Plan for Indiana Sports Hall of Fame shifts from Irvington to county fairgrounds

The Marion County Fairgrounds are located on the city's southeast side, at 7300 E. Troy Ave. (IBJ photo/Eric Learned)

The founder of the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame has gone back to the drawing board on where to establish the hall’s permanent home, with new plans that propose developing a portion of the Marion County Fairgrounds.

While still early, the updated plans call for a 40,000-square-foot structure on a portion of undeveloped land used for parking during the summertime Marion County Fair. The hall, founded in 2020, does not have a physical location and operates through its website and events.

Tim Turpin, founder of the hall of fame, said he put forth a proposal to the fairgrounds to acquire or lease a six- to seven-acre parcel on a portion of the parking lot area, but said because nothing has been finalized he couldn’t share additional details about the project’s specific location at the fair property, at 7300 E. Troy Ave.

“I think they would welcome us at that location, because it would be great for both parties,” he said. “It would give us the space we need and it would give them some income that they don’t get during down parts of the year.”

Paul Annee, executive director of the Marion County Fair, said that while Turpin has presented an initial concept and idea for the project to the organization’s board, they’re “just simply mulling over the idea and it hasn’t progressed any further than that initial, suggestion or idea.”

Turpin had previously discussed moving the hall of fame to Irvington Plaza, going so far as to announce on social media that the effort had “found a permanent home.” But he said the sports hall ultimately moved away from that plan—which called for the redevelopment of the 60,000-square-foot Irvington Flea Market— because of the financial commitment that would have been required.

If the hall lands at the fairgrounds, Turpin plans to fundraise about $18 million for the effort, which would allow for the construction of a new one-story building housing rooms dedicated athletes who excelled in Indiana high school and collegiate sports, as well as the professional ranks.

Turpin expects to fundraise for a portion of the project, which would include the sale of bricks embossed with the names of prominent Indiana athletes and sports icons to be placed at the Hall of Fame. The remainder of the cost for the project would then be financed.

The revamped plan in Indianapolis marks another chapter in Turpin’s effort to attempt at setting up a statewide hall. IBJ columnist Mark Montieth wrote in February 2024 that Turpin had been trying to establish the hall in Evansville.

Turpin told IBJ he also considered New Albany as a site and that he’d had discussions with Westfield leaders about going to Grand Park.

He said with frontage near Interstate 465 on the fairgrounds property, the hall could see anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 visitors per year. But he cautioned that discussions are still ongoing and no decision has been made.

“We haven’t really gone too deep into it yet, publicly, because we don’t want people crying wolf,” he said. “But as soon as the ground is secured, then it’s pedal to the metal. We’re hoping within six months we can have an answer from the Marion County Fairgrounds.”

Annee said the fair board would have the final say.

“I don’t have a timeline … but I would just say that if something like this were to move forward, I imagine it would be large undertaking,” he said. “I don’t think you’ll find that this is something that is moved on rapidly, but rather moved on in a slow, concentrated, thoughtful way, should the board decide that they want to move forward on it.”