Downtown Terre Haute.

AuthorHoefer, Heather
PositionRegional Report: West

Out-of-towners don't tend to consider Terre Haute--French for "high land"--a significant vacation hot spot.

Not yet anyway.

Mayor Judy Anderson and other civic leaders hope to change the perceptions of Indiana's 10th-largest city with a five-year initiative designed to redefine the area's downtown into a thriving business and recreation center.

"We think we're sort of unique, but we've been stale for far too long," Anderson says. "And we're ready to take off."

Last year, the mini-metropolis nestled on a plateau alongside the Wabash River was chosen by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns Foundation as one of 10 "pilot cities" to take part in a statewide downtown-revitalization project. The foundation put city officials in touch with HyettPalma, an Alexandria, Va.-based consulting firm that studied Terre Haute and, through numerous interviews and town meetings, developed a "Downtown Action Agenda."

Steve Witt, executive director of the Terre Haute Department of Redevelopment, says the study focused on renovating vacant historical buildings and adding more specialty shops, offices, restaurants and housing. "A lot of stuff has been done or is in the process," Witt says.

The biggest project is the $17 million restoration of the Terre Haute House, a high-rise built in 1927 at the heart of the downtown area. "You can't talk about downtown Terre Haute without that building," says Doyle Hyett, co-owner of HyettPalma.

In its glory days, the Terre Haute House was a grand hotel that housed dances, conferences and formal get-togethers. But the nine-story building has been vacant for 30 years, and recent proposals for reuse have fallen short on financing and vision--until now.

Witt says for the past 18 months, a local developer has been working to raise funds for the building. And, Anderson says, there is talk of making the Terre Haute House into a Marriott hotel.

"This is more than an idea," says Witt. "But it's not reality yet."

Witt says another building of concern is the post office, another historic landmark located south of town. With the help of a local group, city officials are working to give the building a facelift. Along the same street, city officials acquired $18 million to build a parking garage.

Garmong Development Co. got the downtown development ball rolling in 2001 with 8,000 square feet of Class A commercial space off of Eighth Street, says Lee Akers, the company s director of marketing. "When all is said and done, we will have...

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