Plan released for potential redevelopment of women’s prison site

INDIANAPOLIS — When the Indiana Women’s Prison opened at the intersection of New York, Randolph and Michigan streets in 1873, it sat south of Indianapolis’ first “suburb”: Woodruff Place.

It was America’s first prison exclusively for female offenders and its gates were open until 2017, when the site was abandoned to be used only occasionally in the years after as a transitional facility for men leaving incarceration. Ever since then, neighbors and city planners have looked at the location and wondered, “What if…?”

Now they have a blueprint.

The Urban Land Institute, with input from the community, has developed a report to guide decision-makers on how to reimagine the 15-acre site, which would be a once-in-a-century-and-a-half opportunity to remake a large tract of land on the near east side.

” It’s just an effort to continue our effort in the city to create place, places that people want to live, places where people feel safe and places that really helped to promote the vibrancy of urban living,” said Joe Jarzen of the ULI’s Technical Assistance Panel. ”You acknowledge that this is a space, kind of an island unto itself, that is different from all the other neighborhoods.”

Across the property are parking lots, green space and historic buildings, some to be saved and repurposed, others that could be taken down with community, developer and city approvals.

”I think the idea of mixed-use housing, mixed-income housing would be the way to do it. I have a sense from neighbors that we don’t want to completely gentrify this place, but also we don’t want to just be low income housing,” said Joey Newsome, president of the Willard Park Neighborhood Association. ”The chapel you do a lot there with event center kind of stuff, you could have community theater over there. The administration building is right there. You could reuse that for offices, a café, any kind of thing like that.”

The report envisions limited commercial or retail space along Michigan and New York streets, said Jarzen.

”Also with the commercial character, the commercial needs of the neighborhoods, so that way you could go down to the corner market if you need to, or, you could have a locally owned and operated shop, a coffee shop or restaurant or whatnot in that space.”

”This development of this site is instrumental for the whole east side community of Indianapolis,” said Newsome. “This is a game-changer for Indianapolis at large.”

The surrounding community will hold an open house and clean-up day on Oct. 4 to invite neighbors onto the property so that they may be familiarized with the challenge the city has in seeking input from interested parties.