Historic commission signals support for $312M downtown hotel and entertainment venue project

A proposed redevelopment of the former CSX building at 230 S. Pennsylvania St. calls for a new hotel and entertainment venue. (Rendering courtesy of Boxcar Development LLC)

Members of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday mostly praised plans to redevelop the site of a century-old railroad servicing building across the street from downtown’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The $312.3 million plan from Boxcar Development LLC, which is controlled by Indiana Pacers and Fever owner Herb Simon and his family, calls for the demolition of the former CSX building at 230 S. Pennsylvania St. and the construction of a luxury hotel and a 4,000-seat entertainment venue.

Representatives of Boxcar presented the project design to the IHPC—which has purview over the development because most of the site is within downtown’s historic Wholesale District—to generally favorable reception. However, the commission did not vote on the firm’s proposal because it was being heard as a preliminary review, to give Boxcar time to incorporate suggestions ahead of a full vote next month.

“I think what we’ve got here is well-considered and an admirable investment in Indianapolis,” board member Anson Keller, one of the founding principals at DKGR Architects, said. “So, I’m excited about that, and I think that the design is sensitive in its materiality to … the Wholesale District. And I think that overall, it’s an appropriate use of the site. And while we might loathe the destruction of a historic building, it is replaced by something much greater.”

The proposed Shinola hotel would be the upscale hotelier’s second location, joining Detroit, and is expected to feature a mix of 170 deluxe rooms and suites, as well as an upscale restaurant, a bar and, potentially, a Shinola retail store that would specialize in high-fashion merchandise such as watches and handbags. Retail space along Pennsylvania Street would likely be entertainment-focused, according to a Boxcar Development representative.

The hotel would also have an indoor-outdoor terrace, as well as meeting and event space, including two ballrooms and a board room. The entire building would be about 226,000 square feet and have a covered skywalk connecting the building across Pennsylvania Street to the club level of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The parking garage planned for the project would have 253 spaces across two floors.

Along with the hotel, the project calls for an 87,000-square-foot live performance hall operated by Live Nation, which also manages the Murat Theater and Everwise Amphitheater downtown and Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, among other venues. Pacers Sports & Entertainment, which operates Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Bicentennial Unity Plaza on behalf of the Capital Improvement Board, would not have any involvement in the project.

IBJ first reported on Boxcar’s idea to redevelop the CSX property in April 2022, but plans at that time called for a 16-story hotel with as many as 225 rooms and a separate 26-story apartment tower, along with a 700-space parking garage and retail space.

At that time, the project was predicted to cost about $250 million and include 254 apartments, along with 18,000 square feet of retail space. However, the project received a mostly cold reception from the members of the IHPC, who thought the design was out of step with the character of the district, leaving Boxcar to go back to the drawing board.

“Generally, people thought [the previous proposal] was a pretty cool building and [would have] looked really great someplace else, but just didn’t seem to fit at all” with the other properties, Michael Bivens, a board member who is vice president and counsel at Pedcor Cos., told representatives of Boxcar. “This one, I think, does a good job of looking like it was meant for the Wholesale District.”

Most of Wednesday’s commentary focused on the hotel portion of the project, as only part of the entertainment venue would be within the district, meaning the commission does not have a say on the entirety of that component’s design.

The new structures would be constructed from red-brown colored brick, terra cotta, granite and metal trim, with windows stretching nearly the entire height of the building before cresting with radius corners near its roofline.

Some commission members on Wednesday bemoaned the idea of tearing down the existing building, which was designed by famed Indianapolis architectural firm Rubush & Hunter, but also acknowledged the challenges of repurposing the building—even just the facade. Others noted they would like to see some minor changes to certain elements of the new building, such as the cornices and window treatments.

The CSX building, built in 1923, is also known as the Indiana Terminal warehouse building. The five-story, 231,400-square-foot building has been used as offices, shops and storage since its construction and was connected directly to the rail line that crosses over Pennsylvania Street. It bears a reinforced concrete frame and brick exterior walls.

At least six redevelopment studies have been conducted on the property over the past 24 years—most of them since 2015.

A 2019 study called for the building to be repurposed into self-storage, office uses and a hotel, including the addition of seven stories to part of the existing structure. Others proposals have considered co-working space, an extended-stay hotel development and a development similar to the current proposal that included apartments and a 14-story hotel.

The project is slated to return to the IHPC for a full hearing—with public comment and a vote—in September.

The design of the hotel portion of the project is being led by Indianapolis-based Ratio Design, while national firm Populous Architects is leading the design of the entertainment venue.