INDIANAPOLIS — Storytelling Arts of Indiana and Indiana Landmarks proudly present the story behind one of the most ambitious development projects in the history of Indianapolis. The two organizations invite the public to “If These Walls Could Tell: Bottleworks Hotel” on Sunday, March 3 at 4 p.m. at Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 N. Central Ave., for a matinee performance. A livestream option is also available for audience members who would like to watch from home.
Hendricks Commercial Properties won Indiana Landmarks’ 2023 Cook Cup for Outstanding Restoration for its transformation of the former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant into the Bottleworks District, a $300 million, 12-acre culinary, arts and entertainment hub in the Mass Ave Cultural Arts District.
Celestine Bloomfield researched the history of the site, creating a story about how Jim and Lee Yuncker decided to start bottling Coca-Cola at their ginger-ale plant in 1931, hiring notable Indianapolis architectural firm Rubush & Hunter to design their new plant. The result was an Art Deco showpiece, with a gleaming white terra-cotta façade, bronze storefronts, terrazzo flooring, and boldly tiled walls. Fast forward to 2016, when Hendricks Commercial Properties redeveloped the site as a multi-use complex, turning the former industrial building into a 139-room boutique hotel. The results are simply magnificent, attracting visitors from around the world, with Yelp recently naming the Bottleworks Hotel the best place to stay in the U.S.
Visitors to downtown have come to appreciate the small businesses in the Garage, Living Room Theatre’s first run cinema, and the quick and easy access to Mass Ave. and the arts scene a few blocks away at the Circle City Industrial Complex.
While Coca-Cola began bottling their signature beverage at the property in 1931, by 1950, the plant was considered the largest in the world, with over 260 workers and housing 110 delivery trucks. The property was purchased in 1964 by Tony Hulman for his collection of vintage cars, and then bought again in 1968, where it was first converted to a central kitchen, used for storage and a woodworking shop, and as classrooms for experimental and adult education. Later, buses were maintained on the property.
Construction began on the historic property and the developers were extremely sensitive to the Art Deco elements, and worked hard to preserve the floors, and especially the facades that were beloved even before the revitalization of the area.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, online or in person, $25 for a household to watch the livestream and can be purchased online at Storytellingarts.org.
