The current City-County building replaced the original Marion County Courthouse in 1962.Image courtesy of the WH Bass Photo Company Collection, Indiana Historical Society
Years before Unigov made a glamorous appearance Mayor appointed Richard Lugar, city-The District Building (CCB) is designed for Unification of city and county functions. It brought the city government of Indy, the nine Marion County towns, the Indianapolis Police Department, and the Marion County courts together under one roof. Prior to this, city and county offices were distributed around Old City Hall, Marion County Courthouse, and several rental spaces. CCB opened in January 1962, nearly a decade before Unigov was founded.
It was the first Indianapolis The building that was taller than Monument to soldiers and sailors. The 28-story CCB held the title of tallest tower in the city until 1970, when the district tower was completed.
Many believe that the building is not exactly beautiful. Essentially, the large rectangle was surrounded by two smaller boxes, which one contemporary CCB architecture critic has described as an “almost passive achievement”.
But the city recently fell several Million dollar renovationJ Square. For most of her life, the part of the CCB complex facing Washington Street was in front of a barren concrete slab. This area underwent a renovation in 2018, providing it with everything from a splash garden to giant banks of porch swings. It is now called Lugar Plaza.
CCB district is to developHotbed ment. The land around it already hosts high-class newcomers such as the Cummins distribution headquarters, the 360 Market Square apartment tower, and the Julia M. Carson Transit Center.
How, or whether the CCB will participatePat in this bright future is for anyone guess. The opening of the new Community Justice Campus on the southeast side will leave the CCB building nearly half empty, with some believing that the remaining city functions (including the mayor’s office) should be moved to Old City Hall and the CCB either demolished or converted to private use. Two preliminary studies suggest that it would cost more than $40 million to make HVAC and electrical systems code compliant, as well as to make the interior suitable for private use, whether residential, retail, office, or a combination of the three. It also does not help that the place is completely fired with asbestos.
Some see a case for demolishing it with bulldozers. “The city and county building must be demolished, allowing the entire building on which it is located to be redeveloped from scratch,” urban analyst Aaron Raine says. “The plaza is on the site of the magnificent and historic Marion County Courthouse that was demolished to make way for it. So it would be fitting that the CCB itself receive the architectural death penalty.”
Some see a case to keep. The building is one of the city’s few examples of mid-century modern architecture, best represented by the steel-and-glass-clad skyscrapers that make up a large part of the skyscrapers in most of the world’s cities. “I think you could save a good chunk of it and redevelop this site with additional building and still have something important,” says James Kinley, architect and director of the Moody Nolan Historic Preservation Design Studio.
It may be a long time before a The final decision was made. A request for ideas on what to do with the site was issued last fall by the city’s Office of Finance and Administration, and it garnered the interest of about 40 companies that submitted their suggestions for the venue in late October. The various proposals should not necessarily be seen as final offers, but as a starting point for identifying a way forward. The OFM plans to review the responses and chart its next steps in early 2022. “It’s important to remember that nothing has been decided at this time,” says Sonia Seider, a real estate manager for the city of Indianapolis. “This request for ideas will only help provide the city with essential information to make an informed decision.”