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The West Street corridor will get more attention under the new convention hotel plans released May 15.
The 1,000-room, 29-story JW Marriott-increased from 800 rooms and 20 stories in the original design-has been flipped to run north-to-south along West Street instead of along Maryland Street. The new look means a more complete view of the downtown skyline from Victory Field and that the JW Marriott’s entrance, along with new landscaping, will be along West Street.
Also reworked is the look of the 45,000 square feet of ballroom space, which used to face West Street. It now runs along Maryland Street and includes a massive stretch of almost floor-to-ceiling windows affording a birds-eye view of ongoing ball games.
The hotel campus includes a Courtyard Hotel, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inn and Suites, and a 1,000-spot, underground parking garage.
The developers, Merrillville-based White Lodging Services Corp. and Indianapolis-based REI Real Estate Services, are also in talks with the state to include an elevated pedestrian walkway that would cross West Street to tap into a state parking garage at the northeast corner of West and Maryland streets. The walkway eventually would connect across Maryland Street to the expanded Indiana Convention Center.
The newer version of the project upped the overall development price but Barbara Lawrence, director of the Indianapolis Bond Bank, said the city’s portion of financing would not exceed the previously stated maximum of $48.5 million.
Lawrence said the city and developers should have a project agreement contract within a week.
Architects on the project are the Chicago office of HOK and Indianapolis-based CSO Architects.
For more on this story, visit IBJ’s Property Lines.
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