Hopewell

Welcome to Hopewell

The City of Bloomington is pleased to announce that “Hopewell” will be the name for the new neighborhood to be created following the decommissioning and demolition of the former IU Health Bloomington campus on West 2nd Street. The Hopewell name has a long history of association with the site.

Shrewsberry & Associates, LLC submitted a Primary Plat with the Hopewell name for the City Plan Commission’s review and approval at their February 7th public hearing on behalf of the City of Bloomington Redevelopment Commission. The plat refers to this area as the “Hopewell Subdivision”, names the streets, and identifies the proposed new parcels for future development. This plat is focused on the block bound by 2nd Street, Rogers Street, 1st Street, and the B-Line. This is a necessary step to dedicate various utility easements and additional rights-of-way for facilities such as an extension of Madison Street from 2nd Street to 1st Street and a new east-west street to be named University Street between Rogers and Morton Streets.

In 1905, Bloomington’s Local Council of Women bought a 10-room red brick house that would become our community’s first hospital. The house, located on a portion of the acreage that became Bloomington Hospital and later IU Health Bloomington Hospital, once belonged to Isaac Hopewell. The property came to be known by that name, linking “Hopewell” to the site for generations to come. The Local Council of Women converted that home into the much-needed local hospital. The local activists and volunteers supported the hospital with canned goods, garden produce, fundraisers, and even raising chickens to help feed patients. 

Serving as part of Bloomington’s hospital for nearly six decades, Hopewell House was eventually razed in the summer of 1963. The beautiful legacy of Hopewell House – residents taking action to care for each other – continues to inspire the many individuals working to ensure that this new neighborhood in the heart of Bloomington remains a place of compassion, good health, and perpetual optimism. More information about the history of the former hospital site, now known as Hopewell, can be found at https://bton.in/advRF.

The City contracted with Borshoff, an Indianapolis-based advertising, and public relations firm, to assist with naming and branding the former hospital site. In the process of selecting the Hopewell name, representatives of the City and Borshoff conducted one-on-one interviews and small group engagement sessions with a variety of stakeholders. These contributors shared a broad variety of perspectives representing their diverse interests and expertise, including business, arts, environment and sustainability, healthcare and human services, development, education, community history, neighborhoods, and government.

Additional information will be posted at hopewellbloomington.org as it becomes available.

UPDATES

November 19, 2024: Hopewell Public Offerings may be viewed on the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission's website here.

October 24, 2024: The slide deck from the Hopewell Public Update can be found here. Meeting recording can be found here.

October 17, 2024:  The City of Bloomington will hold a public event to provide an update on the planned Hopewell neighborhood development on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St.

Attendees unable to attend in person can stream the event via Zoom. The event will conclude with a Q&A session, offering the public an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the project.

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact comms@bloomington.in.gov or call 812-349-3406.

June 15, 2022: Hopewell Development Steering Committe Update

Signup to Receive Hopewell Updates.

Questions?

If you have questions about this project, contact the Mayor's Office at mayor@bloomington.in.gov or 812-349-3406.