Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Vertical construction is expected to start soon on the new Signia by Hilton hotel in downtown Indianapolis following a record-setting concrete pour over the weekend involving dozens of mixer trucks.
More than 800 truckloads of concrete went into the foundation for the hotel at Pan Am Plaza over a 12-hour period starting at about 1 a.m. Saturday. The figure equates to 7,347 cubic yards, or nearly 1.5 million gallons, making it the single-largest concrete pour for a building in Indianapolis history, according to Andy Mallon, executive director of the Capital Improvement Board of Marion County.
The hotel is part of a larger $750 million expansion of the Indiana Convention Center by the CIB. The project is set to add upwards of 143,500 square feet to the convention center. The 800-room city-owned hotel is expected to be 37 stories, making it one of the tallest buildings in Indianapolis, and the tallest hotel.
“This was just a huge logistical lift, and a necessary one to really start the vertical construction” on the hotel, said Mallon. “You’re going to start seeing [the hotel] coming out of that pit, so this is a huge milestone to be able to get that foundation laid and start to set us up for success for the rest of the year.”
The foundation pour involved a convoy of nearly 100 trucks moving between downtown and eight Irving Materials Inc. facilities across Indianapolis. The trucks were routed to the south side of Indianapolis to travel up Illinois Street before either going directly to the construction site or being rerouted to Capitol Avenue to complete their pour, Mallon said.
The trucks had to navigate around the Omni and Crowne Plaza hotels—both of which had weddings taking place at their venues.
Two trucks at a time were placed on a pair of concrete pumps that diverted the mixture to the foundation. Once a truck completed its pour, it made way for the next one in line. Each truck traveled to an Irving Materials location to reload anywhere from six to eight times throughout the pour.
The foundation, which reaches depths of up to 15 feet, will take about 56 days to fully cure. Mallon said the success of the pour keeps the hotel on track for a fall 2026 completion.
“We’re off to the races, and we feel really, really confident about being able to hit the rest of our milestones, and deliver on time,” he said.
Mallon was joined Thursday by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Chris Gahl, executive vice president of Visit Indy, to provide an update on the project.
“As we celebrate this milestone feat in construction, we are taking a huge step in solidifying Indianapolis as a top host city and the meeting capital of the world,” Hogsett said in prepared remarks.
The general contractor for the project is AECOM Hunt. Ratio Design is the architect.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Cool
I THOUGHT IT WAS 40 STORIES.
Yes I thought the same thing so we’re the other three floors go?
Yes, 40 stories. And almost 480 feet high. So more like a 48 story building.
The Regional Center Hearing Examiner approved a 468 tall tower back in August. The lower floors would definitely have ceilings higher than 10 feet because they would contain the lobby, meeting rooms, etc.
Also, hotels generally need more mechanical space between floors, and they often have equipment and utilities up and some open space in their top crown, especially in a tower that has a peaked roof like this one.
I think the tower was always proposed as 38 floors in city announcements, and it was only “rounded up” to 40 floors in PR announcements by Hilton, etc. 38 floors in 468 feet with a peaked roof tower sounds about right since the 376-foot flat roofed JW Marriott has 34 floors.
But, I have no idea about where this new 37 floor figure came from, and I have only seen that number in this article. I doubt the hotel was lowered by just one floor—it may be that one floor is a service/mechanical floor, and only 37 floors are dedicated to guest rooms & hotel amenities.
with a little noticed change order involving some kind of amphitheatre that seats 20,000 with a football field-sized performance area…and no roof.
Dig this story. Neat to learn construction details. Thanx.
Where does the 37 story figure in the article come from? We’ve always heard 40 stories
C’mon Hilton (and Hogsett). Make it forty stories! Enough of the nip and tuck approach to architecture in this City…
What happened to the 40 stories and 480 feet tall that we were told it
would be.
For those wondering about the height, I got further clarity today from Andy Mallon, executive director of the CIB. He said that while the tower was at one time planned at 40 stories, the agency was able to work with designers to fit all 800 rooms into a tower two stories shorter in height.
As far as the 37 versus 38 conundrum, he said the discrepancy comes from the top floor being a sky lounge that is two floors tall: a main level and a mezzanine. Some consider that 37 stories, while others consider it 38.
I have inquired with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat to understand how the floors should be counted with that information in mind and am awaiting a response. The final decision our newsroom makes on this will be reflected in our reporting moving forward.
I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
Do we know a total height for the final design?
Is the 468ft from last falls regional center hearing examiner still accurate or was that before the 2 floor downsizing?
I’m finishing “The Hudnut Years” and just read the late, great Bill Strying’s criticism at the end of the book: Bill (Styring), you were right and Bill (Hudnut) was wrong, as this 100% city-owned hotel proves. And yet the Babbitt’s commenting here scream build it higher!
Bill Styring was opposed to the direct or indirect public subsidy of private development, as he believed it corrupted the proper role of government. So, I am not sure this city-owned hotel “proves” him right, so much as it is simply one example of the type of publicly financed project that he would oppose.