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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indianapolis City Market is set to close at the end of the business day Friday to make way for a major redevelopment project that is expected to put the historic venue out of business for at least two years.
Construction on the landmark could last up to two years, according to the city. It’s part of a $200 million redevelopment of the entire block, after which the City Market itself will reopen under a private operator.
Currently, the City Market is managed by the not-for-profit City Market Corp.
The private operator, whom the city has not yet named, will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the market and selections of future vendors.
The closure will uproot and could mean permanent closure for at least 15 vendors that occupy about half of the struggling market’s 28 stalls.
In recent statements, city officials have noted plans to soften the blow for the vendors. A statement Thursday noted ongoing meetings between vendors, the Department of Metropolitan Development and City Market Corp. Vendors didn’t have to pay rent in January and February, a decision announced in December, and were offered “financial support and technical resources” while they prepared for the closure.
The $200 million Market East project includes the reskinning and redevelopment of the iconic 20-story Gold Building into 350 apartments as well as the construction of an 11-story, 60-unit apartment tower to replace the City Market’s east wing, updates to an office building at the southwest corner of Ohio and Alabama streets, and an expansion of the market itself.
Citimark and Gershman Partners are the developers taking on the project.
For the 138-year-old City Market, the project will address key structural components including ventilation, plumbing, electricity, loading docks and emergency amenities.
“With the last major renovation of the market house dating back to the 1970s, substantial investment in the market house is necessary to sustain its legacy in Indianapolis for generations to come,” Megan Vukusich, director of the Department of Metropolitan Development, said in written comments. “We thank the vendors who have been part of the City Market’s story and look forward to re-establishing this historic small business hub and community gathering space to its place as a bustling fixture of downtown Indianapolis.”
Officials also committed to including relocation details on the City Market website, when applicable. One vendor, Jack’s Barber Shop, has already moved to 126 N. Delaware St.
Jose Castro, owner of Lunchtime at Castro’s, told IBJ in December, with his daughter acting as a translator, that the city’s plan to waive January and February rent will provide some financial cushion, but does not guarantee that the restaurant will be able to return to the market when it reopens.
“The remodel just kind of hit them out of nowhere,” Alex Castro told IBJ, speaking on behalf of her father. “For some people who have been there for a while like he has, you know, it’s kind of like uprooting your business.”
The money saved from the waived rent will help some vendors find a new location, she said.
The City Market Corp. will continue to host a weekly farmers market during the warmer weather months.
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Having grown up at the Market starting in the 1940’s helping at my grandpa’s Italian food stand and then when my parents bought a grocery stand in the ’50’s, I have treasured memories of the bustling atmosphere of a truly metropolitan complete City Market. With the anticipated resurgence of downtown apartment residents I hope the reopened Market can recapture a bit of its former charm and offer folks the experience I dearly miss!
I have had relatives working in city government since I was born so I frequently visited the Market in the 90s and into the early 2000s. I don’t know if I would say it was struggling then, but it was very much quick breakfast/lunch and not much else. It failed to transition to be a food destination and has always relied on a steady stream of downtown office workers from the city and the courts to sustain itself. I empathize with the business owners and understand the below market rate rents were a draw, but let’s be honest, the rents were below market rate for a reason.
As a long time city employee working across the street at the City-County Building this was the go to lunch spot. With the closure there will now be even less affordable options available to those that live and work in close proximity to grab a bite to eat. I hope the renovations are worth the heartache they are causing all involved.
Can’t say I’m as familiar with City Market as I’d like to be, but, aside from a few moderately lively years during the Ballard administration, was there any reason to visit? An attractive structure isn’t really enough if have the vendor stalls are empty.
CM felt like a pale imitation of a food court for as long as Circle Center Mall has been around, and Union Station before it. Maybe it was hoppin’ in the mid-1980s, but since the rest of the city was India-no-place, I’m not convinced.
Besides, didn’t it get a huge renovation like 10 years ago? The two wings got completely gutted, which was all the better, because they SERIOUSLY gave off “mall food court” vibes. It felt like a pretty respectable place and had some good food vendors. But aside from that Tap Room on the mezzanine, it still slowed down significantly by 2pm and really struggled to make a case for itself on weekends. Still, compared to what CM had been all my life, the 2010s were pretty good. It complemented the Whole Foods that opened next door.
Then COVID hit, the lockdowns began, and went on (and, in Indy, on and on and on). CCB moved many of its operations out to the Justice Center at the time things were opening up. And the City’s embrace of homelessness–AHEM! “the unhoused”– doesn’t create an appealing image. And as much as the usual IBJ gaggle would like us to think the CCB is super-busy once again, it sure isn’t showing its energy through where most CCB patrons would go for lunch: the City Market. The one time I was there, it looked about the same as it did in 2006.
So here we go with yet another–even bigger–renovation barely a decade later. Kinda disappointed not to hear anything about the catacombs, but maybe the Indy DT boosters can offer some insight.
I agree about the homeless, Lauren. Can’t the city force them to get jobs and find housing? I mean, there’s got to be something that normal people can do so we don’t have to see them on a daily basis – especially when we’re trying to eat lunch! FFS
I think some people need to re-read the Constitution, slavery was outlawed with the passage of the 13th Amendment, and no one can be forced to get a job.
Also, many of the homeless people suffer from untreated mental illness and/or addiction (not all), which does not make them good candidates for steady employment or stable housing. The Supreme Court ruled long ago it is not a crime to be poor, it is not a crime to be mentally ill, and it is not a crime to be homeless.
Yes, it would be very convenient if everyone we did not like, approve of, or just did not want to see would simply die, wouldn’t it? Of course, life does not work that way, nor does basic human decency tolerate it.
I’ve never stepped foot in the place, and I’ve lived in Indy all my life, and I lived downtown for awhile. I honestly never knew what it was or what it was trying to be. You can’t just expect people to know about amenities without advertising them.
City Market used to be a very lively place, even well into the 90’s. I have particularly fond memories of stopping in for a bite to eat before heading across the elevated walkway to Market Square Arena for a Pacers game, when it was right across the street and attached to the market. The most recent “revamp” was hardly a revamp at all. It just became smaller with fewer vendors. I feel good about this upcoming project which is far more than just a “revamp” – more of a transformation of an entire block – and hope that the city Market will recapture some of it’s former glory. There’s no reason it can’t with all of the development occurring downtown these days.