Butler will transform former dorm into boutique hotel
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Ross Hall has been largely unused since 2019. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
A historic dormitory on the Butler University campus that had looked destined for demolition will be preserved and transformed into a boutique hotel.
Why it matters: The hotel will be a first for Butler and fill a major need in the larger Midtown neighborhood.
Driving the news: Butler University officials announced Friday that Ross Hall — a limestone residence hall built in 1954 but largely unused since 2019 — will become part of Hilton's Curio Collection line.
- It will be Hilton's first Curio Collection hotel on a college campus and the first in Indiana.
- James Danko, president of the private liberal arts school in the heart of Midtown, said the university will grant a long-term lease of the property to Purpose Lodging, the developer and operator of the hotel.
- The 105-room hotel will also have at least one restaurant and is expected to open in the 2026-27 school year.
Between the lines: By preserving Ross Hall, Butler is taking a different approach than it did with its sister dorm, Schwitzer Hall, which was torn down in 2017 and replaced with a modern residence hall.
- "You can't keep knocking down buildings," Danko said, "because alumni, when they come back, that's where they want to go."
The big picture: The hotel is one piece of the Butler Gateway Project, a larger vision for both the campus and the neighborhood.
- A new transportation and public safety hub will be built on the same block as the hotel, which will replace the aging campus police department and add sorely needed parking.
- Butler is also planning a new academic building for some of its health science disciplines on the southwest corner of campus, on the land it purchased from the neighboring Christian Theological Seminary in 2017, and looking at replacing or renovating aging apartments on the CTS land to create more housing for seniors and young alumni.
What we're watching: The university has also announced a plan to establish "The Midtown Arts District" in collaboration with neighborhood partners.
- No timeline or details have been shared yet.
What they're saying: "There is a big need (for a hotel) because there's not anything close by," said Rachel Dickerson, executive director of Midtown Indy Inc.
- Hotel Broad Ripple is the closest lodging to campus, but the 19-room boutique hotel is too small to fully meet the needs of the area.
💭 Arika's thought bubble: I can only assume my parents would have loved a hotel on campus when I was a Butler student, rather than making the trek from the Carmel hotel they stayed at while visiting.