City Hall Demo Begins this Fall With New Arts & Municipal Complex Planned for 2024

Writer / Kylee White
Photography Provided 

Fishers City HallStarting in August, Fishers City Hall was closed in order to prepare for construction of the new Arts & Municipal Complex. The new building will have several structural improvements and will include an arts center on the first floor.

So, why is a new City Hall needed?

“We had a lot of maintenance issues. Probably most importantly we had a structural issue where a portion of the building has continued to settle into the ground,” says Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “The cost associated with fixing that along with the other maintenance and the demand for more space made us believe the best investment for taxpayers was to build a new building.” 

Demolition of City Hall is planned to take place in October, and construction is expected to start not long after that. Events such as the Fishers farmers markets and concerts planned at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater are still scheduled to take place following the demolition. 

Originally, City Hall had insecurities such as cracked tiles and walls, uneven flooring that needs uneven floor repair and roofing problems that can only be taken care of by replacing it with flat roofs. Keeping the community in mind, Mayor Fadness says the best investment would be to create a new space for City Hall. The new building will have the art center located on the first floor, while the second and third floors will still include offices for city officials. The building will also include new sustainability features such as low-flow water fixtures, low-light fixtures, a rain garden and a pollinator planting area. 

One of the main aspects of the new City Hall will be the new art center that will be housed on the first floor. With the new inclusion of city art in the building, Mayor Fadness hopes to help bring the community together and really focus on engaging with residents through the art that will be displayed. 

“In reality, it’s probably a lot more than an art exhibit area,” Mayor Fadness says. “We are partnering with the Indianapolis Art Center, where we will have lots of art center programming and art classes on a daily basis. The entire first floor will really just be engaging the community in art and art programming, which we’re pretty excited about.”

The addition of the new art center is in hopes of bringing people into more of their city buildings. Mayor Fadness mentioned the idea of engaging the community through art and found that the opportunity to do that arose when the plan for a new City Hall had been set. 

Fishers City Hall“When we realized that we needed to build a new City Hall, we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to draw more people into their civic buildings and engage the public,” he says. “It’s a unique combination of City Hall while at the same time it’s a center for the arts in our community.”

Mayor Fadness is excited to see the change in City Hall after construction is done. He is looking forward to seeing how the people of Fishers interact with the art center and seeing them visit the building more.

“I like the people-focused aspect of the building we’re creating,” Mayor Fadness adds. “We’re really trying to draw more residents into their civic buildings. In being able to do that, we’re creating a really vibrant facility where people are here on a daily basis.”

With the closure of City Hall, workers will be relocated to a few different areas. Some are being moved into different city buildings, some are moving into rented office spaces, and others are staying at home to work virtually. Mayor Fadness and the City of Fishers are hoping that by 2024 the new and improved Arts & Municipal Complex will be finished and open for civic members and residents to enjoy. 

To learn more about the new Arts & Municipal Complex project, visit fishers.in.us/ArtsMunicipalComplex. 

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