Indiana Sports Hall of Fame sets eyes on shopping center in Irvington

INDIANAPOLIS — Football heroes, basketball legends and history-making race car drivers. Developers are working to bring something exciting for sports fanatics in the Hoosier state.

The Indiana Sports Hall of Fame hopes to transform the Irvington Plaza on the east side into their home base.

The shopping center has sat empty for several years, looking for some life to fill the vacant storefronts.

If all goes to plan, executive director for the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame, Tim Turpin believes they’d be the perfect fit.

“It’s gonna be a sports lover’s dream when they walk in there,” he said.

The 40,000 square foot exhibit space would feature all sports from football and basketball to track and field.

Colts, Pacers, and Indy 500 memorabilia will have their own dedicated rooms, but younger athletes will have their own place to shine.

“We gave Purdue, IU, and Notre Dame their own rooms because they don’t want to be in the same room with each other,” said Turpin.

They’re also planning on having a wiffle ball field and pickle ball courts, as well as a sports bar and banquet hall for when legends are inducted into the proposed hall of fame.

“Just to see the looks on their families faces and the smiles it brings, it brings back memories, gives them a lot of new life, you know, that someone’s honoring them in front of their grandkids and kids,” he said. “They don’t know how good grandpa was.”

Developers, Tallen Capital Partners LLC have previously worked with Turpin on other Sports Hall of Fame endeavors and are looking forward to closing this deal.

“The entire Midwest is sports-crazy, my background is in sports. Sports has given me really everything in my life, so we’re very big on this,” said CEO Terry Tallen.

The partners said they have already met with the Indiana Sports Corp about the project.

Their timeline will depend on how fundraising goes, but they hope to be up and running before the 2026 Final Four games in Indianapolis.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 59.