New animal care facility will be at Sherman Park

A new home for Indianapolis’ homeless animals will be built on the Near Eastside. City leaders and private donors announced this week, the new Indianapolis Animal Care Services building will be built in Sherman Park. 

The new animal shelter will use a $3 million gift from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust to help with construction.  The city has committed $18 million to the project as part of the Circle City Forward initiative to improve public facilities.

For decades cats, dogs and other animals have found shelter and care at a facility on South Harding St.  In a written statement Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said an upgrade is long overdue.

“Indianapolis Animal Care Services has been located in a building not originally intended to be a full-care animal shelter,” Hogsett said.

Sherman Park, the site of the old RCA plant, underwent years of environmental remediation to get ready for redevelopment. More work is needed before construction on the animal facility can begin.

Contact WFYI city government and policy reporter Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @JillASheridan.