Mayor Joe Hogsett joined Councilor Kristin Jones and Visit Indy to announce the demolition of the former Marion County Jail.
The demolition of the site marks the first step in a development project within downtown Indy. The project comes as a result of the new Community Justice Campus on the city’s near southeast side.
“For nearly six decades, Jail 1’s purpose was to serve the Marion County justice system. In a year’s time, this site will be ready for a new purpose: to bring continued revitalization and economic growth to our city’s urban core,” Hogsett said. “The future redevelopment of this site is one of many in the pipeline that are contributing to downtown Indianapolis’ exciting and bright future.”
Hogsett launched the Downtown Resilience Strategy in 2022, designed to bring major investments in housing, recreational public spaces, economic development and connected infrastructure to downtown. Current projects included the Signia by Hilton Hotel, the Indiana Convention Center expansion and Elanco Animal Health’s Global Headquarters. These projects are also supporting infrastructure improvements such as the Henry Street bridge and pedestrian enhancements to Georgia Street.
“This demolition is more than just the tearing down of a building; it’s a commitment to our city’s future,” Jones said. “It represents our dedication to safer neighborhoods and vibrant public spaces, and we look forward to the development opportunities this will bring to Downtown Indianapolis.”
Pedestrian and road restrictions along Alabama and Maryland Streets will remain during the demolition process. The crew is working to ensure the closures do not impact WNBA All-Star scheduled for July 2025.
For more information, visit indy.gov.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
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Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
