Lilly Endowment gives city $15M grant to fund ‘Gateway’ design on new bridge

A conceptual design of the proposed Henry Street bridge spanning the White River, called "Circle City Gateway." (Image courtesy of Indianapolis Department of Public Works)

Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a $15 million grant to the city of Indianapolis to help fund construction of special design elements on the future Henry Street Bridge, including 80-foot rings encircling the bridge.

Initially approved in March, the grant enables the city to execute the Circle City Gateway design that was proposed for the bridge in 2022. The design includes 80-foot rings with programmable lighting that encircle the bridge, plazas that provide spaces for people to gather and view public art, and distinctive plantings and other horticultural features.

The city announced receipt of the grant on Monday morning, ahead of a public meeting about the bridge project at 5 p.m. at Edison School of the Arts 47, 777 S. White River Parkway West Drive.

“Earlier this year, Lilly Endowment was informed that the city no longer had sufficient funding to build the version of the Henry Street Bridge that had been presented to the public,” said Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for community development, in Monday’s media release.

“Given the historic expansion and redevelopment of the southwest quadrant of downtown Indianapolis, we at Lilly Endowment were compelled to help ensure that the bridge is constructed in a manner that distinguishes Indianapolis’ skyline and serves as a cultural amenity to benefit broad and diverse audiences,” Kloth said.

The Henry Street bridge, which has been estimated to cost $21.2 million, is the product of a development agreement involving Elanco Animal Health Inc., the city of Indianapolis and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. When complete, the bridge will connect the future home of Elanco on the former General Motors stamping plant near White River State Park to the southwest side of downtown Indianapolis.

The Henry Street Bridge project has incurred additional expenses due to the discovery of buried human remains on the site, believed to have been part of several cemeteries located in the vicinity in the 1800s., now colloquially known as Greenlawn Cemetery. Proper excavation and resettlement of the remains is expected to cost millions of dollars.

“Earlier this year, a consortium of community stakeholders, including the city, approached Lilly Endowment to seek funding that would enable the city to preserve the enhanced, architecturally significant plan for the bridge without sacrificing thorough archaeology of the site,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett in Monday’s media release. “We are grateful for Lilly Endowment’s support, which is specifically and exclusively for the enhanced design of the Henry Street Bridge.”

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail is slated to expand as part of the construction of the Henry Street Bridge and other adjacent developments, connecting neighborhoods on either side of the bridge.