The Iron Skillet building on 30th Street will avoid demolition — for now. All options for its future use are on the table, but its ultimate fate will depend on how much money is available for its renovation or development.
Indy Parks officials spoke to Riverside residents at a public hearing Nov. 3 at the Riverside Park Family Center.
The Indy Parks board voted to demolish the building in August, citing the $3 million price tag for renovation — more than half of the department’s yearly capital improvement budget.
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Some residents opposed the plan, saying it would destroy a valuable part of the neighborhood’s history, and that the decision was made without a wide-reaching effort to ask the community what it wants.
Indy Parks director Brittany Crone said the department would pause the building’s demolition and consider several concepts for the site’s future use, including some that would preserve the Iron Skillet building.
“We will not be moving forward with the demolition unless you all tell us, ‘Hey, we agree,’” Crone said. “We have our duty to you all as taxpayers to protect the asset as it is and also pave the way forward, with your support, of course, to have something that celebrates the history of this space and celebrates the community.”
What Riverside residents think
Some Riverside residents, including Wildstyle Paschall, believe every effort should be taken to try to preserve the building or risk perpetuating the erasure of German culture.
The Iron Skillet building was built on former farm land belonging to a German immigrant named August Wacker, who sold the property to Indianapolis in 1898.
During World War I, Indianapolis and many other cities disavowed their links to German immigrants and changed the names of German-sounding roads and other city property. In Indianapolis, street names like Bismarck Avenue and Germania Avenue were changed to Pershing Avenue and Belleview Place.
“I think Riverside has been home to so many different cultures that we ought to be really representing now,” Paschall said.
Other residents believe the neighborhood should move on from the property.
“When I look at it, it’s just a big old house that I have no personal connection to,” said Adelle Stokes. “I just love the idea of something new, something different. We don’t have to save everything just because it’s old.”
Neighborhood historian Phyllis Hackett proposed creating a neighborhood task force to learn what the neighborhood wants, like was created to decide the fate of the Thomas Taggart Memorial.
That crumbling monument was restored after community members, Indiana Landmarks and The Parks Alliance secured a $9 million Lilly Endowment grant. The outdoor amphitheater built next to the monument is now used for concerts and other events.
“When you have people that have vested interest in an opportunity to revitalize the neighborhood, then I think it brings attention to our neighborhood,” she said. “I think that hearing the voices of many is better than not hearing the voices of anyone and determining what their priorities are.”
Crone said Indy Parks would reach out to neighborhood residents in the coming months for future talks about the Iron Skillet building.
Options being considered
The city is looking at four options for the former Iron Skillet property, which range in cost from $9.7 million to $19 million.
Click the tabs below to see renderings of each option and how much it would cost.
Crone said the option that is ultimately chosen will be based on what the neighborhood wants and whether there is money available to get it done. That, she said, would require funding from sources like the Parks Alliance, CICF or the Lilly Endowment.
One major concern expressed by city officials is the potential for vandalism, such as thieves stealing copper wiring and other metals, while the building remains vacant. If that happens, it could drain funds that could be used for the building.
“I would hate for the building just to sit and constantly deteriorate,” Crone said. “The more it deteriorates, the more expensive it will be to try to renovate.”
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Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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