IU South Bend Buys Infamous Motel
(photo courtesy IU South Bend)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana University South Bend has bought the Wooden Indian Motel near the campus and plans to demolish it. The property was the scene of a 2007 shootout that took the life of a South Bend police officer.
The purchase was completed by the Indiana University Real Estate Department on February 23, and included the 55-room hotel, a former gas station and vacant lots, and all the structures will be demolished. This purchase comes 4 years after the school also bought the nearby former Club Landing bar and restaurant, which were also torn down.
There are no immediate plans for the former motel site, but the university will study possible uses in concurrence with it’s master plan. “The purchase of the Wooden Indian is part of our concerted effort to make the Lincoln Way East corridor more welcoming to students, residents, businesses, and the community,” said IU South Bend Chancellor Terry L. Allison. “We will examine how we can use the combined properties to best serve students, create an attractive gateway to the campus, and encourage economic development in the area.” said Allison.
The South Bend Tribune reports the motel site had become a hot spot for crime over the years, including one of its residents being arrested for rape. South Bend Police Officer Nick Polizzotto was killed in a 2007 shootout at the motel. The cost of the deal is not known, but site owner Ronald Koehler had asked $1.2 million for the property last year, according to the publication.