Indianapolis City Market overhaul project hit with multiple delays

An ambitious overhaul of the entire City Market block has hit a number of delays. The city will soon seek a new developer to unearth the catacombs under the western plaza as part of a series of redevelopment plans.

The project was announced last year and included a new space where the brick arches and limestone columns of the catacombs are open to the public.

Developers Gershman Partners and Citimark were originally tied to the project, but now the city will open a new request for proposals.

Director of the Department of Metropolitan Development Megan Vukusich said the goal is to move forward with the original vision for the plaza.

“We really need to make investments in the surrounding properties, and so we're focusing our efforts on Whistler Plaza in order to make the City Market block as a whole more vibrant for the long term,” said Vukusich.

The move will also delay the reopening of the historic City Market which was slated for next year. The market has been closed since early 2024.

Vukusich said plans for the eastern plaza that originally envisioned an 11-story apartment building will also be delayed. 

“That is going to come at a later phase in the project,” she said, “we're focusing on Whistler Plaza right now, making sure that those improvements can get underway and complete, and then we will still seek development on that east plaza, we just don't have any sort of timeline.”

The redevelopment also includes the overhaul of an alleyway into a pedestrian space. Improvements to a parking garage attached to the Gold Building are currently underway.

Contact WFYI Managing City Editor Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org