Photos: 3 Mass Ave. Construction Update

3 Mass Ave is the newest infill project and possibly the last large project to ever be built on Mass Ave. It will be 10 stories tall, though it's designed to present as 6 stories with step-backs at each floor above that. We're not likely to see another 6 story building on Mass Ave in the near future, let alone a 10-story one. The length of Mass Ave from New York to 10th St. is now wholy contained within the Chatham Arch and Massachusettes Ave. Historical District. Though 3 Mass Ave was approved by city planners before that Historical District Plan was officially completed, this designation will likely preclude future construction of buildings this tall on Mass Ave.

No regulations officially eliminate the possibility of building tall, but the plan Recommendations note that most buildings along Mass Ave are in the 2-4 story range and the IHPC will likely ask all new construction to roughly maintain that height (e.g. the IHPC forced recent development 757 Mass Ave to reduce its height to 4 stories on the Mass Ave frontage and 5 stories on the College Ave frontage).

However, if any development location were to be given an exemption from this recommendation, 3 Mass Ave is it. The site sits at the extreme southern end of Mass Ave, just one block from One Indiana Square, the third tallest building in Indy at 36 stories. This building should help taper the Indy skyline as it drops from the core of downtown's tall buildings to the mostly low-rise Mass Ave area.

Here are a couple renderings to get us started:

The Mass Ave frontage:

The New York St frontage:

An overhead shot of the roof-top deck and some balconies:

And here are some shots of the site preparations currently going on: