Record-setting Signia hotel concrete pour sets stage for construction
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Vertical construction is expected to start soon on the new Signia by Hilton hotel in downtown Indianapolis following a record-setting concrete pour over the weekend involving dozens of mixer trucks.
More than 800 truckloads of concrete went into the foundation for the hotel at Pan Am Plaza over a 12-hour period starting at about 1 a.m. Saturday. The figure equates to 7,347 cubic yards, or nearly 1.5 million gallons, making it the single-largest concrete pour for a building in Indianapolis history, according to Andy Mallon, executive director of the Capital Improvement Board of Marion County.
The hotel is part of a larger $750 million expansion of the Indiana Convention Center by the CIB. The project is set to add upwards of 143,500 square feet to the convention center. The 800-room city-owned hotel is expected to be 37 stories, making it one of the tallest buildings in Indianapolis, and the tallest hotel.
“This was just a huge logistical lift, and a necessary one to really start the vertical construction” on the hotel, said Mallon. “You’re going to start seeing [the hotel] coming out of that pit, so this is a huge milestone to be able to get that foundation laid and start to set us up for success for the rest of the year.”
The foundation pour involved a convoy of nearly 100 trucks moving between downtown and eight Irving Materials Inc. facilities across Indianapolis. The trucks were routed to the south side of Indianapolis to travel up Illinois Street before either going directly to the construction site or being rerouted to Capitol Avenue to complete their pour, Mallon said.
The trucks had to navigate around the Omni and Crowne Plaza hotels—both of which had weddings taking place at their venues.
Two trucks at a time were placed on a pair of concrete pumps that diverted the mixture to the foundation. Once a truck completed its pour, it made way for the next one in line. Each truck traveled to an Irving Materials location to reload anywhere from six to eight times throughout the pour.
The foundation, which reaches depths of up to 15 feet, will take about 56 days to fully cure. Mallon said the success of the pour keeps the hotel on track for a fall 2026 completion.
“We’re off to the races, and we feel really, really confident about being able to hit the rest of our milestones, and deliver on time,” he said.
Mallon was joined Thursday by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Chris Gahl, executive vice president of Visit Indy, to provide an update on the project.
“As we celebrate this milestone feat in construction, we are taking a huge step in solidifying Indianapolis as a top host city and the meeting capital of the world,” Hogsett said in prepared remarks.
The general contractor for the project is AECOM Hunt. Ratio Design is the architect.