When city officials updated their comprehensive plan to redevelop the historic City Market and surrounding properties earlier this year, the plan included uncovering the catacombs beneath Whistler Plaza to create a below-level garden space.
That’s still the plan, but now the city officials need a new development partner, having separated the Whistler Plaza project from the larger plan which includes the redevelopment of the adjacent Gold Building.
Originally, the overall project involved a team including Gershman Partners, Citimark and the Department of Metropolitan Development. When first announced in 2022, the first stage was to be demolition of the non-historic East Wing in favor of an 11-story mixed-use development. That element has since been moved further back in the timeline.
The removal of the Whistler Plaza project has resulted in a new solicitation of potential developers, but DMD Director Megan Vukusich said the ultimate goal remains.
“The long-term goal is to reposition the City Market campus, including Whistler Plaza and the surrounding block, for success and sustainability,” she said, adding that improvements to Whistler Plaza represent a key component of Phase 1 of the broader City Market redevelopment effort.
Vukusich said the intent is to enter into a new public-private partnership agreement by early 2026, with a target completion date of the first quarter of 2028. The exact construction timeline will be refined in collaboration with the selected development team.
The Whistler Project design envisions the exposure of the historic catacombs, preserved archways, new plantings an observation deck with railing, hardscaped seating areas, and accessibility enhancements.
The Indianapolis City Market closed operations on March 1, 2024, due to operational challenges. The closure also allowed the city to begin essential maintenance and prepare the site for redevelopment. Phase 2 of the project includes selecting a new market operator, but a timeline has not been set.
Whistler Plaza improvements will be closely coordinated with other significant redevelopment projects on the campus, including the Gold Building office conversion, reinforcing the city’s commitment to transformative, mixed-use development downtown, Vukusich said.
These efforts support the City’s Downtown Resiliency Strategy, a comprehensive initiative launched in 2022 to strengthen the city’s urban core through strategic investments in housing, public spaces, economic opportunity, and infrastructure.
