106 INDIANAPOLIS REGIONAL CENTER PLAN 2020 PLANNING DOWNTOWN�fS FUTURE TODAY APPENDIX A: HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT President of the Chamber of Commerce, Book wield power in the tradition of Morton, McNutt, Taggart and Stephenson and it was generally conceded that he ran Indianapolis from his offices overlooking University Park on Meridian Street. During this period, growth in the Regional Center had come to a standstill as the more affluent looked to the suburbs, business followed and government struggled to keep up with outlying growth.  Signs of neglect were everywhere by the 1960s and what was once the thriving urban core of the city began to show signs of abandonment and relegation to the poor. A stand was taken by the City with the construction of a new 28 story City-County Building (1962) in the 200 block of East Washington Street (then the city's tallest structure) and the inauguration of Project H, a large-scale redevelopment effort from which rose Riley Towers (1964) and 18 years later Renaissance Place.  Mayor John J. Barton, drawing on the community's strength, convened a forum of business, private and government leaders the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee whose principal charge was the overall betterment of the city with emphasis on the revitalization of its central business district. During the 1960s, three Regional Center properties were added to the National Register of Historic Places.  The Lockerbie Square Historic Area was declared the first local historic district in 1968. The American Fletcher National Bank (1959) at 101 Monument Circle and the IU Law School (1969) were constructed during this period. 1970-2003: REORGANIZATION AND REVITALIZATION In reversing the decline of the Regional Center, the successive administrations of Mayors John J. Barton, Richard G. Lugar, William H. Hudnut, Stephen Goldsmith and Bart Peterson have relied on tested strategies of  dedication, growth- oriented public investment and a public-private partnership that draws on the community's inherent pride in itself and its city.  The Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee has continued to establish community-based task forces to analyze and recommend action on some of the City's most difficult problems Growth in the Regional Center during the 1970s was slow.  Office space growth, a prime indicator of the Downtown economy, was 1.7 million square feet on a base of 6.5 million square feet.  There was no significant net growth in the area's hotel rooms, housing units, or retail space.  During this time period, 19 properties plus the Lockerbie Square Historic Area were added to the National Register of Historic Places.  The Old Northside Historic Area was declared a local historic district. The 1980s were boom years, however.  Over $200 million was invested in 1,400 new and rehabilitated housing units, beginning the residential trend that continues today.  This time period was very important in terms of National Register of Historic Places nominations for Regional Center properties and historic districts.   Thirty-five properties were added to the Register plus the Apartments and Flats of Downtown Indianapolis Thematic nomination added 36 apartment or flat properties to the Register.   addition seven historic districts were added and the boundaries of the Lockerbie Square Historic District were expanded as they were for the local district, also.  Chatham-Arch Historic Area, Fletcher Place Historic Area and Lockefield Gardens Historic Area were declared local historic districts.  Much economic development and rehabilitation has occurred in these areas. The 1990s witnessed a renaissance in the Regional Center that was brought about by decades of steady revitalization efforts.  After 15 years of planning, lawsuits, demolition and construction, Circle Centre mall opened to become one of Simon Properties' top grossing malls in the nation.  (It was also one of the only malls to open that did not require the addition of a single lane of road.)  Nearly 1,000 new hotel rooms were added to the Regional Center during the decade and several expansions at the Indiana Convention Center helped to establish Indianapolis as a  nationally-competitive convention host.   Development continued along the historic Central Canal and in White River State Park, where the NCAA Headquarters, Indianapolis Zoo, White River Gardens, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and Victory Field were constructed, followed in 2002 by the Indiana State Museum. Market Square Arena, built for the Indiana Pacers in 1974 was demolished after the Conseco Fieldhouse was constructed as the Pacers' new home.  Hundreds of new housing units were built in the 1990s, with millions of dollars in additional investment planned.  With the 2000 census, the long but slow decline in population in the Regional Center since 1960 has finally stabilized From 1990-2003, ten properties and three historic districts were added to the National Register of Historic Places.  St. Joseph Historic Area and the Wholesale District Historic Area were added as local historic districts and Ransom Place Historic Area and Fayette Street Historic Area were declared local conservation districts. Representative structures of this period are Indiana National Bank (now Union Planters Bank), 1970; Innerloop freeway, 1976; National City Plaza, 1977; American United Life, 1982; RCA Dome, 1984; Bank One, 1990; Circle Centre Mall, 1995; Indianapolis Artsgarden, 1995; Conseco Fieldhouse, 1998; Emmis Communications, 1997; and NCAA Headquarters, 1999. Circle Centre mall and South Illinois Street, 2003