Children’s Museum Moves Forward With Demolition Plans
The museum says the center will continue to spark student interest in STEM.
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is moving forward with plans to demolish two adjacent buildings, despite its own efforts to save one of them. Seven years ago, the museum purchased the Drake Apartment Building and the former Salvation Army office on North Meridian Street.
The Children’s Museum says it’s been trying to find a property management company to operate and maintain the Drake for what it calls the “foreseeable future.” But it found no takers due to deteriorating conditions of the structure.
Experts brought in by the museum said the apartment building needs a near-complete makeover, including electrical and plumbing systems, new windows and new elevators. The Children’s Museum said the price tag is several million dollars. “As a nonprofit organization whose core role is outreach and education, we cannot accept the risk of loss at that scale, with no reasonable expectation of a return on that investment,” the museum stated in a news release.
Asbestos remediation will begin during the next three weeks, a removal process that can take three to five months.
Once demolition is completed, the museum plans to use the open properties for awhile as additional parking.