INDIANAPOLIS—Lumina Foundation will become an anchor tenant of the Bottleworks District’s new office building at 820 Massachusetts Ave. The developer, Beloit, Wisconsin-based Hendricks Commercial Properties, expects to break ground next spring or early summer, with the office building opening by mid-2024. Lumina will occupy 23,700 square feet of the top floor of the five-story building, with access to an adjacent parking garage. The office will serve about 50 Indy-area employees.
The first phase of the Bottleworks project involved redeveloping the former Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. Hendricks converted the iconic art deco structures into the Bottleworks Hotel, The Garage Food Hall, and an eight-screen movie theater, as well as retail shops and restaurants.
The foundation’s lease at 30 S. Meridian St. expires in 2024. Lumina President and CEO Jamie Merisotis said the foundation needed a different collaborative space for its national work—and never considered leaving Indianapolis to find it.
“Even as how and where we work evolves and we bring on more national talent, it’s important for us to commit to Indianapolis as our home,” Merisotis said. “We bring national leaders to Indy as part of our charitable mission of helping more adults get education and training after high school, and they will get to experience the Bottleworks District, which truly is a civic gem.”
JLL, Lumina’s commercial real estate advisor, led the organization through a comprehensive assessment to determine Lumina’s priorities and most effective workplace strategy. The process included hearing from the foundation’s staff on their work experience through the pandemic and desires for the future.
“Our people really matter. The environment in which we work matters,” Tim Robinson, Lumina’s vice president of administration and partnerships, said. “We took advantage of an opportunity to evaluate the foundation’s needs and explore options for putting our people in a world-class office space.”
Lumina’s new office will include collaborative space, individual offices, and an audio-visual production studio. In addition, adding Lumina to the Bottleworks mix will bring more daytime activity to nearby restaurants and shops.
“We are thrilled to welcome Lumina Foundation to Bottleworks,” said Gavin Thomas, Hendricks’ vice president of development. “Lumina is forward-thinking and the perfect addition to a growing group of best-in-class organizations at Bottleworks. We look forward to starting construction and building a long relationship.”