It’s hard to believe that a year ago, the city of Indianapolis was abuzz with all the excitement that comes with hosting a Super Bowl. While the zipline and downtown Super Bowl Village are fond memories, there is a part of the Super Bowl that remains: the Super Bowl Legacy Project on the near east side.
Actually, the Project was a host of projects, ranging from establishing the Chase Near Eastside Legacy Center on the campus of Arsenal Tech High School, the St. Clair Place Home Ownership Project, St. Clair Senior Apartments, the CommonWealth School 3 Project, Clifford Corners, and the People’s Health Center building. The John H. Boner Community Center worked in partnership with other organizations in the area, plus the Super Bowl Host Committee, to help kick start the revitalization of the area, with the Super Bowl in Indianapolis as a deadline. For years, the organizations planned, raised funds, built community collaborations, and succeeded in making significant changes to the near east side.
By Super Bowl time in 2012, most of the goals set forward in the initial project were completed. Ribbons were cut, ground broken, and new initiatives were announced and applauded. While other aspects of the Super Bowl faded to black, the Legacy Project and its many programs have continued to grow and inspire. For example, the Legacy Center at Tech continues to attract new members to the gym and health center, and new classes and workshops meet there. Once the weather warms, gardens will be planted and nurtured on the grounds — a symbol of the enduring belief of eastsiders in the future of their neighborhoods.
To celebrate the one year anniversary of the Project, there was an art unveiling at the John H. Boner Center on January 31. Artists (and Irvington residents) Holly and Dave Combs created the piece “More Beautiful Together” using floorboards from the Legacy Center, repurposed Super Bowl XLVI banners, and self-portraits of local middle school students. The work hangs in the stairwell of the community center on East 10th St. as a reminder of the community spirit and momentum created by the Super Bowl.
Dave Combs said that they submitted the idea for the artwork after thinking about the real legacy left after the Super Bowl — community spirit. “Holly said ‘think about those three words: more, beautiful, together.’ She created a computer rendering and submitted the work online.” Dave and Holly heard that they had won, and began piecing the work together over Christmas break. The installation at the John H. Boner Center hangs as a reminder of the many elements that came together during the years leading up to the Super Bowl, and the momentum that propels the neighborhoods on the east side forward.
Megan Fetters, the Community Builder for the near eastside said that the attention and funding that stemmed from the Super Bowl Legacy Projects have lead to very visible results as people drive down East 10th Street and the near east side. But there are other effects as well. “We’ve revised the Quality of Life Plan for the near east side,” she noted. “Some items got completed sooner than we thought they would. Others have been revamped.”
Fetters is especially excited about the new-found cooperation and collaboration in the neighborhood, and how residents and leaders alike have embraced the positive changes that have come from the Legacy Project. “It generated a lot of excitement and opened a lot of doors,” she said. “Now the task is to keep the momentum going.”
Ways to make the east side even better will be discussed at the 42nd Annual NESCO Congress on February 16 from 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Chase Near Eastside Legacy Center, 727 N. Oriental St. Speakers from AARP, the FACE Clinic, and others will be on hand to talk about the direction of neighborhood development with residents. The public is invited to attend; there will be a breakfast pitch-in at 8:30 a.m. so bring a favorite breakfast dish to share.
