Historic Bell Tower Restoration Campaign

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At the heart of the Mapleton-Fall Creek Neighborhood in Indianapolis stands Broadway's nearly 100-year-old historic bell tower.   It rises as a beacon of hope and light that draws our neighbors inside for a wide variety of art, music, health, and community events.  Broadway celebrates and cultivates the abundant gifts and talents of our neighbors, and is home to 21 Ministry Partners (including the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, Iibada Dance Company, and Epsilon Theatrical Company).  

We recently received a $400,000 matching grant from Sacred Places Indiana to help us complete the Bell Tower Restoration.  We are now entering into our first phase of fundraising toward Broadway's match.  We hope you will join us by making a donation today.

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Press Release for $400,000 Award

POSTED ON FEBRUARY 21, 2024 BY INDIANA LANDMARKS | PRESS RELEASE
Seven congregations around the state have received grants from Indiana Landmarks through the Sacred Places Indiana Fund to address significant capital needs at their historic houses of worship. The awards mark the first round of grants since the fund was established in 2023 with support from Lilly Endowment Inc.

More than $2 million in grants will be distributed to the following congregations:
Broadway United Methodist Church, Indianapolis: $400,000 to complete urgent restoration work on the bell tower and limestone façade of the 1927 church building.
First Christian Church, Bloomington: $250,000 to replace heating and cooling systems at the 1917-19 church.
Meridian Street United Methodist Church, Indianapolis: $40,000 to remove and repair an exterior ramp and reconstruct limestone steps and iron handrails at the church built in 1951-52.
North United Methodist Church, Indianapolis: $250,000 for masonry repairs to halt water infiltration into the 1925-31 church’s sanctuary and 1951 education wing.
Park Place Church of God, Anderson: $300,000 for masonry repairs on the church steeple, the first phase of a broader restoration planned for the 1958-60 building.
Saint Adalbert Catholic Church, South Bend: $400,000 for exterior repairs to mitigate water infiltration causing damage to historic interior features, the first phase of comprehensive plan to restore the 1923-26 church.
Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church, Michigan City: $400,000 to address urgently needed repairs to the 1916-26 church’s twin bell towers.

“We face increasing calls for help from congregations struggling to maintain their historic facilities,” says David Frederick, director of Sacred Places Indiana. “By offering this critical funding, we hope to help institutions continue to thrive as spiritual centers in their communities.”

“Indiana’s historic places of worship are, arguably, the most remarkable collective body of historic buildings in our state. They have relevance beyond the congregations who worship there,” says Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks. “We are profoundly grateful to Lilly Endowment for sharing and empowering our vision of a sustainable future for these community assets.”

  • Applications for the next round of grants from Sacred Places Indiana are being accepted now through July 15, 2024. Congregations selected to participate will be notified in October 2024.
  • Historic churches that have identified significant capital needs, have the support of their judicatories, and are ready to undertake a capital campaign could be candidates for the Sacred Places Indiana Fund.
  • The fund awards matching grants in a competitive process. Selected congregations must be committed to good stewardship of their historic structures and have demonstrated signs of organizational health including established clergy and lay leadership, clearly defined project goals, stable or growing membership, community engagement, and financial strength and stability. Congregations should be ready to undertake and complete both a capital campaign and construction project within the next two years.
  • To learn more about Sacred Places Indiana and criteria for grant funding, visit www.indianalandmarks.org/sacred-places-indiana.