INDIANAPOLIS — The Circle City Industrial Complex has been renamed the Factory Arts District, owner Teagen Development announced. This change is effective immediately.
The property, located at 10th Street and Brookside Ave. in the city’s near eastside, encompasses 16 acres and includes two commercial buildings — 1125 Brookside Ave. and 1011 Massachusetts Ave. — as well as two large parking lots. 1125 Brookside Ave. currently houses more than 150 tenants, including small businesses, nonprofits, and Indianapolis’s largest artist community. 1011 Massachusetts Ave, scheduled to open later this fall, will house more than 30 tenants, including restaurants, retail, office, and event space.
Formerly the home of the Schwitzer manufacturing facility, the property was named the Circle City Industrial Complex upon Schwitzer’s departure in the 1990s. Teagen Development purchased the property in 2015.
Constructed between 1900 and 1970, the building infrastructure was functionally obsolete for modern industrial uses. Instead, Teagen divided the property into two separate facilities and focused on commercial and community uses such as offices, small manufacturing spaces, art studios and galleries, and gathering spots such as Centerpoint Brewing, 8th Day Distillery, and the Fowling Warehouse. The neighborhood around the complex has also benefitted from the development, as there has been a surge of building and renovation of homes close to the property.
According to Teagen, the existing name also didn’t do justice to the building’s rich history as the Schwitzer manufacturing facility. Its founder, Louie Schwitzer was not only a brilliant engineer, he was also an inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Schwitzer won the first automotive race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 19, 1909. He went on to design the engine for the famed Marmon Wasp that Ray Harroun drove to victory in the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. To this day, the Louis H. Schwitzer Award for Engineering Innovation and Excellence is presented at the Indianapolis Speedway prior to the running of the Indy 500.
The name “Factory Arts District,” developed in partnership with local creatives, is a nod both to the property’s industrial roots, as well as to its present and future as a place for art, culture, and community.
While the name “Factory Arts District” describes the entire 16-acre site, Teagen is also unveiling names for each of the buildings located within the district. 1125 Brookside Ave. is now Factory Arts North. 1011 Massachusetts Ave. will be known as Factory Arts South.
