Ben Hur Hotel

Client: Anderson Partners LLC

Location: Crawfordsville, Indiana

Status: Ongoing (Design Development)

Size: 60,100 sf

​

Responsibilities:

+ Project Architect, Preservation Specialist 

+ Condition assessment, inspection, and analysis

+ Internal design team coordination

+ Historic Tax Credit administration

+ Space planning and design development

+ Direct client engagement 

+ Design presentations 

+ Consultant design coordination 

​

(*completed while employed at RATIO)

​

The Ben Hur Life Building was constructed in 1911 by the Tribe of Ben Hur as their national headquarters building and tenant space. The building lies within the Crawfordsville Commercial Historic District in downtown Crawfordsville, Indiana, and features a decorative terra cotta exterior, with a heavy black granite base added in 1940, as well as an Art Deco entrance and lobby. The Tribe of Ben Hur was established as a fraternal organization, providing both civic services and economic development for the City of Crawfordsville. The organization dissolved in 1988 and subsequently left the building 1990. The building remained mostly vacant for years and was permanently closed in 2006, leading to years of neglect.  

​

RATIO was engaged by Anderson Partners to complete a full rehabilitation on the building, converting the 4-story former office building into an 18-key hotel with ground floor lobby and restaurant, and market-rate condos on the top floor. The project is currently on pause awaiting financing. 

As Project Director, I was responsible for completing a full investigation, documentation and assessment of the building, completing proposed layouts for the hotel and housing, leading client design meetings, and completing schematic and design development documentation. I was also responsible for completing applications for federal historic tax credits.