Marian University will start work to restore historic VA hospital this year

INDIANAPOLIS — The former Veterans Affairs hospital on Cold Spring Road, later known at Larue Carter Hospital, is starting to show its age after it emptied out in 2019. Nearby Marian University is about ready to rehabilitate the historic fixer-upper.

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The university will make the 94-year-old hospital building the centerpiece of its Riverside Education Innovation District, or REID. Marian plans to start transforming the space into a community education center later this year.

"It's about partnering on literacy initiatives and lifelong educational attainment from cradle to career," said Chris Creighton, Marian University's Vice President of Innovation and Growth. "When I look at the building, I see the potential."

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According to Creighton, the work will take about two years to complete. When it's done, organizations and educators from all across the community will have space in the center to help children learn.

"The positive potential for the Northwest area is limitless," Creighton said. "Working together, we can bring this property back to life and continue to improve."

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Creighton said the university is not intimidated by the size, age, or decay of the former VA because of the benefits it could have for the community when fixed up.

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"I think a lot of people see the problems that the buildings have and the work that needs to be done, but I see the progress that we will make in the coming years," Creighton said.