Purdue University in Indianapolis plans to buy another property on Indiana Avenue.
The university’s Board of Trustees approved the $4 million purchase of 510 Indiana Ave. and 420-422 W. Michigan St. on April 10. The two addresses make up one property.Â
The property, which is about a quarter acre, includes a three-story building. The property was previously the site of the former Second Baptist Church, home of the first Black congregation in Indianapolis, according to the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. The church sold the building in 1992.Â
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In the 1960s, Indiana University began to acquire around 300 acres of land to found IUPUI.
Most recently, the property was used as commercial office space, though a portion was converted into a residence in the 1970s.Â
In the last year, Purdue has been buying up land on the west side as it develops its new downtown campus.
The university has already acquired several other properties in the area, including what’s now the college’s student center on Indiana Avenue, two apartment buildings located on West Street and Indiana Avenue and the former site of the American College of Sports Medicine on Michigan Street. Most of the properties were purchased by Purdue Research Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Purdue, with plans to transfer ownership to the university eventually.Â
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Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, at 317-759-0249 or on most social media @clairerafford.
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