OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission Hearing - August 6, 2025

Other Meetings (I) — Wednesday, August 6, 2025
BodyIndianapolis, Indiana
SessionOther Meetings (I)
DateWednesday, August 6, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:32:29

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good evening.

0:04

I'll call the August Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission meeting to uh order.

0:09

Uh we have one set of minutes in the packet that uh you all received that we need to get approval from.

0:15

Are there any corrections to that?

0:18

If not, I'll take a motion for their approval, please.

0:22

Thank you.

0:22

Annie and get a second, please.

0:24

Thank you, Kristen.

0:25

Any final comments?

0:27

All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying aye.

0:31

Aye.

0:31

Any opposed, same sign, please.

0:33

Okay, thank you.

0:35

We have one item under old business, uh, the Flanner House Home Neighborhood.

0:40

And Grace, I believe you're gonna give us a presentation on that, please.

0:48

Coming down here so I can look at you guys.

0:51

Um so yeah, Flanner House Homes, the historic area.

0:56

Over 10 years ago, the neighborhood leaders of the Flanner House Homes neighborhood Flanner House Homes National Register Historic District first reach out, reached out to the IHBC with an interest in local district designation.

1:10

The initial presentation to the commission was in 2015.

1:14

The same group of leaders, including IHPC Commissioner Disa Watson Summers has recent recently reached out to IHPC staff with a renewed interest in district designation and are interested in finalizing their initial effort.

1:28

The IHPC staff wanted to reintroduce this initiative to the commission as the members of the commission have changed since it was initially introduced.

1:37

The neighborhood was developed due to the need for housing following World War II.

1:41

Returning soldiers needed homes for themselves and for their families.

1:45

As many new developments were only an option for white soldiers, the returning black soldiers also needed a solution.

1:52

The solution was building your own home and helping your neighbors build theirs.

1:56

Those looking to live in the Flanner House Homes neighborhood were broken into work groups.

2:01

These groups typically included men with specialized experience, including plumbing electrical, carpentry, etc.

2:08

If you were a member of a work group, you work 20 hours a week building homes until all homes for that work group were completed.

2:15

They broke ground on the first home in the neighborhood in August of 1950, and the first group of homes was completed by 1953.

2:23

By 1959, the entire neighborhood of 181 homes was complete.

2:28

A few of the homes in the neighborhood are still occupied by the original residents, and several still occupied by direct descendants of the person or persons who helped build the home.

2:39

The neighborhood has seen an increased an increase in demolition and new development in the area that is incompatible with the original structures built in the neighborhood, which is why Flanner House Homes is seeking designation to protect its structures and the unique story of how the neighborhood came to be.

3:17

All right, Grace, thank you.

3:18

Questions from the commission for Grace.

3:22

Okay, thank you.

3:22

We'll look forward to hearing what the result of the uh the meeting is in uh September.

3:27

Perfect.

3:27

And I'm just gonna stay here for new business.

3:30

All right.

3:31

Uh we have one item under new business this evening.

3:34

Uh Meg, that is the uh yeah, please.

3:38

I'm sorry, I do have one.

3:40

I'm not sure it's for Grace.

3:41

I think it's might be for our attorney.

3:44

Um I was very interested in the proposed deaf definition of demolition.

3:50

And would is that unique to what the city's definition is?

3:55

So I can I do want to Well, so we've talked a lot about the definition of demolition, and um we don't actually have a concrete written demolition definition of demolition.

4:10

Um DBNS has a guideline for a definition, but not like a solid definition.

4:16

So for our plans, it is defined how we define it in our plans, which is why we have this pro-proposed definition for this plan.

4:26

Um later on you will see the proposed definition for Meridian Kessler, which looks a little bit different.

4:33

Well, that's what I was thinking about was Meridian Kessler, and somebody told me that it unless all four walls come down, it's not considered demolition, it's considered a remodel.

4:45

So like I said, we've had lots and lots of conversations with DBNS, and so their definition, it kind of follows like from roof to footer, so from roof to stud, that would be considered a demolition.

5:03

Um, where for our plans, we can we can impose our own definitions of demolition.

5:09

So this is what we have currently for the Flanner House Homes neighborhood, and then Meridian Kessler, we've worked with the neighborhood and with Chris on developing one more suitable to that neighborhood.

5:19

And so it says proposed, so does that presume that we have to adopt it and then it has to go to DMD or how does that work?

5:27

Yeah, so it would work just like any other plan.

5:29

So the IHPC would adopt the plan with the proposed with what the definition would be, and then we would take it to the MDC and they would adopt the plan, hopefully, and then that would be that definition for that neighborhood.

5:43

This would be specific for Flanner House.

5:45

Yes.

5:46

Okay, got it.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████50%
Parking Management███████████12%
Hotel Management███████████12%
Procedural█████████10%
Public Engagement█████6%
Land Use Regulation████4%
Construction Projects██2%
Public Art██2%
Transportation Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission Hearing - August 6, 2025

The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission (IHPC) held a public hearing on August 6, 2025, at 5:30 PM in the City-County Building. The meeting covered a range of items including district designation, interior landmark designation, architectural review for new construction and additions, and enforcement of work completed without approval.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The July 2, 2025 IHPC hearing minutes were approved unanimously.
  • Expedited Cases: Two cases were approved unanimously:
    • 2025-COA-222 (Irvington): Demolish and construct a new garage at 5814 Beechwood Avenue.
    • 2025-COA-248B (St. Joseph): Replace vinyl windows at 958 North Pennsylvania Street.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Larry Jones (owner of 1125 Brookside Avenue) spoke in remonstrance against the Bottle Works Building 2 amendment (2017-COA-049 Amendment-8). He raised concerns about the proposed one-way entrance/exit on East 10th Street, citing pedestrian and bicycle safety from the Monon and Cultural Trail, and the potential for illegal U-turns. He also requested that the temporary parking lot at 10th and Carrollton be paved and landscaped as a condition of approval, noting it had been a swamp for years.

Discussion Items

  • Flanner House Home Neighborhood – Conservation District Designation: Staff presented the history of the neighborhood, developed by returning Black soldiers after WWII. The neighborhood seeks local designation to protect its unique story and structures from incompatible development. Commissioners discussed the definition of demolition and the possibility of including the adjacent Crispus Attucks school (individually). Staff was directed to reach out to IPS about designating Crispus Attucks individually.
  • Circle Tower Interior Designation: Staff presented a proposal to locally designate the first-floor lobby and second-floor 1930s barbershop interior. Commissioner Anson Keller urged expanding the designation to include corridors, stairwells, and other original features (stone wainscoting, marble floors, original doors). Staff agreed to discuss expansion with the developer and DMD.
  • 2025-COA-241 (Herron-Morton Place) – Addition and Garage: Applicant Melissa Iannucci presented a design to add a new structure that mimics a separate cottage connected by a narrow glass link. Commissioners praised the creativity but debated the floor-to-ceiling windows on the new addition. A compromise was reached: the door should be differentiated from windows, and the connector piece should be a darker color to recede. Approved with conditions.
  • 2017-COA-049 Amendment-8 (Bottle Works, Building 2): Applicant Ryan Staudte presented a revised plan for a 11-story office building with parking. Key issues included the height of the parking garage (10 feet taller than previous), the proposed one-way entrance on 10th Street (opposed by DPW and the public), and the design of the parking garage screen. Commissioners requested a traffic study, re-evaluation of the garage entrance (possibly on Bellafountaine), and more details on materials. The application was continued to the September 3, 2025 meeting.
  • 2025-COA-256 (Fountain Square) – Preliminary Review for Boutique Hotel: Applicant Scott Perkins presented a 26-room boutique hotel at 1015 Virginia Avenue, replacing a non-contributing gas station. Commissioners generally supported the design but raised concerns about the white brick, the demolition of the gas station (Commissioner Keller argued it was a significant mid-century structure), and the ground-floor guest rooms facing Virginia Avenue. The applicant will return after further neighborhood meetings.
  • 2024-COA-188B (Woodruff Place) – Work Completed Without Approval: Applicant Ali Khan requested waivers for several items on his house. After discussion, a compromise was reached: the north elevation door was approved as-is; the south elevation door required a (faux) transom; the rear and south gables needed re-shingling to match historic proportions; the north elevation dormer needed re-shingling; and the faux half-cove shingle boards were to be adjusted to the satisfaction of staff. The rest of the work was approved as completed. Deadline for corrections: January 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Flanner House Homes: Staff directed to contact IPS about designating Crispus Attucks High School.
  • Circle Tower: Staff to explore expanding interior designation beyond the lobby and barbershop.
  • 2025-COA-241: Approved with conditions (10 stipulations).
  • 2017-COA-049 Amendment-8: Continued to September 3, 2025, for further design refinements and DPW coordination.
  • 2025-COA-256: Preliminary review; no vote. Applicant to return with updated design.
  • 2024-COA-188B: Approved with modifications and a compliance deadline of January 2026. Monthly check-ins with staff.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'll call the August Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission meeting to uh order. Uh we have one set of minutes in the packet that uh you all received that we need to get approval from. Are there any corrections to that? If not, I'll take a motion for their approval, please. Thank you. Annie and get a second, please. Thank you, Kristen. Any final comments? All those in favor of the motion, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed, same sign, please. Okay, thank you. We have one item under old business, uh, the Flanner House Home Neighborhood. And Grace, I believe you're gonna give us a presentation on that, please. Coming down here so I can look at you guys. Um so yeah, Flanner House Homes, the historic area. Over 10 years ago, the neighborhood leaders of the Flanner House Homes neighborhood Flanner House Homes National Register Historic District first reach out, reached out to the IHBC with an interest in local district designation. The initial presentation to the commission was in 2015. The same group of leaders, including IHPC Commissioner Disa Watson Summers has recent recently reached out to IHPC staff with a renewed interest in district designation and are interested in finalizing their initial effort. The IHPC staff wanted to reintroduce this initiative to the commission as the members of the commission have changed since it was initially introduced. The neighborhood was developed due to the need for housing following World War II. Returning soldiers needed homes for themselves and for their families. As many new developments were only an option for white soldiers, the returning black soldiers also needed a solution. The solution was building your own home and helping your neighbors build theirs. Those looking to live in the Flanner House Homes neighborhood were broken into work groups. These groups typically included men with specialized experience, including plumbing electrical, carpentry, etc. If you were a member of a work group, you work 20 hours a week building homes until all homes for that work group were completed. They broke ground on the first home in the neighborhood in August of 1950, and the first group of homes was completed by 1953. By 1959, the entire neighborhood of 181 homes was complete. A few of the homes in the neighborhood are still occupied by the original residents, and several still occupied by direct descendants of the person or persons who helped build the home. The neighborhood has seen an increased an increase in demolition and new development in the area that is incompatible with the original structures built in the neighborhood, which is why Flanner House Homes is seeking designation to protect its structures and the unique story of how the neighborhood came to be. All right, Grace, thank you. Questions from the commission for Grace. Okay, thank you. We'll look forward to hearing what the result of the uh the meeting is in uh September. Perfect. And I'm just gonna stay here for new business. All right. Uh we have one item under new business this evening. Uh Meg, that is the uh yeah, please. I'm sorry, I do have one. I'm not sure it's for Grace. I think it's might be for our attorney. Um I was very interested in the proposed deaf definition of demolition. And would is that unique to what the city's definition is? So I can I do want to Well, so we've talked a lot about the definition of demolition, and um we don't actually have a concrete written demolition definition of demolition. Um DBNS has a guideline for a definition, but not like a solid definition. So for our plans, it is defined how we define it in our plans, which is why we have this pro-proposed definition for this plan. Um later on you will see the proposed definition for Meridian Kessler, which looks a little bit different.

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