Hotel Indy

Reimagined Concrete Cube

Prominently located at the intersection of East Washington and Delaware Streets in downtown Indianapolis, this 1969 office building was ready to emerge from its Brutalist movement roots into the 21st century. We saw the opportunity to leverage the existing building’s simple and rational architectural forms and evolve them into something softer and more sophisticated, creating a uniquely Indy hospitality experience.

Hotel Indy, a member of the Tribute Portfolio by Marriott, is a design-forward boutique hotel that fosters a strong sense of local connection. To create a welcoming atmosphere, we replaced granite cladding with expansive glazing on the first and second floors, while also removing the fortress-like parapet wall and adding a sixth floor with a rooftop bar. Repositioning the main entrance towards Delaware Street maximized space for a ground-floor restaurant, with a dramatic double-height bar area, enhancing the arrival experience and optimizing vehicular access. Leveraging the property’s western edge, we preserved a brick wall to create a captivating courtyard for outdoor dining, events, and meetings.

Giving Granite New Life

The imposing granite cladding that wrapped the lower levels of the original building was removed in order to create a more open and welcoming aesthetic but wasn’t wasted. The granite was reused in the hotel’s renovated spaces, including the new rooftop bar.

Moving Metal

Vertical dichroic metal fins knit together the lower and upper levels and create a dynamic element as the material shifts color from green to red to orange, depending on the view and lighting conditions. The same 1960s and ‘70s inspired color palette is used through the hotel interior.

Creating Contrast

Rich bronze metal is used for the new glass framing on the first and second floors, for the entry canopies, and for a new cornice at the top of the building—all consistent with the bronze framing on the upper-level windows that remained in place.

Celebrating Simplicity

Hotel Indy’s original waffle-slab structural system is the basis for its rational and functional grid, including a central stair and elevator core. The concrete coffered ceilings are exposed and highlighted on the interior as much as possible.