Downtown's next big tourist attraction could be underground

A hidden piece of history, under the streets of downtown, will open to the public this summer.

A hidden piece of history under the streets of downtown Indianapolis will open to the public this summer.

We rush by every day amid the hustle and bustle downtown, with most of us never knowing the secret.

"No, I did not know that," said Ronnie Junior.

"I walk this way every day," added Becky Kuehn. "Had no idea."

"You've walked over them. If you've sat on the plaza at City Market to have lunch and listen to a band, you've been sitting on top of this hidden gem," said City Market Executive Director Stevi Stoesz.

Hidden far beneath City Market, behind a locked door marked off limits, is a maze of catacombs.

The brick archways, limestone columns and cavernous walkways span 20,000 square feet underground.

"It kind of makes you part of an underground club, 'cause so few people know or have been down here," Stoesz said.

The catacombs were built in 1885 under the old Tomlinson Hall. Tomlinson was once a hub for concerts, public gatherings and sporting events. It burned down in the 1950s.

Only an archway outside City Market remains from the building. But down in the basement, the catacombs are untouched.

To this day, no one really knows why they were built or their exact intended use.

"That is why it's so shrouded in mystery and when people do learn about it, they want to learn more," Stoesz said.

Over the years, the catacombs have been used for storage, a few special events and even once, during a severe winter storm in 1912, to house the homeless on mayor's orders.

Now, there are bigger dreams to develop this secret spot, ideas of what could be.

"People really have started thinking about what the catacombs could be: an underground park, urban park space, an underground garden space. We've heard natural things. People come down and say oh, wine cellar, oh, a nightclub, oh, a restaurant," Stoesz said.

But the cost of readying the space is an issue.

"We did a feasibility study in the mid 1990s and at that time, just to get the catacombs up to code, before any cosmetic anything was to be done, it was in excess of $7 million. So we suspect that number is in excess of $10 million today, just to get them up to code," Stoesz explained.

Getting the area up to code would be a lot of work, including grading out the dirt floors, getting rid of any potential asbestos and creating better access with an elevator to the streets above.

Public access, though, is changing.

City Market and Indiana Landmarks gave limited tours of the catacombs during Super Bowl week in February.

They were such a hit that non-profit groups decided to open up the catacombs for more tours this summer.

"It would be a fundraiser for the City Market and Indiana Landmarks," Stoesz explained. "Maybe a five- or ten-dollar fee and you can learn some of the history. We would show pictures of what stood before, Tomlinson Hall, and give a tour of the Market as well."

History, hidden for years, will now be uncovered for all to see. The guided public tours are expected to begin in June.

For more on the history of the catacombs and the City Market, check out Historic Indianapolis and Indianapolis City Market.