IU trustees give OK for 4,500-seat arena in downtown Indianapolis

The Indiana University Board of Trustees has approved plans for a $110 million multi-sport arena in downtown Indianapolis as part of an effort to bolster the burgeoning campus’ athletic program.

The board voted Friday to approve construction of a 134,500-square-foot facility that will be home to the IU Indianapolis men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs, as well as university athletic offices.

Indianapolis-based USA Track & Field, a national governing body for the sport, will also move its headquarters to the new building, from its current offices at 130 E. Washington St.

The new arena, known as the IU Indianapolis Athletics Center, is expected to occupy part of a 7-acre green space at the northwest corner of Blackford and Wabash streets, between the Herron School of Art and Design to the north and the NCAA and National Federation of State High School Associations headquarters complex, and Military Park to the south.

“The board’s action is a major step in making a transformative project possible,” Pamela Whitten, president of Indiana University, said in written remarks. “Thanks to strong financial support from state partners, this facility will contribute to the continued growth of IU Indianapolis as a nexus of activity for the city and the surrounding region. It will serve as a home for Jaguar sports, university activities, and events for organizations from Indiana and beyond.”

The arena will have seating for 4,500 spectators, as well as an auxiliary gymnasium, multiple community spaces and an unspecified amount of support spaces for the school’s athletic programs, such as locker rooms, a training room and a weight room.

Part of the seating will be retractable, allowing for different configurations by not only IU Indianapolis athletic teams but high school and recreational users, as well as for sports including volleyball and wrestling.

The building will also feature much as 16,000 square feet of office space, although details of how that space will be distributed between IU Indianapolis athletic program uses and USA Track & Field has not been finalized.

A firm timeline for construction has also not been made public, but a school spokesperson said the arena is expected to open in autumn 2026.

The project is an extension of the university’s sports district, as it will be a stone’s throw from the IU Natatorium and National, the National Institute of Fitness and Sport, Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium and the IU Indianapolis Softball Complex.

The project will be funded by $89.5 million in state appropriations, which were approved during the Indiana General Assembly’s 2023 budget session. The remaining $21 million will be covered by IU Indianapolis-specific funds allocated by the board. The project is set to go before both the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the State Budget Committee in the coming months.

“The athletics center represents yet another way IU Indianapolis is connecting with the community,” Latha Ramchand, chancellor of IU Indianapolis, said in a statement. “Combined with Indiana University’s proud tradition of excellence in athletics, this facility will open up a multitude of future opportunities for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities to engage with our campus.”

The idea of a new arena for IUPUI has been floated since the school joined the NCAA’s Division I in 2000. The men’s basketball team at the time played in a 1,215-seat facility on the main floor of the Natatorium called The Jungle. Ron Hunter, men’s basketball head coach then, heavily advocated for the team to have a larger venue to help it raise its profile, but neither the school nor the state ever made money available for the project.

Since 2014, the IUPUI men’s basketball team has played its home games at the 6,800-seat Indiana Farmers Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, while the women’s basketball team and the volleyball team currently play at The Jungle.

In 2019, a study focused on IUPUI’s role in evolving sports strategy of Indianapolis determined a 3,000- to 5,000-seat venue could result in $8.5 million to $23 million in economic impact for the city every year, sparking renewed interest in the project.

State officials, however, have said the project wouldn’t move forward without a non-IU organization contracting to use a portion of the building. By securing a lease from USA Track & Field, the university has been able to solve the problem that stymied previous efforts to build the venue.

The move comes as the organization itself has evaluated its own plans, including whether it would continue operations in Indianapolis. Max Siegel, CEO of the national governing body since 2012, said staying in Indianapolis was an “easy” decision.

“Having spent much of my life in Indianapolis, and working in my early legal career for a firm representing several [sports organizations], I understand the importance of sports to this city,” he told IBJ in a text message late Sunday. “It is deeply rooted. What better place to continue to grow the sport of track and field than in Indianapolis. Locating our offices in the new IU arena space is simply a win-win and an [opportunity] we could not refuse.”

It’s not immediately clear what the move to IU Indianapolis will mean for the future of track and field in the city as a whole. Siegel has previously said he envisions hosting indoor championships—including possible international races—at the $50 million Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

For years, the organization has also expressed interest in hosting outdoor events in the city, but has generally stayed put in Eugene, Oregon, for its largest events, including this year’s Olympic Trials. Indianapolis last hosted that event in 1988 at Carroll Stadium.

But over the last two decades, big-time track and field events Indianapolis have been infrequent, with the last one coming in 2007, with the sport’s national championships.