Market East Is City's Newest Cultural District

Indianapolis is creating a new cultural district.  Market East is the area around the old Market Square Arena site and organizers believe it is a way to inject new life into downtown.

“As we see in our other great cultural districts, urban residents want unique places to live, work, shop and dine,” said Mayor Greg Ballard.  “Market East will be an area of architectural and urban planning excellence that will help Indy attract new people and companies to this thriving area of downtown.”

This is the city’s seventh cultural district.

But, Director of the Department of Metropolitan Development Adam Thies says it will not be like the others.

"I think it will be something that is distinctive, unique to itself,  but we hope that is has a vibrant street life, has a vibrant civic attitude, and helps really craft that as a new district," he said.

Several large projects are underway in the area, including an $81 million, 28-story mixed use development, Cummins new distribution headquarters, and a new transit center.

President of Indianapolis Downtown Inc., Sherry Seiwart, says while its makeup and focus may be unique from other cultural districts, she believes Market East can thrive in similar ways.

"When you think about Fountain Square, which certainly a lot of people like to go and visit now for dining and other entertainment or even living there, they immediately say 'in the Fountain Square area' or on 'Mass Avenue,'" she said.  "I think when you give it a name, it gives people that send of identity and place so they really know where they are going."

Part of the new district is renovating the City County Building plaza. 

The Central Indiana Community Foundation is using $50,000 to hold a contest to redesign it.