Photo Credit: Fishers Parks & Recreation
Located just north of Indianapolis, Ind., the city of Fishers Parks & Recreation Department is taking center stage—or rather building one. Over the past five years, while the city has taken a comprehensive, strategic approach to building a dynamic suburban downtown, the department amped up the vibe by infusing a little rock n’ roll.
In 2012, the department took on the project of defining the downtown Nickel Plate District, named for the historic Nickel Plate Rail Line that runs through Fishers. The city had an overarching goal for this area to not just be a “district” in name, but an area that truly felt like one—with a look and feel that differentiated it from the rest of the city. To do so, it needed an “anchor” point—a place where people would feel compelled to gather. And so the decision was made to build an amphitheater right in the heart of downtown.
Laughed Out Of The Room
With less than a $1 million and 90 days to complete the project, department officials were nearly laughed out of the room when speaking with experts in other communities who had taken on similar projects. Yet, on October 13, 2012, the amphitheater hosted its first event and became one of the district’s first major pieces of the puzzle that would define the suburban downtown.