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The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra next year plans to begin overhauling its longtime performance venue on Monument Circle, along with back-of-house spaces in an adjacent office building on Washington Street.
The nonprofit expects to spend tens of millions of dollars on the renovation to Hilbert Circle Theatre over the next several years, including the construction of a new rooftop event space and outdoor terrace overlooking the Circle, a revamp of lounge areas, and a new covered walkway and entryway along the Scioto Street alley.
James Johnson, CEO of Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, said the plans for the update and upgrades stem from a strategic planning process that began in 2023 to determine the orchestra’s needs over the next several decades and how the theater could maintain relevance in the city’s arts, entertainment and cultural landscape.
“The goal in looking at these changes would be to attract larger audiences for ISO performances but also make the theater useful to community organizations, whether for performances, meetings or educational purposes,” Johnson told IBJ.
“We wanted to make sure that the building would be used by downtown residents and out-of-town visitors on a more frequent basis,” he said. “All told, these investments and improvements to the building should contribute to a stronger bottom line for the organization.”
The orchestra consulted with Chicago-based theatrical design and planning firm Schuler Shook and real estate development strategist Hunden Partners to evaluate Hilbert Circle Theatre and the orchestra’s future needs. Indianapolis-based Schmidt Associates led the design team on the project and was the architect for the proposed renovations.
ISO is in the early stages of planning the overhaul and intends to present its initial concepts to the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday to solicit feedback. It would return later with a formal request to move ahead with the project.
The project requires IHPC approval because both the inside and outside of Hilbert Circle Theatre are protected as historically significant, meaning the orchestra must have its plans to modify or renovate the structure reviewed and authorized.
Johnson declined to share exactly how much ISO expects to spend on improvements to Hilbert Circle Theatre and the organization’s office space at the 17-story Symphony Centre at 32 E. Washington St., which is directly south of the theater.
However, he said, the changes will aim to give patrons new ways to engage with the symphony and other events at the venue, as well update building infrastructure like HVAC systems, elevator replacements, laundry facilities and storage rooms.
The orchestra is proposing the construction of an addition atop the front portion of Hilbert Circle Theatre to allow for a nearly 3,000-square-foot rooftop dining and lounge area with indoor and outdoor seating and a dedicated kitchen. The space would have direct views of Monument Circle through a glass curtain wall, based on initial renderings provided to the commission and obtained by IBJ.
The plan also calls for renovations to lobby areas on the first and third floor, along with enlarging the Wood Room meeting space for events and programming.
The concept renderings show a new hospitality space called the Scioto Lounge and an updated version of the Maestro Gallery on the second floor. Each space would be outfitted with more modern furniture and fixtures, with the Maestro space adding a bar service area.
The organization also plans to introduce a new 700-square-foot city visitors center in a space directly west of Hilbert’s main doors—with access from the center to the theater itself—and an 1,100-square-foot Encore Lounge and coffee bar that offers egress to the first floor lobby.
Scioto Street, an alley that runs behind the theater with curb cuts at Market and Washington streets, would be enclosed and polished to a high gloss, providing a more attractive and weather-friendly back entrance into the theater that includes improved lighting and modest seating.
“The building is fully functional now, and anybody who comes to Yuletide celebration, for example, is going to be wowed by what they see,” Johnson said. “We’re able to do that from our existing facilities, but what we’re talking about is making the building more flexible and providing greater accessibility.”
Built in 1916, Circle Theatre is the second-oldest surviving building on Monument Circle, according to the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. (Christ Church Cathedral, built in 1859, is the oldest.)
Designed by Indianapolis architectural firm Rubush & Hunter, it debuted as a movie house and venue for live performances. It continued in that role until closing in 1981. After a thorough renovation, it reopened in 1984 as the home of the ISO, which had been performing at Clowes Memorial Hall on the Butler University campus.
The Circle Theatre building and Symphony Centre are both owned by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Foundation Inc. The theater building was renamed Hilbert Circle Theatre in 1996 following a $10 million gift to the symphony by Conseco Inc. founder Stephen Hilbert and his wife, Tomisue.
The theater was last renovated in 2013, when a $1 million gift from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. funded replacement of the theater’s 1,660 seats. The new renovation under consideration would not significantly affect the theater’s seating area or the appearance of the proscenium stage, Johnson said.
“My goal for this facility would be to make it a destination every day,” he said. “We want it to be part of a vibrant and exciting downtown and we think that the Hilbert Circle Theatre can play a significant role here … once the facility has some improvements done.”
He said the orchestra plans to launch a formal capital campaign in early 2025, but does not expect prices for its shows to increase as part of the financing strategy for the facility improvements.
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Semi-enclosing the alley is a neat idea and would be an improvement.I wonder, however, what happens to the loading area for the Circle Tower, which is located there.
It looks like the alley stops short of the full length, making it accessible from the other side for trucks heading in from the south access?
I think the new rooftop area looks neat! The interior rendering doesn’t really match the style of the rest of the building, nor is it particularly complimentary, so I think it will have a hard time getting through IHPC