Longtime Indianapolis Downtown Leader Tamara Zahn Dies
(photo courtesy of Downtown Indy Inc.)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowTamara Zahn, the founding president of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc., and one of the city’s most high-profile cheerleaders, has died at the age of 67. Zahn led the nonprofit organization, now known as Downtown Indy, Inc., from 1993-2012, a period of significant growth for the city’s downtown and its emergence on a national scale as model for urban renewal.
Her nearly two decades of leadership was marked by numerous landmark moments for the city, including hosting Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, the opening of Circle Centre in 1995 and numerous major office, residential and beautification projects.
Former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson issued the following statement:
“Amy and I were saddened to learn of Tamara’s passing. We both worked with her regularly during my time as mayor. I loved Tamara’s intense focus on downtown and her remarkable ability to motivate people to go above and beyond to make downtown better. Whenever I entertained visitors to our city, they invariably commented on how clean our downtown was. While cleanliness was only a small part of the work of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc., it symbolized Tamara’s attention to every detail of her job. In those days she was everywhere – seemingly at every single event or gathering. And her positive outlook and engaging personality always raised my spirits and those of everyone around her. Amy and I offer our sincere condolences to her husband Tim and her other loved ones.”
A statement from Downtown Indy, Inc. indicated Zahn died suddenly, but did not include a cause of death.