The city of Indianapolis has offered to buy the Eleven Park site from Indianapolis-based developer Keystone Group, citing it believes hundreds of human remains are still there.
But a Keystone official called the purchase offer a “half-baked idea” and said the company is continuing to work with the community on reinterring those buried at the site.
In a May 22 letter to Keystone owner Ersal Ozdemir that was shared with Mirror Indy, Dan Parker, who is Mayor Joe Hogsett’s chief of staff, said the city believes as many as 650 remains are still located on just one acre of the roughly 20-acre site on the west side of downtown.
The anticipated cost for “proper treatment of remains” on the one acre is $12 million, the letter says. The letter does not address how many remains might be on the remaining acres.
In the letter, Parker said the city knew the site was home to multiple cemeteries that have become known collectively as Greenlawn Cemetery, which included a section designated for some of the city’s earliest Black residents. Mirror Indy published a report May 1 that shined a light on the history of Greenlawn and the efforts of community advocates to ensure the graves are respected.
“As we have learned more about the site, the city has sought to take an active role in an effort to right the wrongs committed more than a century ago when the resting place of Indianapolis’ first residents were erased from the map and paved over,” Parker says in the letter. “Knowing what we know now, any proposed future development ought to follow a painstaking and inclusive community conversation on the different perspectives about how to respect the history of the site and the individuals still laid to rest there.”
In a statement, Jennifer Pavlik, chief of staff and senior vice president at Keystone, accused the Hogsett administration of spreading misinformation.
“We intend to correct the record as it relates to our ongoing efforts to work with the community to offer peaceful reinterment for those buried in a site that for over a century has been disregarded and disrespected,” Pavlik said. “Rather than respond to Mr. Parker’s last-ditch effort to salvage the bungled rollout of a half-baked idea, it is our hope Mayor Hogsett will once again retake the reins of his own administration and join us in a thoughtful, adult discussion on the future of soccer and downtown development in our state’s capital city.”
In a statement, Hogsett spokeswoman Aliya Wishner said the city’s offer came in response to “concerns raised by the community.”
“The offer comes in light of concerns raised by the community after more than a year of research has uncovered the truly historic nature of these hallowed grounds and remains still located on the site,” the statement read in part. “Following in the legacy of our city’s sports strategy, we remain focused on uniting our community around the strongest application for a Major League Soccer club. Working together, we can build a brighter future while acknowledging and honoring our history.”
Two prominent community advocates both told Mirror Indy they support the city’s effort.
Eunice Trotter, director of the Black Heritage Preservation Program at Indiana Landmarks, told Mirror Indy it’s a good idea for the city to buy the land.
“I think that it reflects the significance and importance of this historic site and the city’s willingness to acknowledge it,” said Trotter, who also is part of a community advisory group established in response to concerns about the people still buried at the cemetery.
As for the city’s estimate of how many human remains the one acre of land may contain, Trotter said even 650 is probably too low.
Leon Bates, a historian who also is part of the advisory group, said he hopes Keystone accepts the offer.
“I think the city being willing to buy the property from the developer is a fair proposition based on the fact that there’s going to be a lot of very expensive remediation of this property,” Bates said.
Hogsett pitches MLS stadium
The purchase offer comes a month after Keystone accused Hogsett of backing out of a deal to build the $1.5-billion Eleven Park development, which would include a new soccer stadium for Indy Eleven and other amenities such as apartments and restaurants.
Instead, Hogsett proposed an alternative site for a soccer stadium, maintaining his plan is the city’s best shot at landing a Major League Soccer expansion team. A City-County Council committee is set to weigh Hogsett’s plan at a meeting May 28.
Ozdemir has insisted the city should get behind Eleven Park. An ad that ran during the Indiana Pacers’ playoff game May 21 urged Hogsett and the City-County Council to support the project. And a texting campaign links to a petition that says the project is “ready to build.”
The city has already paid Keystone $2 million in 2023 for one acre needed for the Henry Street bridge, an area where human remains were found last year.
It isn’t clear how much the city will offer for the remainder of the site, but Parker wrote the city is proposing to pay market value — defined as no more than the average of two appraisals of the property.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers economics. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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