IU trustees greenlight new housing, med school upgrades
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The lot where the beloved Indiana University Poplars Building once stood in Bloomington will be the new site of graduate student housing.
The IU Board of Trustees on Friday approved the new university housing, which will be completed for the 2026-27 academic year. The housing need fills a need for this pocket of students, especially after the university scheduled Redbud North and East apartments for demolition in 2024.
The $81 million development will be located just off downtown’s Kirkwood Avenue and is on the corner of Seventh and Dunn Streets. Spanning 193,000 square feet, the project will be a six-story building with 168 units. With plans for apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms, students will find 394 beds available. It will also feature a lounge, study rooms, a fitness area and a leasing office.
The eight-story Poplars Building was razed last year after standing for 60 years. Over its life, it served as a dormitory, office space and hotel — one which once hosted Elvis Presley.
BPIU Partners LLC will build the project while Buckingham Management LLC is planned to operate and manage the property.
“This solution is a result of the university’s dedication to providing sufficient housing to graduate students and other members of the IU community,” IU said in a news release. “A coordinated effort has been made to overcome and address the challenges associated with construction and housing in the current economy.”
School of Medicine construction
Trustees also approved a $30 million build-out of a total of 51,000 square feet of space at two IU School of Medicine facilities in downtown Indianapolis.
Work at the $230 million Medical Education and Research Building, currently under construction, will convert part of the basement as well as the eighth and ninth floors into research labs, offices and other support space. The building’s construction is estimated for completion in late 2024.
Crews will also renovate about 3,000 square feet of space in the basement of the Stark Neurosciences Research Building, which was built in 2014, in order to create more research and support space. The build-out will include mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and equipment.
The build-out of both spaces is expected to be complete by the summer of 2025.
“This new research space is critical in helping us reach the ambitious goals we have set as an institution,” said Dr. Jay Hess, dean of the IU School of Medicine. “This space will help us to continue growing our successful programs in areas like neurodegeneration and cancer by recruiting new researchers. It will also create more research opportunities for students at all levels.”
Both facilities are adjacent to IU Health’s planned $4.29 billion downtown hospital complex near 16th Street and Capitol Avenue.