Discovery Hall Open for Business

Remember the old Girls’ Dormitory at the Fairgrounds? If you do, then – no offense – you’ve been around a while. The third building in the Fairgrounds’ 4-H Education Complex is four decades removed from its heyday and has been closed since 1990. Not anymore.

The new “Discovery Hall” is open for business and conducting business every day thanks to its three new office tenants: the Indiana Board of Animal Health, Marion County Purdue Extension Service and Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District. Today’s Open House officially started a new chapter in the building’s history, five years and $5 million dollars since the first phase of a four-phase renovation began.

The three groups’ offices occupy the first two floors of the building while the third floor is used to house 4-H kids and activities during the State Fair and other groups year-round. The renovation completes a long-term goal of reopening the entire complex, which also includes Centennial Hall (formerly the Boys’ Dormitory) and the Exhibit Hall, both renovated and reopened in 2004.

The three organizations all love their new surroundings, and we love the fact that the building is not just providing essential meeting and office space, but also producing earned revenue (about $200,000/year) that we can use toward other operational needs. This is your classic “win-win” scenario. And who doesn’t love a winner?

Submitted by Andy Klotz