Trades District’s Showers Administration Building sold to Eurton Properties
The City of Bloomington’s Redevelopment Commission completed the sale of the Showers Administration Building at 601 N. Morton Street on December 15, 2022. The purchaser, Eurton Qualified Opportunity Fund, LLC, took possession of the property at closing. The purchase price was $400,000 and included the roughly 18,400 square-foot building and the .19-acre lot immediately to the north of the building.
Designed in 1916, the building contained management offices of the Showers Brothers Furniture Company and an auditorium large enough to accommodate 900 seats on the second floor. The Showers brothers sponsored a number of company events including professional performances, silent films, and dances. The building was purchased by Indiana University in the 1950s and housed the Indiana University Press until early 2013.
The City of Bloomington Redevelopment Commission assumed ownership of the building in 2011 as part of a larger acquisition of approximately 12-acres of property from Indiana University, which also included the building redeveloped into the Mill, the adjacent Kiln building, and additional lots to the west. These properties became the Certified Technology Park and Trades District. The City has invested more than $150,000 to replace the building’s roof and stabilize exterior brickwork.
Eurton is actively performing a preliminary restoration of the building’s interior and intends to solicit potential tenants this year. The plan is to restore the building to its former condition with the goal of it looking as it did to Showers employees. Eurton’s team has already opened up the upstairs cathedral ceiling and are currently working on other aspects of second floor restoration. Once renovations are further along, Eurton plans on opening the building for one or more public open houses so that the larger Bloomington community can get a look at what was described when it opened as “the prettiest building in Bloomington.”
IU expanding Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering name to Indianapolis
Indiana University is building on its leadership in computing and informatics education by giving its schools in Bloomington and Indianapolis a singular identity. The IU School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI will be renamed the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, effective Jan. 11 — aligning with the Bloomington campus.View print quality imageThe Informatics and Communications Technology Complex building at IUPUI. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
Unifying the schools under one name will strengthen the connection between the campuses and streamline collaboration, providing more opportunities for the work of students, faculty, staff and alumni to have a positive impact on Indiana and beyond. Since what is now known as the Luddy School was established in 2000, it has been under the leadership of one dean, based on the Bloomington campus, with separate but coordinated local management in Indianapolis. Each campus will retain its current degree programs and students, with plans for future expansions.
The Luddy School is named after IU alumnus and information technology pioneer Fred Luddy, the founder of ServiceNow, recently named the world’s most innovative company by Forbes.
Grant Funding Available to Nonprofits, Community Organizations, and Small Businesses Through City’s 2023 Solar, Energy Efficiency, & Lighting (SEEL) Program
The City of Bloomington’s Department of Economic and Sustainable Development is providing grant funding of up to $25,000 and technical assistance for organizations and small businesses to improve building efficiency and install solar through the 2023 Solar, Energy Efficiency, & Lighting (SEEL) Program. Nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses are invited to apply beginning January 18.
Nonprofit organizations, schools, early childhood centers, libraries, healthcare facilities, grocery stores, and small businesses with under 500 full-time employees that own at least one facility that is at least 3,000 square feet within city limits are eligible to participate. If an organization rents its facility, the organization is eligible to participate with permission to participate in the program from the property owner.
The SEEL program will offer two grant tracks for applicants in 2023- energy efficiency or solar grants. The energy efficiency grant track will provide matching grants of $10,000 for energy efficiency upgrades, as well as sponsor the cost of an energy assessment (valued at $3,000) to be performed by IFF. Eligible projects for energy efficiency grant funding include LED conversion or upgrades, ventilation and cooling upgrades (including HVAC), and water heater upgrades. Organizations completing solar projects will receive a solar feasibility assessment from the SEEL program partner, MPI Solar, and a $25,000 grant for an 8 kW minimum solar system installation or addition.
Prospective funding applicants to the SEEL program are invited to learn more by attending a hybrid information session on January 18 at 12 pm via Zoom or at City Hall in the McCloskey Conference Room. Register for the information session at: https://bton.in/rCV6a. More information about the program and the application form link is available at bloomington.in.gov/sustainability/seel. Questions about the program should be directed to sustain@bloomington.in.gov.
This Week in Hoosier History
1927 – George Taliaferro was born in Tennessee, but his family moved to Gary, Indiana, where he graduated from Gary Roosevelt High School. He became a star football player and attended Indiana University where he played halfback, quarterback, defensive back, and kicker. He led the Hoosiers to an undefeated Big Ten Conference championship. He became a professional player and the first African American drafted by the National Football League.
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