Butler University’s Clowes Hall to expand with 1,200-capacity ballroom

This rendering shows the Allen Whitehill Clowes Ballroom, which is projected to open in spring 2027 east of Clowes Memorial Hall on Butler University’s campus. (Image provided by Butler University)

A new venue for concerts, conferences and special events will be added to Clowes Memorial Hall as part of expansion and renovation plans announced Wednesday by Butler University.

The Allen Whitehill Clowes Ballroom, an 11,000-square-foot venue expected to open in 2027, will be built on the east side of Clowes Hall, officials said.

Construction of the ballroom is planned as the final phase of a $9 million project to modify Clowes Hall, a 61-year-old performance venue known for hosting touring productions of Broadway musicals and comedians such as Nate Bargatze, Jim Gaffigan and Jo Koy. Work will be funded by a $9 million grant from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation.

Clowes Memorial Hall is named after George Henry Alexander Clowes (1877-1958), an Eli Lilly and Co. executive and father of Allen Whitehill Clowes (1917-2000).

“The impact that the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation has had on arts and humanities initiatives in Indianapolis over the years cannot be overstated, and Butler University is tremendously grateful for this gift that will significantly improve the venue,” Butler President James Danko said.

The first three phases of renovations are scheduled for 2025, with Clowes Hall expected to be closed June to October as workers:

• Convert 24 balcony terrace seating areas into suites and add 13 gender-neutral restroom facilities.
• Add loading docks to the north side of the venue.
• Upgrade the venue’s stage through reinforced flooring and new overhead rigging points.

Aaron Hurt, vice president for arts, events and enterprise management at Butler, said Clowes Hall is a busy venue worthy of improvements. Hurt said ticket sales for Clowes events increased from $2.8 million in 2015 to $8 million in 2024.

Clowes Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., is a 2,200-capacity venue with fixed seating. The Schrott Center for the Arts, which opened next door to Clowes in 2013, is a 475-capacity venue with fixed seating.

Hurt said the Allen Whitehill Clowes Ballroom will offer a general admission setting—with space for 1,200 to 1,450 standing attendees—where artists who appeal to Butler students can perform.

“It’s well past time for us to bring on a second large venue,” Hurt said. “I think it will play well here in the market, particularly with shows targeting the student base.”

The ballroom is the latest announcement in a wave of new concert venues in central Indiana. In 2024, the Fishers Event Center (7,500 capacity), Hendricks Live! (600) in Plainfield and Turntable (400) in Broad Ripple opened. On deck are an indoor version of Hi-Fi Annex (1,200 capacity) in Fountain Square and a downtown facility (4,000) that represents a partnership between Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon and concert company Live Nation.

In addition to hosting concerts, the Butler ballroom will be used for conferences and pre-show events for both Clowes Hall and the Schrott Center for the Arts. The Allen Whitehill Clowes Ballroom will connect to the north side of the Schrott and the east side of Clowes Hall, Hurt said.

“All three buildings will become one building,” Hurt said.

Built of limestone and concrete in 1963, Clowes Hall is considered a gem of brutalist architecture. Designed by John M. Johansen and Evans Woollen III, the building was selected in 2021 as one of the 10 most architecturally significant structures built in the city after World War II, according to a six-person panel organized by the Institute of Architects Indianapolis.

Danko, who became Butler’s president in 2011, told the IBJ that the school is taking a measured approach to altering the building.

“We’ve always been cognizant of the importance of that venue in our city and not just on our campus,” Danko said. “We’re very mindful of that when we make changes. The Allen Whitehill Clowes Foundation is very mindful of that, as well. They’re the ones who have been really generous with us over the years, including with this significant gift of nearly $10 million. We have these conversations all the time.”

In 2021, the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation donated $1 million toward a $1.5 million facelift of Clowes Hall in which a glass enclosure replaced part of the wall above the main entrance. The changes resulted in the second-floor Marquee Club, which is accessible to donors during events.

The original price tag for Clowes Hall was $3.5 million, with $2 million being provided by the Clowes family.

Danko said the expansion and renovation of Clowes Hall is an example of Butler putting its “foot on the accelerator” to make an impression.

“When we entered the Big East [conference in 2013], for example, we were not just competing on the basketball court with some outstanding universities,” he said. “We also are building our national reputation, and part of that is attracting people to your campus.”

Inside Clowes Hall, seating in the balcony terrace boxes along the sides of the theater can include obstructed views because no chairs are elevated when compared to others.

The transformation to suites will feature tiered seating in fixed rows.

“One of the biggest complaints we get is someone who’s two rows back in the box and they can’t see the stage,” Hurt said. “We’re fixing that problem.”

Danko said the Clowes Hall project serves as the launch of a $100 million “Midtown Arts District” that’s part of the Butler Gateway Project, the school’s master plan to create an interconnected community between Butler and neighborhoods such as Broad Ripple, Butler-Tarkington, Crown Hill, Meridian-Kessler and Rocky Ripple.

Future plans include the construction of a multi-purpose convention center attached to the Sunset Avenue parking garage north of Clowes Hall. Danko said a “significant dollar figure” is needed to bring that 30,000-square-foot idea to fruition.

“We would hope that it would be able to accommodate certain academic conferences on our campus and open up Butler to greater recognition nationally,” Danko said.