Ball State board moves Village revitalization plans forward
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An artist rendering of the Ball State Performing Arts Center and Tapestry by Hilton Hotel (photo courtesy Ratio Architects | Ball State University)
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An artist rendering of the Ball State Performing Arts Center (photo courtesy Ratio Architects | Ball State University)
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An artist rendering of the Tapestry by Hitlon Hotel in The Village at Ball State University. (photo courtesy Ratio Architects | Ball State University)
The Ball State University Board of Trustees made several approvals Friday related to the university’s planned revitalization for The Village commercial district adjacent to the Muncie campus.
The approvals include agreements for a new, $60 million performing arts center, as well as a new Tapestry by Hilton Hotel.
The board approved what are known as Build Operate Transfer agreements, allowing the university to sign agreements with Ohio-based development firm Fairmount Properties. The firm will lead the design and construction of the Performing Arts Center, as well as the new Center for Innovation.
The Performing Arts Center will be home to Ball State’s theatre and dance students, hosting more than 160 performances each year, and attracting an estimated 35,000 people to The Village.
The two-story building at the corner of University and McKinley avenues, will feature a main stage theatre with seating for 425 patrons, a studio “black box” theatre that can sit 175 spectators, dressing rooms, and a lobby connected to the planned hotel.
The Center for Innovation, located at the corner of Ashland and Martin streets in the village, will be a three-story, 30,000-square-foot facility designed to promote entrepreneurship and business expansion in the region, the university said.
Among the resources available at the center will be the university’s Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts, the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute, and the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center.
Both the Performing Arts Center and the Center for Innovation will be transferred to the university once construction has been completed.
The board also authorized the university to sign a 75-year ground lease with Indianapolis-based Schahet Hotels, which will build and operate the 95-room Tapestry by Hilton Hotel. The hotel will also include a ground-floor bar and restaurant and rooftop bar and lounge.
Construction on all three buildings could begin this fall, the university said. The Performing Arts Center and hotel are expected to be complete by the fall of 2026, while the Center for Innovation is slated for completion in the summer of 2026.
Finally, the board authorized the university to sign purchase agreements for a total of seven properties in The Village. Plans for the sites include restaurant and retail space, apartments, and the Center for Innovation.
“We are excited to take these significant steps forward in our Village Revitalization Plan,” Ball State Board Chair Rick Hall said in a news release. “We know how much The Village means to the community and to our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I look forward to this revitalized district again becoming a hub for arts and culture, restaurants, retail, and other social activity.”
Ball State noted that the university’s ability to formally execute all agreements related to the Village Revitalization Plan will require approval from several state entities, including the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.