On this first anniversary of PR Mallory’s grand opening, we at the Promise Zone believe it is important to reflect upon the accomplishments associated with the historic building’s resurgence to the eastside’s landscape. The PR Mallory’s renovation and restoration was a feat in its own right, taking nearly $38 million in funding and the resources of several prominent community organizations. The building, which once housed PR Mallory and Company, Inc, stood vacant for thirty years when the ambitious project for reuse was proposed by near eastside community leaders in 2018. Since its grand opening on this date, July 20th, last year, the PR Mallory Campus has reasserted itself as a pinnacle of this community, racking up considerable accolades and accomplishments in its first year.
Most notably, The PR Mallory revitalization effort was awarded the prestigious Indiana Landmarks’ 2021 Cook Cup for Outstanding Restoration. In recent years, this honor has gone to other Indianapolis reuse projects, such as the Indianapolis Classical Schools for Riverside High School renovation which was completed in 2018. Importantly, the Cook Cup recognizes not just the outstanding restoration of a historic building but also awards the revitalization efforts’ positive community and neighborhood impact.
The impact of the PR Mallory complex over the last year is clear, as the building is now home to two schools, Purdue Robotics, and a hydroponics operation. These vital new additions to our community, and their subsequent successes, have recemented PR Mallory’s position as a bastion of the near eastside, an accomplishment for which we are very proud.
The importance of the PR Mallory Complex to the goals of the Promise Zone cannot be understated. The campus’s success, especially that of its educational institutions, provides countless opportunities for those living inside the Promise Zone’s geography. The addition of the Purdue Polytechnic High School, in particular, allows for a unique opportunity for students on the east side to forge a pathway towards a college degree where there may otherwise not have been one available.
In June of this year, Purdue Polytechnic High School celebrated its first graduating class, a major accomplishment in its own right. Moreover, in addition to that accomplishment, forty of those graduates were admitted to Purdue University for the 2021-2022 academic year. Purdue Polytechnic’s innovative model, which paves the way for its graduates to attend Purdue institutions of higher education, continues to further the educational goals of the Promise Zone.
Of course, none of these accomplishments could have been achieved without the tireless work of community leaders at John Boner Neighborhood Centers and Englewood CDC. Their work made this project for the community possible, and we at the Promise Zone would like to take this moment to thank them for their Herculean efforts.
To learn more about the Cook Cup for Outstanding Restoration: https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2021/06/re-energized-factory-wins-top-restoration-prize/
For more information on the restoration efforts of the PR Mallory Campus: https://indyeast.org/revitalization-of-p-r-mallory-campus-moves-forward-creating-economic-and-educational-opportunities/