The south side steps of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis are now encircled with a chainlink fence and awaiting construction work. (Cate Charron / IBJ Photo)
By Cate Charron, Indianapolis Business Journal
The south side of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis will be fenced off until November 2025 for structural improvements and waterproofing repairs similar to what has been done on the north side over the past 20 months.
J. Stewart Goodwin, Indiana War Memorial Commission executive director, said north-side construction is nearly complete and the restoration effort is moving to the other side. The north-side steps will reopen soon, he said.
A crew from Capitol City Fence Co. installed a chain-link fence on the south side of the monument Monday morning, and fencing now surrounds nearly the entire monument. Construction work appears to be ongoing on the north side with materials and workers still present.
The project blocks pedestrian traffic around the monument but doesn’t impede vehicle traffic on Monument Circle. The northwest quadrant of the circle is blocked off to vehicle traffic for Spark on the Circle, which runs through Nov. 3.
The fixes are part of a larger over $60 million restoration project that is focused on shoring up the monument’s crumbling base, IBJ reported in 2022. The project requires extensive waterproofing and repairing or replacing deteriorating plaster, granite and stone that has led to water damage.
In 2018, a leak that sent water into the basement of a historic monument prompted curators to move a collection of artifacts documenting Indiana’s role in the Civil War.
