Near the U: Highland Quarters is a combined residential/retail/parking facility that opened this fall across Cherry Street from Indiana State University. Staff photo by Jim Willis
Downtown Terre Haute has seen some changes in 2017.
In May, downtown businesses Modern Charm and Millie & Maude moved to Erie Canal Road.
That opened space for the new RJL Solutions LLC., a new bi-partisan advocacy firm that Rachel Leslie, managing partner, will lead. Leslie previously served as executive vice president of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce and most recently as vice president for external relations at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
John Stadler moved his barbershop from 509 Wabash Avenue to Honey Creek West, a strip mall near the Honey Creek Mall. That move paved the way for Campbell Creek Artisan Shop, which is slated to open in October.
Joe Korenski closed his barbershop, Joe’s Hair Center, citing health issues, where he had cut hair along Wabash Avenue since 1977. The closing left no downtown barber’s shop as John Hochhalter’s Esquire Shop had previously closed.
Boo Lloyd, owner of the building that houses Korenski’s former barbershop, said the now empty space is being restored before it is marketed.
“We will renovate and restore that place first,” Lloyd said. “We found a door and original tin ceiling, which we want to restore before leasing it out. We want to do it right. We want to renovate that back to a very nice spot. We do have some business interest,” but Lloyd said she was not able to discuss any new business tenant as the space has not yet been leased.
Insomnia Cookies will soon open downtown in the new Highland Quarters apartment complex, making it the only eatery to move into any of the new downtown apartment structures. Ellis Place at 500 Wabash, The Deming and Highland each have restaurant and retail space unoccupied.
For long time downtown specialty retail business owner Theresa Ortega, attracting retail is the missing component to a resurgent downtown.
“More retail begets a synergy among businesses. People don’t go downtown to visit their broker, pay for a title search or get a pregnancy test if they’re going for fun or entertainment; those trips are for utility,” said Ortega said, owner of Kamikaze Karate Martial Arts and MMA Supply at 618 Wabash Av.
“What brings a downtown alive are merchants/retailers, be they clothing stores, restaurants, gift shops or even martial arts stores. I’m the only merchant open after 5 p.m. on my side of the block, and it’s very lonely. I’d much rather have lots of other shops nearby.”
Ortega has owned her business for 21 years, opening in September 1996. She has seen studies come and go on how to bring in retail to downtown Terre Haute.
“There should be more support of groups like Launch Terre Haute, Powderkeg Terre Haute (formerly Verge Terre Haute), and ISU’s Business Engagement Center as well as the Indiana Small Business Development Center. I just don’t see a lot of synergy with local business/government entities and these organizations helping the small startups and mom-and-pops,” Ortega said.
Ortega said Terre Haute’s downtown is ripe for a 24-hour business, which can cater to late-night hours for students at Indiana State University.
“A big part of the problem as I see it from talking to potential business owners and entrepreneurs is the high entry cost of rental downtown, especially if they have to pay for build-outs in a new building,” Ortega said.
While retail expansion has been slow, the downtown has seen much development over the past 17 years.
While controversial, one component that could be traced back as a spark plug igniting Terre Haute’s downtown resurgent development is Center City, completed in 2000.
The 100-percent public funding building became privately owned in 2006, when Ellis Ventures, co-owned by Mike and Kal Ellis, purchased the building for $1.6 million. The five-story mixed residential and commercial building is now nearly full as well as housing the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce and Terre Haute Economic Development Corp.
In the fall of 2006, Clabber Girl broke ground on a new $8.5 million, 70,000-square-foot manufacturing addition to its facility at Ninth and Cherry Streets Clabber Girl, which makes the nation’s top-selling baking powder and second-highest selling corn starch, produces 80 million cans of product annually in Terre Haute and serves markets in 44 foreign countries. The company also underwent an extensive exterior renovation.
After that came new investment including the Hilton Garden Inn ($12.3 million), Candlewood Suites ($9.75 million) and the Terre Haute Children's Museum ($4.8 million).
In 2008, a new $14 million parking garage opened on Cherry Street, adjacent to Hulman Center, increasing parking for that venue and downtown and creating a new downtown city bus transit transfer station. It was a joint venture between Indiana State University, the city of Terre Haute and federal U.S. Department of Transportation funds.
In 2009, a new 14,000-square-foot federal district court building opened. That paved the way for the 2012 opening of Indiana State University’s new business building after a more than $20 million renovation. The building was later dedicated as Scott College of Business.
In 2011, Thompson Thrift Development announc-ed plans to construct a new three-story professional office building at 925 Wabash Avenue that would serve as yet another building block in redeveloping the eastern edge of downtown Terre Haute.
In 2015, a new five-story building at 500 Wabash Avenue opened. It was a partnership between ISU, Thompson Thrift Development and TIAA-CREF, which financed the $22.7 million project. It features 75 apartments of one through four bedrooms in the upper four floors of the five-story building.
Previous to that, Core Redevelopment opened The Deming, after an extensive remodeling. This year, Core Redevelopment is also developing RiverFront Lofts, a $23 million project near the Wabash River, which is a renovation of the former ICON building. Another near downtown housing development, along Third Street, this year is Annex 41.
Highland Quarters is another new apartment development this year, located on Cherry Street, next to ISU’s Scott College of Business and the Myers Technology Center at ISU. Another development is Lofts of Haute Maison, which features luxury apartments along Seventh Street. It is development from Al Ruckriegel and David Adam, owners of The Ohio Building, which the duo bought in 2003 and renovated. It opened in 2005 as a meeting and event space, as well as a residence for the owners.
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