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After one more season of outdoor concerts in the parking lot behind Fountain Square’s Murphy Arts Building, Hi-Fi Annex will become a year-round venue inside the Murphy.
Concert company MOKB Presents announced plans Monday to open a 1,200-capacity venue in early 2026 in a space formerly occupied by Well Done Marketing near the intersection of Woodlawn and Virginia avenues.
Hi-Fi Annex debuted in June 2020 as a temporary place for MOKB Presents to stage shows while the pandemic limited the company’s options at its indoor Murphy Arts Building spots: Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi Lounge. The 2025 season at Hi-Fi Annex is scheduled to begin in April.
Lo-Fi Lounge, a second-floor venue initially known as Do317 Lounge, opened in 2012. Hi-Fi opened in a Virginia Avenue storefront in 2014.
“When we opened our first venue, we didn’t have a detailed plan, but we did have a vision,” said Josh Baker, CEO of Hi-Fi and MOKB Presents, in a written statement. “It’s been a humbling journey filled with unexpected challenges, adaptation and getting really lucky. With each expansion and renovation, we’ve moved closer to realizing our dream of creating a multifaceted entertainment and arts facility.”
Murphy Arts Building, 1043 Virginia Ave., is home to Hi-Fi, Lo-Fi Lounge, the offices of MOKB Presents and Easy Rider Diner—a restaurant Baker opened in 2022. MOKB is an acronym for My Old Kentucky Blog.
The 100-capacity Lo-Fi Lounge is the smallest room in the MOKB Presents portfolio. Hi-Fi doubled its capacity from 200 to 400 in 2017.
Hi-Fi Annex, which has hosted performances by acts such as Band of Horses, Guided by Voices and Wynonna Judd, can accommodate 900 attendees. The indoor version of Hi-Fi Annex is planned to expand that capacity by 300. The new venue will continue the Hi-Fi Annex policy of being open to all ages.
“With venues ranging from 100 to 1,200 capacity, we’re uniquely positioned to support artists, managers and agents year-round at every stage of an artist’s career,” said Dan Kemer, vice president of events at MOKB Presents, in a written statement.
Baker said the new venue, set to open west of La Margarita restaurant, might have a name other than Hi-Fi Annex.
No second-floor businesses or art studios will be displaced by the new venue, he said.
“We’ve thought about this a lot,” Baker told the IBJ. “It’s a case of, ‘How can we fit into this corner over here and be self-contained yet still contribute to the building and play along with our other spaces?’ It worked out really well.”
In a written statement, Murphy Art Center manager Craig Von Deylen said, “The synergy between arts, music and culture in Fountain Square is unmatched in Indianapolis. This project is a significant step toward strengthening that foundation as the area grows as the city’s premier arts district.”
Well Done Marketing moved from Murphy Arts Building to 330 N. College Ave. in the Lockerbie Square Historic District earlier this year.
Decades before Well Done set up shop at the Murphy in 2007, the space was home to the Granada Theatre. The Granada movie house opened in 1928 and had a capacity of 1,400. The final films were screened at the Granada in 1951.
MOKB Presents is planning a speakeasy-style room below the new venue for intimate gatherings and pre- and post-show events.
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Very excited about this….but really enjoyed the small outside venue. Was unique, nestled in the back of a neighborhood and smaller format. we need more outside concert spaces.
Fantastic news! I’ve felt for some time that Indy needs another quality mid-sized venue. Looking forward to seeing shows there when it opens.