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    • Butler University plans million to upgrade Clowes Memorial Hall
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    Butler University plans $9 million to upgrade Clowes Memorial Hall

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    Butler University leaders announced a multimillion-dollar investment Wednesday to improve Clowes Memorial Hall and make the campus a center for arts and entertainment.

    A $9 million grant from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Memorial Foundation will support renovations and expansion of Clowes Memorial Hall as well as the construction of a new 1,400-seat concert hall that can also serve as a private event space.

    “It makes us the ideal place for the performing arts, for Broadway shows, for comedians,” James Danko, president of Butler University, told IndyStar.

    Improvements and renovations to Clowes Memorial Hall will begin in June 2025

    The donation is the second largest in the history of the Allen Whitehill Clowes Memorial Foundation, an organization named in honor of the man who helped build the 2,100-seat hall, which opened in 1963.

    The venue has seen significant revenue growth in recent years. Aaron Hurt, vice president of arts, events and business management at the university, said Clowes’ revenue increased from $2.5 million in 2017-18 to $8 million a year. last year.

    James Lemler, president of the Allen Whitehill Clowes Memorial Foundation, said the investment represents a revival for the beloved performance hall, which hosts lectures, Broadway tours, stand-up comedians and more. It fits with Clowes’ own vision for the space, he said.

    “For Allen, he had a particular interpretation,” Lemler said, “that the arts really strengthened human life and made a big difference in people’s experience, joy and empowerment.”

    Planned renovations to Clowes Memorial Hall include four phases, beginning in June 2025:

    • Phase 1 will include seating improvements, including the addition of several open-air suites, and restroom renovations and expansions, including the addition of more than a dozen gender-neutral amenities.
    • Phase 2 will double the number of loading docks, speeding up the unloading and loading of tours such as rock shows or Broadway tours.
    • Phase 3 will include stage improvements to better meet the needs of artists and large events.
    • Phase 4 will be the addition of the Allen Whitehill Clowes Ballroom. The event space, located in the building’s east lobby, will open in spring 2027.

    The hall is expected to be closed from June to October 2025 during the first three phases of renovation.

    Butler Gateway project seeks to connect campus to Midtown Indy

    The Clowes Hall renovations mark the launch of a broader development strategy to strengthen the university’s connection to Midtown Indianapolis, known as the Gateway Project.

    Danko said his goals as university president focus on “the four A’s”: academics, arts, athletics and access. The goal is to improve each of these aspects, he said, to create a more vibrant campus and improve the quality of life for students and residents.

    “Butler is a regional hub five miles from downtown, where there is so much going on,” Danko said. “There are very few campuses in the country where you feel that intimate atmosphere of 4,500 students, but yet you could see a national performing arts show at Clowes and maybe the next day go to a football game Big East basketball.”

    The Clowes Hall renovations represent the centerpiece of Butler’s Midtown Arts District project, a $100 million initiative to make the university a hub for arts, entertainment, education and community connections. Future plans include additional venues, such as a convention center between Clowes Memorial Hall and the Sunset Avenue parking lot, as well as a new outdoor plaza to the south of the site.

    “I truly and completely believe that Clowes was built to accommodate the arts organizations here in Indianapolis,” Hurt said, noting that at the time of its opening, the venue was home to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Hurt said one goal was the creation of a fund, supported by the university’s entertainment revenue, that would allow local nonprofit arts organizations free access to these spaces.

    “One of the biggest obstacles a small arts organization faces is the cost of renting a venue and paying for the labor to put on the show,” he said. “Knowing the original intent of Clowes Hall, it seems entirely appropriate to propose a current model to achieve this.”

    Hurt said it’s important for the university to consider not only students and faculty, but also neighbors.

    “I really think what we’re doing through the Midtown Arts District plan and, really, Clowes, is a gateway to meeting the university in a new way,” Hurt said.

    Looking for things to do? Our newsletter features the best concerts, artwork, shows and more, along with the stories behind them.

    Contact IndyStar pop culture reporter Holly Hays at [email protected]. Follow her on X/Twitter: @hollyvhays.

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