Aspire House, is an 1897 landmark five miles from downtown Indianapolis. In danger of demolition; the building is being repurposed as a community space with a goal of moving this area from blight to revitalization.
The population in the area is primarily African American and mostly single. Thirty-one is the median age of residents. Nearly half of the residents have lived in their homes for at least five years. While the neighborhood surrounding the fire house has suffered business divestiture, is a food desert, with no access to basic neighborhood services; The 46208 zip code that it shares is home to notable employers/real estate. Butler University, Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Riverside Park, Ivy Tech Community College, Chritian Theological Seminary, Coffin Golf Course, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, are its impressive neighbors.
Revitalizing this structure will serve at the catalyst for others to invest in this neighborhood. The Aspire House will unite the building’s owners, residents, local college art students and others to create a functunal building. The building’s abandoned contents will be artistically re-purposed into functional pieces. The first floor of the building will provide a creative space for arts and culture. The space will showcase art creations and installations that reflects the history of the Firehouse. The second and third floor of the buidling wil be residential units. This project encourages others interested in living in this revitalized neighborhood, to partner on projects that further develop the community; like using materials from renovated homes, up-cycling them into artistic pieces – with Aspire House leading the way to such collaborative works.