Nov. 22 – The White River State Park Development Commission, along with state and Indianapolis leaders, recently announced a 15-acre expansion of the park.
Located on the west bank of the White River, on a site once occupied by a General Motors manufacturing facility, the expansion is the largest addition to the park since its inception in the early 1980s. The project will preserve and repurpose the remains of the Indianapolis GM Stamping Plant and include other amenities that take advantage of the site’s proximity to the White River and Valley Neighborhood and take advantage of panoramic views of the Indianapolis skyline.
The project is supported by a $30 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
The park expansion will be located immediately east of the OneHealth Innovation District, which is also being developed on the site of the former GM site. Anchored by the new global headquarters of Elanco Animal Health and Purdue University, the District aims to become a globally recognized research and innovation campus dedicated to optimizing the health of people, animals, plants and the planet.
The majority of the Lilly Endowment grant will go toward repurposing the remnant of the GM Stamping Plant into an events and community center. The centerpiece of the park expansion, the multi-purpose facility, will be developed for year-round activities.
Designed by legendary industrial architect Albert Kahn, the stamping plant was a landmark in industrial design and housed GM from 1930 to 2011. The plant played a major role during World War II and at its peak employed nearly 5,000 workers.
Preserving this piece of Indianapolis history was an important consideration for the committee and other stakeholders as they developed plans for the park expansion.
Reclaiming abandoned industrial space and repurposing a former manufacturing facility aligns with the mission and history of White River State Park. The development commission was originally chartered in the early 1980s with the goal of reclaiming abandoned industrial sites and facilities on the west side of downtown Indianapolis. By the end of the decade, Washington Street was rerouted to make way for the Indianapolis Zoo, the first attraction to call the park home. This development marked the beginning of a revolutionary transformation of Indianapolis’ west side, turning an industrial wasteland into a vibrant cultural campus.
In addition to the Kahn Pavilion, the park expansion will have other amenities including an extended walking path, bench swings, a water feature and a river theater, designed for both small events and daily visitor use. The new Henry Street Bridge will bring the Indianapolis Cultural Trail into the park extension and allow connectivity to the east bank of the river. These features will be accompanied by new green spaces designed to highlight views across the White River toward the Indianapolis skyline.
The expansion is located just east of the site of Elanco Animal Health’s new global headquarters, north of the Valley Neighborhood and south of the Indianapolis Zoo. As part of the project, the White River Parkway will be realigned to allow travel between Elanco’s headquarters and the park expansion.
Renderings of the park expansion can be found online at whiteriverstatepark.org/extension.
White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis welcomes nearly 4 million visitors a year to its world-class attractions. Green spaces, paths, trees and waterways mingle with cultural, educational and recreational attractions across 250 hectares.
Park attractions include the Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park, IMAX Theater, Indianapolis Zoo, Indiana State Museum, Eiteljorg Museum, NCAA Hall of Champions, Central Canal and Indians Baseball at Victory Field.
For more information about the park and to stay up to date on events, visit the website at WhiteRiverStatePark.org.
