Big Hulman Center Plans Scaled Back
(Rendering of proposed Hulman Center convention center expansion courtesy of Ratio Architects)
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA proposal to build a new convention center in downtown Terre Haute has been scrapped. Instead, Indiana State University says the $37.5 million that has already been approved by the state for the project will be used for renovations to the Hulman Center. ISU and city partners had previously pushed for a $75 million project that would have included a new convention center connected to the over 40-year-old sports arena, as well as improvements.
Last month, the county’s Capital Improvement Board viewed a video rendering created by Indianapolis-based Ratio Architects of what the full project and expansion could look like.
A preliminary study released in June by ISU breaking down the school’s overall economic contributions to the Wabash Valley included recommendations for boosting its impact. One recommendation advocated for modernizing the Hulman Center.
An economic impact assessment conducted by Indianapolis-based Thomas P. Miller and Associates prior to state funding approval suggested the larger-scale renovation and convention center expansion could have created an economic impact of more than $500 million in Vigo County over 30 years.