Sometimes Less is More Historical Wholesale District in Indianapolis by Kenneth M. Boyce, ASLA Through a committed effort on behalf of the City and community partners, Indianapolis' Wholesale District has realized dramatic revitalization over the past five years. Not unlike many other downtown areas across the nation, Indianapolis' Central Business District suffered through decades of steady decline from the 1950's through the 1970's. In the mid-1990's, the development of Circle Centre, a $300 million dollar retail and entertainment complex, punctuated years of intense redevelopment. The design approach for the street improvements challenged the traditional decorated streetscape paradigm by allowing the building architecture to dominate the street character. This Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)-funded project included 12 blocks of street right of way and Jackson Place, a motor court between historic Union Station and the Omni Severin Hotel. The project resides within the Historic Wholesale District and was conceived and implemented in a highly charged historic preservation regulatory review context. Ratio Architects, Inc., a multidiscipline design and planning firm, was contracted to provide planning and landscape architectural services. The intent of the project was to upgrade the aging infrastructure while enhancing the character of the street environment. The desire was to assure the upgrades would bring the area into a 21st-century state of readiness capable of accommodating the anticipated revitalization. Ultimately, the project included upgrades to the sewers, traffic signal system, communications network, and power distribution system. The total construction cost for the project was $3 million. Because the project occurred in a designated Historic District, it was necessary to begin the design process with an extensive research effort. The period of significance was 1880 to 1920. The research identified critical historic characteristics of the District. The Wholesale District transitioned from residential to commercial distribution during the mid 19th century. The transition was in direct response to the explosive growth of rail lines immediately adjacent to the District. This fact brings great importance to the historic Union Station depot. A cantilevered gas streetlight was prominently present in a pendant format. Street pavement transitioned from dirt to clay brick and the sidewalks changed from wood to concrete during the 19th century. The streets received an asphalt overlay in the 1920's. The buildings were predominately 3- and 4-story structures, and missing teeth did not exist. The District reached its zenith at the turn of the century and was home to a thriving wholesale industry serving the City's retailers by day and became a rowdy entertainment district by night. The Design Team recommendations included: 1. Upgrading the infrastructure where required to accommodate a sustained economic and physical revitalization of the District while monitoring historical accuracy; 2. Not decorating the street; 3. Initiating building facade renovation and retail development programs; 4. Installing an electrified version of the historic cantilevered gas streetlights, along with an upgrade of the traffic signal poles to a family of structures sympathetic to the streetlights; 5. Concentrating the expenditure of the premium dollars at Jackson Place where the impact would not be diluted by the larger project area. Ratio Architects custom designed the light poles to set the tone for the nostalgic streetscape project. The original light pole model had two different diameters of sectioned steel pipe, which were fit and welded together, with a collar placed over the weld. In the new Wholesale District, it was important to maintain the same lighting design concept without compromising structural integrity. The new light poles needed to employ aluminum instead of steel to avoid rusting, however aluminum would not be structurally feasible without modification. HAPCO undertook the challenge of manufacturing the pole and arm of the sleek and elegant light pole. The tapering technology was compacted to occur in a short vertical diameter of two concentrated steps and then a collar was placed over each tapered section. The pendant shaped luminaire was tooled by HADCO, based in Littlestown, Pennsylvania. Jackson Place was essentially a chaotic asphalt parking lot that served the adjacent Omni Severin Hotel and the Romanesque revival Union Station Headhouse. It was an unpleasant and unsafe space for pedestrians traveling between the Headhouse and the Hotel. The Design Team proposed this space be transformed into a cohesive, pedestrian-friendly, Victorian-era garden that would accommodate vehicular traffic. The plan employs four sunken seating areas at each corner of the space. These areas provide an opportunity to view the central garden space, which serves as the primary means of pedestrian travel between the two buildings. Centering the garden in the Plaza allows the shortest travel distance, while setting up the horticultural amenity to be the focal point of each building. Each sunken seating area contains an immense urn and unique, custom designed benches made from genuine Indiana limestone and Cold Spring granite. Both amenities were conceptualized by John D. Jackson, ASLA and Kenneth M. Boyce, ASLA. The rich stone detail of the Headhouse and the geometry of the rose window that dominates the facade inspired the character of the garden. The construction cost for the Jackson Place garden was $750,000. The Downtown Corridor Improvement Project has been widely recognized by the Federal Highway Administration as an exemplary ISTEA-funded effort. The FHA has selected the project as one of the 25 best (out of 6000) ISTEA endeavors to date. In total, the project has received one state award and three unsolicited federal awards. By breaking away from traditional thinking, the Ratio design team was able to develop innovative solutions for Indianapolis. Not only does the existing building architecture, coupled with the street enhancements, provide a logical street character, but a cohesive look was achieved over the larger project area while remaining within the established construction and operational budgets. Sometimes less is more . . . lasn The ornamental bench is made of Indiana limestone and Cold Spring granite. The combination of rusticated and finished granite and smooth limestone is drawn from the details of the adjacent Union Station Headhouse. The family of traffic lights and streetlights are show in context on their Illinois Street home with the glass and steel architecture of the Circle Centre's Arts Garden complementing the setting from the background. This "undecorated" street character allowed the Community to stay focused on priorities which are far more pressing. These priorities include an active street level to Circle Centre, constructing new and contributing architecture in the blighted surface parking lots, and filling the vacant ground level of the existing buildings within the District.