2024 Annual Report:
Expansion helps White River State Park embrace the river and welcome visitors with new ways to enjoy the park.
One of the most prominent natural features of Central Indiana—the White River—has long been inaccessible to visitors to the urban park. The 250-acre White River State Park is home to an array of attractions, including the Indianapolis Zoo, the Eiteljorg Museum, the Indiana State Museum, Victory Field, the Canal Walk and Everwise Amphitheater. Yet the park has never fully embraced the river that is its namesake.
That’s changing. Plans for a 12-acre, multi-million dollar expansion project call for White River State Park to have a riverside promenade, a 150-seat outdoor theater overlooking the river and a large shade pavilion. In 2024, Lilly Endowment approved a $30 million grant to the White River State Park Development Commission to help fund those features. Most of the grant is expected to support the re-purposing of the former General Motors Stamping Plant site into the Kahn Pavilion.
Designed by renowned industrial architect Albert Kahn, the stamping plant was a landmark in industrial design and housed the GM facility from 1930 through 2011. The factory played an important role during World War II and at its peak employed nearly 5,000 workers. Preserving this piece of Indianapolis manufacturing history was an important consideration for the commission and other stakeholders in developing plans for the park expansion.
Expected to be completed in 2027, the expansion is part of the 100-acre White River Innovation District, which will be anchored by the global headquarters of Elanco and Purdue University.