INDIANAPOLIS — Clowes Memorial Hall on Butler University's campus is a historically glamorous place to watch a concert or play. The 60-year-old venue will soon receive a multi-million dollar renovation to keep up with the times.
A $9 million grant from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation will fund upgrades to Clowes Hall, which should all be completed by 2027.
"In the mid-'90s and early 2000s, we kind of fell off," said Clowes Memorial Hall general manager Aaron Hurt. "Now we're pushing hard to come back."
The updates include a new multipurpose performance venue attached to the theatre which can hold 1,200 fans.
They also include improved seating in the Clowes Hall boxes, which will add suites to the terraces.
"I'll be able to pop up from my box seat and walk over to what will be an open-air suite," Hurt said.
Clowes Memorial Hall opened in 1963. Hurt said he is personally invested in keeping the venue as relevant as it was the day it opened.
"My grandfather worked here on opening weekend and hung the red main curtain that is still up today, and my dad's first job was as a stagehand sweeping the floor after the shows," Hurt said. "It's still operating the way it is here today 60 years later. We want to do that investment again so that for another 60 years, we've put the puzzle pieces in place to keep the building going."
The Clowes Hall renovation plans join a slew of new concert venue announcements across Indianapolis in 2024.
The Hi-Fi in Fountain Square announced last month it will enclose its Annex performance space in 2026.
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Earlier in the year, Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon revealed plans for a $300 million entertainment complex across from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which includes a 4,000-seat theatre operated by Live Nation.
Hurt said he embraces the other new venues coming to Indianapolis and Clowes Hall's role in the entertainment scene.
"I think it's great for the city," Hurt said. "I think there's a lot of artists that have skipped Indianapolis because we didn't have the right mix of venues and we've all recognized that."
The renovation and expansion projects will launch the development of a $100 million Midtown Arts District development. The district plan is part of the Butler Gateway Project, the plan to connect Butler University and Midtown Indianapolis.
"Thanks to the incredibly generous generosity of the Allen Whitehill Clowes charitable foundation Butler University is once again poised to lead a new era in the uplifting and renewal of our city," Butler University President, James Danko said.
Renovations to the existing Clowes Hall will begin in June and will be completed in phases. The first phase includes the addition of open-air suites, restroom renovation, and expansion. Phase 2 will install two loading docks for large-scale and Broadway events. Phase 3 will focus on stage upgrades.
The new event space is Phase 4 and is expected to open in the spring of 2027, which is around the same time the university plans to open a Curio Hotel by Hilton on campus.
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