Fletcher Trust Building

The Fletcher Trust Building is a historic high-rise in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Completed in 1915 and associated with the Fletcher Trust Company, the building was originally developed as an office tower and became one of the notable commercial structures in the city’s early twentieth-century skyline. It rises 16 floors and reaches approximately 218 feet, or 66 meters, making it a substantial historic building even though it is no longer among Indianapolis’s tallest structures. It is currently identified as the city’s 22nd-tallest building. The building’s design history reflects collaboration between nationally recognized and local architectural practices. Electus D. Litchfield initially won the design competition, but local architect Arthur Bohn of Vonnegut & Bohn ultimately supervised the design and construction work. The Chicago-based firm Holabird & Roche was also involved in the project. This combination gave the building a connection to both Indianapolis’s local architectural community and the broader commercial architecture of the period. For most of its early life, the Fletcher Trust Building functioned as an office property. It continued in that role after its completion and remained an office tower for roughly seven decades. Its final commercial office tenant was Bank One. When Bank One vacated the building in 1992, the property was left without its principal commercial use and required a major repositioning. The building was subsequently converted from offices into a hotel. A renovation completed in 1996 transformed the property into the Ramada Waterbury Indianapolis Hotel, which reopened late that year. The adaptive-reuse project preserved the building’s continued role in downtown Indianapolis while changing its operating model from office accommodation to hospitality. A further renovation took place in 2003, after which the property reopened as the Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown. In this form, the historic tower operates as a branded hotel within Hilton’s Hilton Garden Inn system. The hotel has 188 rooms and provides lodging in a landmark downtown structure rather than in a purpose-built contemporary hotel tower. The property was most recently reported as having undergone renovation in 2018. As of 2025, the hotel employs approximately 100 full-time workers and includes The Social American Tavern, an on-site restaurant offering an elevated interpretation of tavern food with local influences. The property therefore combines historic-building preservation, adaptive reuse, branded lodging, and food-and-beverage operations. Although the Fletcher Trust Building is not a consumer brand in the conventional packaged-goods sense, its present public identity is closely tied to the Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown hotel operation and to its status as a recognizable Indianapolis landmark.

The Fletcher Trust Building was completed in 1915 in Indianapolis, Indiana, as a commercial office tower. Its development belonged to the period when Indianapolis was expanding its downtown business district and constructing taller buildings for financial, professional, and corporate tenants. The building was designed through a process involving several architectural figures and practices. Electus D. Litchfield initially won the design competition, while Arthur Bohn of the Indianapolis firm Vonnegut & Bohn later supervised the design and construction. Holabird & Roche, a Chicago architectural firm, was also involved in the work. The resulting structure became a prominent early-twentieth-century addition to the city skyline. The tower was completed for occupancy in 1915 and operated as an office building from that period until the early 1990s. Although the building is often described as completed in 1915, references to its commercial history also describe 1916 as the beginning of its completed office-tower service. During its long office phase, the property housed commercial tenants and remained part of Indianapolis’s central business environment. Its last commercial tenant was Bank One, which departed in 1992. The departure left the building vacant and created the need for a new use. Rather than being demolished or left unused, the Fletcher Trust Building was adapted for hospitality. A renovation in 1996 converted the office tower into a hotel. It reopened late that year as the Ramada Waterbury Indianapolis Hotel, marking the first major change in the building’s operating identity. The conversion allowed the historic structure to remain active while responding to changing demand in downtown Indianapolis. The property was renovated again in 2003 and reopened as the Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown, joining Hilton’s Hilton Garden Inn hotel network and establishing the building’s current principal identity. The hotel contains 188 rooms and occupies a distinctive historic high-rise setting. Its adaptive-reuse history is central to the property’s significance: the structure moved from a financial and commercial office role to a lodging and hospitality role without losing its place in the downtown skyline. The building is approximately 218 feet tall and has 16 floors. It is currently described as Indianapolis’s 22nd-tallest building, a ranking that reflects the city’s later construction of taller modern towers. The Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown continued to operate after a reported renovation in 2018. By 2025, the property employed approximately 100 full-time workers and included The Social American Tavern, an on-site restaurant focused on elevated tavern food with local influences. The building’s present identity thus combines a historic Indianapolis architectural landmark with a branded hotel, restaurant, and employment operation. Its history illustrates how an early commercial skyscraper can be preserved through successive changes in use and branding.

• 2025

  Current hotel and restaurant operation

  [1]Fletcher Trust Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The operating property included The Social American Tavern and was reported to employ approximately 100 full-time workers.

• 2018

  Reported latest renovation

  [1]Fletcher Trust Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel was reported to have undergone its latest renovation in 2018.

• 2003

  Hilton Garden Inn reopening

  [1]Fletcher Trust Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  After another renovation, the property reopened as the 188-room Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown.

• 1996

  Conversion to hotel

  [1]Fletcher Trust Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  A renovation converted the former office building into the Ramada Waterbury Indianapolis Hotel, which reopened late in the year.

• 1992

  Last office tenant vacates

  [1]Fletcher Trust Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  Bank One, identified as the building’s last commercial tenant, vacated the property.

• 1916

  Office-tower service begins

  [1]Fletcher Trust Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The building entered its long commercial-office phase, which continued until the early 1990s.

• 1915

  Building completed

  [1]Fletcher Trust Buildingen.wikipedia.org

  The Fletcher Trust Building was completed as a 16-story office tower in Indianapolis.

A historic downtown Indianapolis landmark repositioned as a branded, full-service hotel through adaptive reuse.

• Hotel · 2003

  Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown

  The current hotel operation occupying the historic Fletcher Trust Building. It provides 188 guest rooms in a converted early-twentieth-century office tower and operates as part of the Hilton Garden Inn lodging system. Its offering combines conventional hotel accommodation and guest services with the architectural character and downtown location of a historic Indianapolis high-rise.

• Hotel · 1996

  Ramada Waterbury Indianapolis Hotel

  The first hotel identity adopted after the Fletcher Trust Building was converted from offices. The property reopened under this name in late 1996 following a major renovation, establishing the building’s transition from commercial office use to hospitality.

• Restaurant

  The Social American Tavern

  An on-site restaurant at the Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown. As reported in 2025, it serves an elevated interpretation of tavern food, incorporating local twists and extending the property’s hospitality offer beyond overnight accommodation.

• 2018

  Hotel renovationOther

  Background

  The operating hotel required ongoing property maintenance and modernization after its 2003 reopening.

  Action taken

  The Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown was reported to have undergone another renovation in 2018.

  Aftermath

  The renovation supported the continued operation of the historic tower as a contemporary hotel.

  Source

• 2003

  Rebranding as Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis DowntownGeneration change

  Background

  The hotel property underwent another renovation after its initial post-office conversion.

  Action taken

  The property reopened under the Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown identity with 188 rooms.

  Aftermath

  The Fletcher Trust Building became associated with Hilton Garden Inn’s branded lodging network while retaining its historic building identity.

  Source

• 1996

  Adaptive reuse as a hotelStrategy

  Background

  The departure of Bank One in 1992 ended the building’s long office-tower phase and left the historic property without its principal commercial tenant.

  Action taken

  The building was renovated and reopened as the Ramada Waterbury Indianapolis Hotel in late 1996.

  Aftermath

  The conversion preserved the building’s continued use while changing its role from office accommodation to hospitality.

  Source

1. 1Fletcher Trust Buildingen.wikipedia.org