INDIANAPOLIS — The City of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana have finalized an agreement to exchange properties. As part of the agreement, the City will take possession of the former Indiana Women’s Prison property, located at 401 N. Randolph St., while the State will acquire the property at 2600 S. Harding St., along with a portion of 710 N. Sherman Dr.
Under the terms of the agreement, the city will assume control of the historic former Women’s Prison, and the state will get the Indianapolis Animal Care site on Harding St. after the IACS moves to the new location on Raymond and Emerson. The state will also take 7.7 acres of Sherman Park, located at Michigan and Sherman on the east side. The property exchange is scheduled for completion by November 2024.
The former Indiana Women’s Prison, established in 1873, holds a significant place in U.S. history as the first separate institution for female inmates. For over a century, the facility operated on Indianapolis’s eastside, before the Women’s Prison moved to its current location on Girls School Road in 2009. The Randolph Street site later became the Indianapolis Re-Entry Educational Facility (IREF) before closing its doors in 2017. Since then, control of the vacant property has been under the Indiana Department of Administration.