The very definition of "why highrise development in Indy is a bad idea". All those parking spaces for people in the State Government and AUL towers.
But in all fairness, that was probably a blighted area in the late 70's and early 80's when AUL assembled the land for its corporate ego booster project. Well-landscaped parking lots made the suburban commuters feel "safe" in the city.
On a creepier note, this pic reminds me that I'm old enough to remember the US Government's "neutron bomb" (doesn't destroy infrastructure but kills all the people). I guess we needed that because we already knew how to destroy infrastructure and didn't need bombs to do it...
I used to live in that building on Senate opposite the hotel. Coolest apartments ever, really. It was a basement apartment, 2 floors. My bedroom window was right on that parking lot and I was often too lazy to walk all the way downstairs to my front door and then back up stairs to get out of the building, so I would just hop out of my window. I miss that apartment.
Jason, there is such a taxation scheme - and one that I strongly endorse. It is called Land Value Taxation, and you can read much more about it on the web if you care to do so.
Not too long ago one of the street people downtown was this guy who you would see pushing a shopping cart half full of aluminum cans. The distinctive thing about him was his hair was in dreadlocks that went way down his back, he looked like he coulda been a front man for a reggae band. I was talking to some of the employees at the Wendy's that was on Market St. when he walked by on the sidewalk. "Oh yeah that guy comes in here all the time." they said. "We call him 'Space'." Later on I was walking towards the dome to get to the Colts game when I noticed Space in one of these parking lots you see in the picture. He was waving Colts fans into the parking lot and charging $10 a car. Now that's urban enterprise for real.
Actually neutron bombs do destroy buildings too. They're designed to kill people but they would have enough blast power to knock down the area shown in the picture. Doesn't make it any less creepy though.
I also agree that there ought to be a better use for this than surface parking lots. It's a big enough chunk of land that there's a lot of things you can do with it. Hope they don't mess with the Distillery/Bourbon St./whateveryacallit on the corner though, one of the few things that didn't get torn out of here. Also hope they don't take out Indiana Ave. like they did when they put up the AUL building. We ought to put these diagonal streets back when we can.
That was McGowan Insurance, a local insurance broker now in one of the towers downtown. I think their plan indicated a 2009-10 construction start, but it wouldn't be surprising if they put it off until the economy starts to look better.
One thing we could do is dig out the two blocks of Indiana Avenue that you see here and make it a spur of the canal, or put the canal just north along Indiana Avenue. Best not to use neutron bombs to do the digging though.
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What's that? I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of Jane Jacobs rolling over in her grave and Donald Shoup screaming.
Got parking spaces?
"Wisdom comes alone through suffering" - Aeschylus
Can you even imagine if all that space was used for condos, retail, and commercial space? Neither can I...
The very definition of "why highrise development in Indy is a bad idea". All those parking spaces for people in the State Government and AUL towers.
But in all fairness, that was probably a blighted area in the late 70's and early 80's when AUL assembled the land for its corporate ego booster project. Well-landscaped parking lots made the suburban commuters feel "safe" in the city.
On a creepier note, this pic reminds me that I'm old enough to remember the US Government's "neutron bomb" (doesn't destroy infrastructure but kills all the people). I guess we needed that because we already knew how to destroy infrastructure and didn't need bombs to do it...
I used to live in that building on Senate opposite the hotel. Coolest apartments ever, really. It was a basement apartment, 2 floors. My bedroom window was right on that parking lot and I was often too lazy to walk all the way downstairs to my front door and then back up stairs to get out of the building, so I would just hop out of my window. I miss that apartment.
If we taxed parking lots instead of letting them be "undeveloped", I bet AUL would build a parking structure for its tenants and develop the rest.
I can see it now...restaurants, jazz clubs, a hockey arena (seriously, I want some good hockey in this town!)
Jason, there is such a taxation scheme - and one that I strongly endorse. It is called Land Value Taxation, and you can read much more about it on the web if you care to do so.
Not too long ago one of the street people downtown was this guy who you would see pushing a shopping cart half full of aluminum cans. The distinctive thing about him was his hair was in dreadlocks that went way down his back, he looked like he coulda been a front man for a reggae band. I was talking to some of the employees at the Wendy's that was on Market St. when he walked by on the sidewalk. "Oh yeah that guy comes in here all the time." they said. "We call him 'Space'." Later on I was walking towards the dome to get to the Colts game when I noticed Space in one of these parking lots you see in the picture. He was waving Colts fans into the parking lot and charging $10 a car. Now that's urban enterprise for real.
Actually neutron bombs do destroy buildings too. They're designed to kill people but they would have enough blast power to knock down the area shown in the picture. Doesn't make it any less creepy though.
I also agree that there ought to be a better use for this than surface parking lots. It's a big enough chunk of land that there's a lot of things you can do with it. Hope they don't mess with the Distillery/Bourbon St./whateveryacallit on the corner though, one of the few things that didn't get torn out of here. Also hope they don't take out Indiana Ave. like they did when they put up the AUL building. We ought to put these diagonal streets back when we can.
Wasn't some company supposed to be building a new building on the northwest gravel triangle lot at indiana and illinois? Did that fall through?
That was McGowan Insurance, a local insurance broker now in one of the towers downtown. I think their plan indicated a 2009-10 construction start, but it wouldn't be surprising if they put it off until the economy starts to look better.
One thing we could do is dig out the two blocks of Indiana Avenue that you see here and make it a spur of the canal, or put the canal just north along Indiana Avenue. Best not to use neutron bombs to do the digging though.
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