Preserve Greater Indy hosts the next Rust Belt Takeover of Indianapolis from September 28-30, 2018. The weekend will be centered around downtown Indianapolis and its surrounding historic neighborhoods, including Fountain Square, Lockerbie Square, Fletcher Place, Mass Ave, and the Old Northside. Registration is now open! Here is a summary of the planned weekend (all events are subject to change).

Friday, September 28th

Obscure Indianapolis – All weekend, Citywide

For those arriving early, pick up a copy of the Urban Times to find a guide on some lesser-known sites to check out on your own around downtown and beyond.

Takeover Kickoff

6 p.m. Indiana City Brewing (24 Shelby St.)

Kick-off the Rust Belt Takeover with Preserve Greater Indy at a local craft brewery.

Mass Ave Bar Crawl

8 p.m. Massachusetts Avenue

Hear from the leaders of nearby historic neighborhood groups and take a stroll (and have drink or two) along the historic Mass Ave. corridor.

Saturday, September 29th

I-65/I-70 Panel Discussion & Advocacy, 10 a.m. McGowan Hall (1305 N. Delaware St.)

A panel of local leaders and neighborhood groups will share their perspectives on the potential impacts of proposed rehabilitation alternatives for Indianapolis’ downtown highway system in terms of social justice and the historic neighborhoods surrounding the interstates. Following the panel discussion, there will be resources on hand to write to elected representatives the express your views on how local infrastructure projects affect your community.

Lockerbie Neighborhood Tour, 2 p.m. Lockerbie Square

Lockerbie People’s Club will host a tour of Indianapolis’s first locally protected historic neighborhood. Preservationists had to take on the c.1965 “Lockerbie Fair” plan, which would have demolished most of the neighborhood to create a Disneyland-esque attraction around the James Whitcomb Riley house, home to the celebrated Hoosier poet.

City Market Catacombs Tour, 2 p.m. City Market (222 E. Market St.)

Join Indianapolis City Market and Indiana Landmarks on a guided tour into the 1886 City Market catacombs, the long-hidden ruin of Tomlinson Hall, which burned in in 1958 and now sits beneath City Market’s Whistler Plaza.

LGBT Sites Tour, 2 p.m. Downtown

Indy’s LGBTQ community saw dramatic change and notable events from the late 1970s into the early 1990s. Join our partner, Indiana Humanities, on an interactive tour of the critical places around Indianapolis and a historic reenactment of Nurse Safe Sexx — a character created in 1985 to raise money for AIDs relief. A shuttle will carry attendees to different sites.

Imbibe Game Room, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Fountain Square Theater Building (1105 Shelby St.)

(21+) Join the takeover for a private reservation of the Imbibe Game Room in the historic Fountain Square Theatre Building. Food, brews, cocktails, and free plays of the games.

Virginia Avenue Bar Crawl, 8 p.m. Fountain Square/Fletcher Place

See Virginia Avenue’s historic buildings, bars, and nightlife in the Fountain Square and Fletcher Place neighborhoods.

Sunday, September 30th

Rubush & Hunter Architectural Tour, 10 a.m. Monument Circle

Join the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) on a walking tour through Downtown Indianapolis and dive into salacious stories behind one of Indianapolis’ most prolific architecture firms, which operated from 1905-1938.

Kessler Park & Boulevard System Bike Tour, 10 a.m. Near North Side (Meet on the north end of Mass Ave.)

Join PGI on a tour of Indianapolis’s National Register-listed Park & Boulevard System originally designed by George Kessler in 1909. The tour focuses on City Beautiful infrastructure and landscape architecture elements and how they have been incorporated into the contemporary city. BYOB or rent one from Indiana Pacers Bikeshare.

Takeover Wrap-up, 12 p.m. Mug-n-Bun (5211 W. 10th St.)

Lunch, wrap-up, and a look ahead to the next Rust Belt Takeover.

Indiana Medical History Museum Tours, 2 p.m. Indiana Medical History Museum (3045 W Vermont St.)

Join the Indiana Medical History Museum and Preserve Greater Indy at the final event of the Rust Belt Takeover as we take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Old Pathology Building and grounds of the nineteenth century Central State Hospital campus.