Sen. Donnelly to move office to renovated Consolidated project

A U.S. senator’s office will join the Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel as tenants of a mixed-use project at downtown’s Consolidated Building.

On the heels of the hotel announcement Sept. 10, developers of the project have confirmed that U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Indiana) will move his local office from Market Tower to space on the ground level at 115 N. Pennsylvania St.

Donnelly will take about 3,000 square feet, and the hotel’s lobby with occupy about 2,700 square feet, lifting the first floor of the redevelopment to full occupancy.

A formal announcement on the move, expected in the fall, will be made once an exact date is set, said Donnelly’s communications director, Elizabeth Shappell.

Through the first 21 months of his service, Donnelly has used the Market Tower space formerly occupied by his predecessor, Richard Lugar.

The new storefront space on Pennsylvania Street will allow constituents easier access to the senator’s staff, Shappell said. Donnelly’s Indianapolis office employs 10 people.

TWG Development LLC and Ambrose Property Group are investing $16 million to transform most of the century-old, brick and terra cotta Consolidated Building into 98 market-rate apartments. The entire project will be dubbed Penn Street Tower.

The development of the 102-room Hilton hotel is a joint venture between East Lansing, Michigan-based HRC Hotels LLC and Valparaiso-based Good Hospitality Services LLC. HRC and Good plan to invest about $15 million.

Construction of the hotel, which will occupy the building’s annex to the rear, should start the first of next year with completion slated for the first quarter of 2016.