Purdue is taking the next step in a $187 million mixed-use project for a new campus in downtown Indy

(IBJ photo)

Plans are gathering for the first building on Purdue University’s new campus in downtown Indianapolis: a $187 million mixed-use project that will offer classrooms, lab space, apartments, a dining hall and street-level retail.

The 248,000-square-foot project, known as the Academic Success Building, is expected to include residence halls for as many as 500 students. Construction is scheduled to start in February and be completed in May 2027.

Although detailed site plans have not yet been finalized, the building is expected to occupy at least part of Parking Lot 73 on the current IUPUI campus, at the northwest corner of West Michigan Street and West Street. It is generally bounded by North California Street on the west, West Michigan Street on the south, West Street on the east, and the Sigma Theta Tau Building on the north.

Funding for the project, approved Friday by the Purdue University Board of Trustees, will come from room and board fees ($105 million), funds from the Indiana General Assembly ($60 million) and gifts ($22 million). The financing approval was first reported by Mirror Indy.

“This will be the initial heartbeat of our Indianapolis campus,” said David Umulis, senior vice chancellor of Purdue University Indianapolis. “We’ve really engaged with local community stakeholders on how to engage them in the use of the academic space and have it be seen as responsive to (growth) in this part of town.”

Umulis said preliminary plans call for a meeting space for larger groups, as well as first-floor retail and a dining room with up to 400 seats. It will not include parking elements as it will be built next to the existing parking lot.

“This is a place our Purdue students can call home. “It will be a truly innovative new academic building, different from the classic buildings that are being built on large Big Ten campuses,” he said. “This distinction will reflect very well on the city of which it is a part.”

Purdue has not yet hired an architect, engineer or construction manager for the project, so details such as height, total number of apartments and specific design are uncertain. It is also unclear what possible variances or changes to the plan the project might require from the city of Indianapolis.

Purdue and IU are set to end their IUPUI split on July 1 after 55 years of partnership in downtown Indianapolis. Purdue received 28 acres in the northeast quadrant of the campus to build its own physical campus. Umulis said university staff are currently working on a master plan for the area.

In a note included in the board’s agenda, Purdue officials said the building “will evolve with the needs of experiential education, accommodate courses that would not otherwise be offered in existing space, and provide on-campus housing.”

Umulis said the programs that will be housed in the building will require more maker space than other degrees, allowing students to build and work on projects. This fall, Purdue will introduce two new programs in Indianapolis: one focusing on integrated business and engineering and the other on actuarial science.

After the split, Purdue will continue to use five buildings on IU’s Indianapolis campus, generally to support existing programs.

The school also establishes long-term partnerships throughout Indianapolis, focusing on specific programs. This includes an agreement with Dallara to purchase a 20,000-square-foot Speedway facility for its motorsports engineering program, an agreement with Elanco for a new building at the former General Motors stamping plant on the west bank of the White River, and an agreement with High Alfa for its executive education program in Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. School of Business.

The master planning process is expected to be completed by the end of this year, although the plan is expected to be updated regularly as the campus comes to fruition.

“It allows us to set a goal to focus our efforts and vision on,” Umulis said, “but also allows us to make changes and be flexible in responding to our needs.”