INDIANAPOLIS—An important step in the ongoing effort to revitalize the Lafayette Square area on the Indianapolis northwest side took place Wednesday.
Ground was broken for the new Ivy Tech Automotive Technology Center, just off Lafayette Road in the city's International Marketplace District. The building is expected to open in time for the 2021 fall semester and replaces the existing facility in the 1300 block of East Washington Street. Graduates of the program can find jobs as auto mechanics in the $50,000 pay range.
"This groundbreaking has been years in the making and we are extremely grateful for the generous gifts and funders that helped make this possible,” said Dr. Kathleen Lee, chancellor of Ivy Tech Central Indiana. “While it is bittersweet to leave the East Washington location, we are so happy that TWG Development is going to develop the facility. The neighborhood will be in good hands and our downtown campus is still only a few miles away to serve the community.”
“We’re excited to break ground on this state-of-the-art facility,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “The city is proud to partner with Ivy Tech Community College to make sure the next generation of Indianapolis students have the resources and skills necessary to thrive as they enter the workforce.”
The new Automotive Technology Center will be about 60,000 square feet and will house classrooms, training labs, faculty offices, student commons and corporate labs for the college’s manufacturing partners. Costing $14 million, the facility is one of the $176 million in new developments for the International Marketplace District.
“The International Marketplace neighborhood looks forward to having Ivy Tech as an anchor institution in our community,” said Mary Clark, executive director and founder of the International Marketplace Coalition. “It is one of the many ways we will build diversity and strengthen our community.”
