Trustees approve purchase of additional property to enhance Purdue students’ urban experience in downtown Indianapolis

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (April 10) approved the purchase of property at 420-422 W. Michigan St. and 510 Indiana Ave. in downtown Indianapolis as part of the university’s efforts to enhance students’ urban experience.

Purdue plans to buy the 0.24-acre property, which includes a three-story building, from OZ Business Property II LLC. Originally constructed in 1846 and the former home of Second Baptist Church, the building was expanded with a portion converted to a residence in 1975. Most recently, it served as commercial office space.

The acquisition is valued at $4 million and will be funded by Operating Funds – Reserves.

The property provides flexible space for near-term use and includes parcels adjacent to land already owned by Purdue. It is also located next to the Student Center and across from 401 W. Michigan St., which were both previously acquired by the university.

Over the past year, Purdue has added several properties bordering the Indianapolis location and along the West Street corridor to continue building out Purdue’s expansion in the capital city:

• The facility at 518-520 Indiana Ave., acquired in February 2025, has been launched as the Student Center, a social hub for Purdue students in Indianapolis to study and gather, along with space for the library, a writing lab and student success support services.
• In October 2025, trustees approved the purchase of Canal Square Apartments, 359 N. West St., and the planned transfer of the property at 501 Indiana Ave. from the Purdue Research Foundation. PRF also acquired the parcel at 401 W. Michigan St. in January 2025.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.