Good Hall rededicated following transformative renovation project

The President’s Lunch and Founders Day celebration during Homecoming Week marked a milestone in the restoration of Good Hall. The most historic building on the campus of the University of Indianapolis, Good Hall was rededicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the newly renovated portico and pillars, which was one of several projects funded by the Campaign for the University of Indianapolis.

More than 500 supporters made gifts to the Good Hall campaign, led by Campaign Chair and former Board of Trustees Chair Yvonne Shaheen’s historic naming gift for the Shaheen College of Arts & Sciences, which helped support the project. A portrait of Yvonne Shaheen and her late husband, Riad, will be displayed in Good Hall in honor of her philanthropic work throughout the City of Indianapolis and for being the driving force in creating the University’s path forward in the campaign.

Alumni and families viewed historic campus maps designed by UIndy faculty and students and toured the renovated first floor of the building. The second and third floors are slated for renovation during the 2018-19 academic year.

Built in 1904, Good Hall was the University’s first structure on campus. It was named after the University’s third president, I.J. Good, and was home to the first University president, Rev. John Roberts. Good Hall has served as an administrative and academic building, library and chapel over the years. It is now home to the Shaheen College of Arts & Sciences, which ensures that nearly all students will spend time in Good Hall and cements the building’s legacy as a fixture in academic life at the University.

“The pillars and portico of Good Hall are the most well-known representation of the University for all students who have attended UIndy. Replacing them to ensure the original facade view remained intact was important to thousands of alumni,” said Stephanie Hays-Mussoni, associate vice president of development.

President Robert L. Manuel noted the significance of the four ribbons that were cut during the ceremony, with each ribbon representing pillars that form the core of the University’s past and the foundation for its future: inquiry, innovation, leadership and service. Two major gifts were naming gifts of two of the pillars in memory of Virgil Webster ’54, made by his widow Phyllis Webster Doles, and a gift from F.A. Wilhelm Construction.

“We have truly restored our past under these historic pillars and porticos, while at the same time built our future with a space that will meet the needs of today’s scholars,” President Manuel said.

Starting in 2019, during each future Homecoming celebration, the University will honor four individuals connected to the University of Indianapolis who represent the institutional core values of inquiry, innovation, leadership and service. Their names will be placed prominently on four of the six pillars. Nominate an individual whose legacy or actions exemplify a Good Hall pillar core value.

Michael Cartwright, vice president for University mission, worked with Randi Frye, assistant professor of art & design, and her students to create heritage campus maps detailing the evolution of campus over the years. The maps, which show the University of Indianapolis campus in 1937, 1964, 1986 and 2018, were provided in the event program.

“The Campus Heritage Maps Project was conceived two years ago with a very simple goal in mind: to provide the kind of connective information to enable alumni, faculty, students and friends of the University to be able to tell stories about their experiences,” Cartwright said.

Good Hall holds a special place in the hearts of University alumni, students and faculty, and it has become a landmark on the Indianapolis south side whose continuing presence reinforces the University’s reputation as an important community anchor. The renovations ensure that it will continue to serve that role for years to come.

Learn more about the Good Hall project and find out how you can get involved.