel

Construction began on a new dual-branded Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotel at South Pennsylvania and East Georgia streets in September 2017. The 15-story project, which will bring 316 hotel rooms, 6,000 square feet of meeting and event space and 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, sits on what was formerly a parking lot facing the main entrance of Banker's Life Fieldhouse. When completed in mid-2019, a 382-space parking garage will serve both hotel guests and the general public.

The 186-room Hyatt Place side of the hotel will serve overnight and short-term travelers, while Hyatt House will feature 130 kitchen suites of various sizes for extended-stay guests.

Patrick Vyncke of HRI Properties said the new Hyatt will complement the existing 499-room Hyatt Regency, allowing the Hyatt network to attract large groups and conventions. Bob Schultz of Downtown Indy Inc., said the project is good for existing Downtown hotels, some of which have renovated in anticipation of the new Hyatt's opening.

Two brands, one hotel

15 stories overlooking Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

186 traditional Hyatt Place hotel rooms.

130 Hyatt House extended stay suites.

CityWay 2.0

An addition to the first phase of CityWay completed in 2015, CityWay 2.0 will bring a 13-story tower, six mid-rise apartment buildings and 29,000 square feet of retail and office space to Delaware Street, just east of Banker's Life Fieldhouse. This second phase of CityWay will include a resort-style infinity pool, a golf simulator, an outdoor theater, rooftop decks and a sky lounge.

When finished in late 2019, CityWay 2.0 will add 402 apartments, as well as an additional fitness center and expanded “bark parks.”

Along with The Residences at CityWay apartments, phase I of the development broke ground in 2011 and includes the Irsay Family YMCA and The Alexander, a luxury 209-room hotel.

Pre-leasing will begin for CityWay 2.0’s apartments – ranging in size from studio to three-bedroom – later this year.

The completed project

652 apartments total in CityWay development.

100,000 total square feet of commercial space.

Seven years since CityWay first broke ground.

Bottleworks District

Fences are up outside the former Coca-Cola bottling plant. First owned by Coca-Cola, then used by Indianapolis Public Schools for bus and transportation services, the next use for the 12-acre lot in the 800 block of Massachusetts Avenue has been discussed for years. Now, Wisconsin-based Hendricks Commercial Properties hopes to combine history with modern amenities in its $300 million mixed-used development, Bottleworks District.

When complete, the project will have 17 buildings and 175,000 square feet of retail space. Developers intend to build off the site’s Art Deco design and preserve existing structures, using one building’s original roll-up doors as a focal point for a planned food hall called The Garage.

The Garage will have enough space to accommodate more than 25 vendors. The food hall is expected to open in 2020, along with a seven-theater cinema and a 150-room boutique hotel. The cinema, called Living Room Theater, will feature independent films and the hotel will be the first of six West Elm-operated locations opening around the country. Additional retail, 180,000 square feet of office space and more than 200 apartments and condos will follow in separate phases of the project, opening as early as 2022.

Libby Simmons of Pivot Marketing said the project will help connect Downtown Indianapolis and the Cultural Trail with near north-side neighborhoods and the Monon Trail. Before heavy construction begins, the site will be open this September for Oranje, an annual showcase of arts, music and more.

Preserving history

17 buildings, old and new.

170 apartments, 40 condos.

Original Art Deco, terra cotta design.

Penrose on Mass

Work began at the Penrose on Mass site last year. The nearly $45 million project at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and New Jersey Street will bring 40,000 square feet of retail, 236 apartment units and 295 parking spaces in an underground garage.

Downtown Indy’s Schultz said the additional parking will encourage more shoppers to visit the retail district. Mark Juleen of JC Hart Company said about 150 of the spaces will be dedicated for Penrose on Mass residents and the rest will be open for shoppers. A third of the building’s retail space will be restaurants and the rest open to shops and businesses.

Juleen said he believes Penrose on Mass, developed on a site formerly used by the Indianapolis Fire Department, will help further retail growth on Mass Ave.

The project is scheduled to open next spring and leasing is already open for the building’s studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

Revived retail

40,000 square feet of retail space.

More than a dozen new shops and restaurants.

About 150 open spaces for public parking.

The Whit

The Whit, a nine-story apartment building under construction at 307 N. Pennsylvania St. is the second phase of development on the lot formerly owned by IndyStar. With 334 apartments, the building will have floor-to-ceiling windows and a rooftop pool on the sixth floor with views of the Indiana War Memorial.

Anna Barabas of TWG Development said the $70.6 million project is being completed in phases and is already 37 percent leased. She said the building will open in February 2019. 16 Bit Bar + Arcade, an Ohio-based retro arcade bar, is expected to open in The Whit’s ground level this fall.

The neighboring Pulliam Square opened in fall 2015 at the corner of New York and Delaware streets and has added to Mass Ave.’s growing retail and restaurant scene with additional of The Tap in the building’s first floor.

A room with a view

Nine floors.

334 apartments.

One rooftop pool, sundeck and lounge with view of the Indiana War Memorial.

Circle Centre

In February, Simon Property Group announced a multimillion-dollar renovation of Circle Centre mall, which in the last several years has lost major anchor tenants, such as Nordstrom and Carson’s. The project will include upgrades to the mall’s interior, exterior and parking garages, bringing fresh lighting, signage and seating areas within the mall.

A Dining Pavilion with new lounge areas, community tables and televisions will transform the current food court. The Arts Garden façade will be refreshed and new lighting will be installed above the intersection of Washington and Illinois streets. Simon spokesperson Les Morris said bathroom and Dining Pavilion renovations are under way and should be finished in the next 45 days. He said work on the mall is taking place outside of shopping hours and should not interrupt the holiday season.

A fresh face

Replaced lighting beneath Arts Garden at Washington and Illinois streets.

A refurbished Dining Pavilion to replace the current food court.

New charging stations, glass elevators and lounge spaces.

Esselman said these projects and a recently proposed redevelopment of the former GM Stamping Plant on the city’s southwest side have the potential to redefine the boundaries of Downtown Indianapolis.

In addition to the increasing number of high- and mid-rise developments, Downtown Indy said more single-family houses and townhomes are also bringing more residents Downtown. Crossin of Flaherty & Collins said he sees the trend of city living continuing as businesses move in and open up opportunity in the Downtown workforce.

“There just continues to be lot of interesting people living Downtown,” Crossin said. “It’s getting better and better.”

Contact Carley Lanich at 317-444-6487 or clanich@gannett.com. Or follow her on Twitter at @carleylanich.