INDIANAPOLIS — One of the performing arts staples in Indianapolis will soon be renovated and expanded.
Officials with Butler University announced on Wednesday that it received a $9 million grant from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation to support the expansion and renovation of Clowes Memorial Hall.
A news release from the university stated that the grant will also support the construction of a new multi-purpose venue adjacent to Clowes Hall. Officials said this new space will be able to shift between being a 1,200-1,450 capacity music hall to being a reception and private event space.
These projects will help launch the $100 million Midtown Arts District, the release said. Officials with the university said the district is expected to become “a transformative hub for live performances, thought-provoking lectures, stunning exhibitions and world-class arts education.”
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Renderings of Clowes Memorial Hall expansion, renovation at Butler University. -
Renderings of Clowes Memorial Hall expansion, renovation at Butler University. -
Renderings of Clowes Memorial Hall expansion, renovation at Butler University. -
Renderings of Clowes Memorial Hall expansion, renovation at Butler University.
The release said the work will be done in phases, with the renovations to Clowes Memorial Hall starting next June. The phases include:
- Phase one
- Upgrades to the seating across the theater’s three balcony terraces, including adding open-air suites.
- Restrooms will be renovated and expanded, along with the addition of 13 new gender-neutral facilities.
- Phase two
- Installation of two additional loading docks
- Phase three
- Significant stage upgrades, including the addition of rigging points and reinforced flooring
- Phase four
- Introduce the Allen Whitehill Clowes Ballroom to the east lobby, a versatile event space that will open in the spring of 2027.
“The renovations to Clowes Memorial Hall are going to greatly improve the patron experience, and also allow us to bring more Broadway, music, and comedy performances to the theater,” Butler University President James Danko said in the release. “The impact that the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation has had on arts and humanities initiatives in Indianapolis over the years cannot be overstated, and Butler University is tremendously grateful for this gift that will significantly improve the venue that honors Mr. Clowes’ legacy and bears his name.”
Future plans also include the construction of additional venues and amenities, including a multi-purpose convention center between the Clowes Memorial Hall and the Sunset Avenue parking garage, as well as an outdoor plaza to the south of the hall.
“The Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation is delighted to support major renovations of Clowes Memorial Hall and the addition of an adjacent new multipurpose facility,” James Lemler, the president of the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, said in the release. “Mr. Clowes had a passion for performing arts and a vision for an outstanding performance hall as an expression of the commitment to the arts he shared with his family… The Clowes Memorial Hall renovations and addition of the new Allen Whitehill Clowes Ballroom will have impact on arts and community with far-reaching impact at Butler University, an excellent institution of higher education that he deeply respected, and in Midtown Indianapolis where he lived for most of his life and for which he had great affection.”
The release said that the Clowes Memorial Hall is expected to be closed from June-October 2025 as the first three phases of renovations are conducted. The Allen Whitehill Clowes Ballroom is expected to open in the spring of 2027.
