Commission gives preliminary feedback on 26‑room Fountain Square hotel proposal

Designers for a proposed 26‑room boutique hotel at 1015 Virginia Avenue in Fountain Square presented preliminary plans to the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission and received broadly positive feedback paired with requests for more detail.

Scott Perkins of BlackLine and designer Lily Von Dalen described a 13,500‑square‑foot building with a two‑story lobby, roughly 25 on‑site parking spaces, and a courtyard circulation pattern that emphasizes public engagement with the Cultural Trail. The team said the existing non‑contributing gas‑station structure would be removed and that they will pursue zoning changes or variances because the MU‑2 district does not currently permit hotel use.

Commissioners praised the project’s contextual approach — brick facades, arched openings and a dual‑tone palette — while asking for complete elevations (the south elevation was missing from the packet), streetscape treatments, material samples and additional detail about how street‑level rooms will be managed to avoid conflicts with pedestrian noise and nightlife activity. Commissioner Michael (S13) suggested converting street‑level rooms to retail or a veil if hotel operations prove unworkable; the design team said they have preliminary neighborhood meetings and will refine ground‑floor interface and operations.

Several commissioners encouraged the team to consider public art at the triangular plaza, to bring back physical material samples and to return with an operations plan addressing check‑in and guest access. The designers said the owner has local hotel experience and that the team will return with samples and further context when ready to submit a formal application.

Because the review was preliminary, the commission offered comments rather than a formal vote. The project will return when the applicant provides full elevations, material boards and any required zoning materials.