
Downtown properties scramble to ramp up for NCAA influx
Five of the city’s most prominent hotels, accounting for more than 2,800 rooms, will house the 68 teams in the three-week NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament that tips off March 18.
Five of the city’s most prominent hotels, accounting for more than 2,800 rooms, will house the 68 teams in the three-week NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament that tips off March 18.
A New York City-based restaurant and candy store chain known for its extravagant desserts, colorful decor and celebrity following is planning to open a location in downtown Indianapolis later this year.
The punter-turned-multimedia-star initially ran into skeptics in the neighborhood, fearful that his plans for a sports field and basketball courts would create a nuisance or attract crime.
Upgrades already completed to the 21-year-old facility include new courtside clubs, an improved retractable seating system and a refreshed center-hung scoreboard.
Philip Rivers, 39, will end his playing career ranked fifth all-time in the NFL with 63,440 passing yards and 421 touchdown passes.
Jones Development Co. plans to spend five years transforming a 121.7-acre agricultural site into the six-building East Indy Exchange.
Aside from a single protester for a separate cause—the war on drugs—the only individuals on site were from local news organizations or people walking their dogs.
Downtown apartment managers are extending rent specials, reducing parking costs and offering other incentives to get tenants in the door—and lock those already there into new leases.
Indy Eleven officials said last week that they plan to announce a location for the proposed $550 million Eleven Park development—which would include a stadium—by the end of March.
Called Monon 46, the 102-unit complex is expected to be comprised of three apartment buildings, including two directly along the trail south of Broad Ripple.
The Indianapolis City-County Council on Monday night approved a measure to appropriate about $12.9 million from the city’s general fund for a variety of pandemic-related uses.
Hosting the entire 68-team NCAA men’s basketball tournament is likely to be a landmark event for Indianapolis and another boon for the city’s hospitality efforts, industry observers say.
The herculean effort over the next 2-1/2 months will involve city and state officials, tourism and civic leaders, and likely thousands of volunteers.
Dr. Virginia Caine said the decision on further opening restaurants will be dictated by positivity rates, vaccine distribution and case counts much closer to the tournament.
Plans for a grand, glass-wrapped entry pavilion as part of the $360 million renovation to Bankers Life Fieldhouse have been tabled, in favor of minimal updates that largely keep the existing facade intact.
Nearly all of downtown’s nearly 7,600 hotel rooms could be used for the tournament, as well as additional hotels in other parts of the city as well.
Some protocols are already set, including requirements for travel to Marion County and how teams will manage their operations throughout the tournament.
Square Cat Vinyl at 1054 Virginia Ave. is expanding into a 2,400-square-foot space previously occupied by Vintage Vogue, a Goodwill store for fashionable second-hand clothing that closed in March 2020.
The organization said it is “closely monitoring” the pandemic and will continue evaluating the feasibility of some fan attendance at some of the games.
The 67-game tournament will be held at venues across central Indiana in March and April, according to a source familiar with the plans.