This transformative downtown Indianapolis development includes The Alexander – a world-class LEED Silver business hotel, contemporary high-end apartments, restaurants, retail shops and a state-of-the-art YMCA. But this project is more than just bricks and mortar. It’s more than a well-planned mixed-use development. It’s a game changer. And trust us – there was nothing easy about it. Like most good ideas, this one started as a lofty “what if” back in 2009. A vision between Lilly stakeholders and Brad Chambers, CEO of Buckingham, the project began as a connecting point or gateway for the Lilly corporate campus and the Central Business District. The space between the corporate campuses of some of Indy’s largest employers sat largely underutilized – an expansive sea of surface parking. Stakeholders talked about creating a neighborhood that could bridge the gap between downtown and South Street. Always up for a good challenge, the Buckingham wheels started turning and never stopped.
The Challenge?
Build a 10-acre master-planned neighborhood, in an urban downtown setting, with 250 luxury apartments, a 209-room boutique hotel, and 40,000 square feet of retail space – at the height of the economic downturn. Public and consumer confidence was at an all-time low. Financing was scarce if not non-existent. Buckingham believed in this project. Our partners believed in this project. Perseverance, patience, and creativity made it a reality. CityWay broke ground the summer of 2011.
The Result?
An award-winning project, CityWay is home to trend-setting apartments that have revitalized the city’s urban rental market, attracting everyone from millennials to empty nesters wanting to go back to downtown living. CityWay is home to The Alexander, a beautifully designed hotel with art at its very core. With more than 50 works of art by 25 contemporary artists and 14 site-specific commissioned works curated by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, The Alexander has established itself as a world-class hotel and an original concept in the international market. Rounding out the residential and hotel components are handpicked retail tenants catering to the conveniences of permanent and transient guests, including an 87,000-square-foot state-of-the-art YMCA, a full-service CVS, and unique restaurant concepts like Plat 99, Cunningham Restaurant Group's Nesso, Taxman Brewery and Yolk.
This exciting project has more than transformed this area of downtown; it has changed the landscape of the city and set the standard for what a Buckingham development looks like. Start with a vision, accept the challenge, get creative, execute, and improve. We planned it, we built it, and we manage it. We love it. It’s what makes CityWay special, and it’s what makes Buckingham a special partner.
TYPE: Mixed-Use Development: upscale apartments, The Alexander hotel, YMCA, medical office, street-level retail
LOCATION: 229 S Delaware St, Indianapolis, IN 46204
COMPLETION DATE: CityWay Phase 1: Opened January 2013 | CityWay Phase 2: Opening Fall 2019
BUCKINGHAM ROLE: Developer, Construction, Owner, Residential Manager, Commercial Manager
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WEBSITE: CityWay.com