A New Chapter for the Heart of Richmond
Revitalize Richmond is a community-powered initiative transforming our downtown into a hub of living, learning, and leisure. Led by Earlham College and driven by local partners, we’re restoring historic spaces, building new connections, and creating opportunities to bring people together in the heart of Richmond.
Richmond is a place we can proudly grow — together.
Areas of focus
Revitalize Richmond includes three areas of focus: Activate, Build, and Connect. The projects in these areas are mutually beneficial to Earlham and our neighbors in Wayne County and include the development of new urban housing in downtown Richmond, improved transit connecting Earlham’s campus to downtown, new outdoor recreation opportunities in the Whitewater Valley Gorge and other quality-of-place improvements to help Earlham and Richmond grow together.
Activate
Making downtown vibrant with businesses, events, creativity, and opportunity
Build
Renovating and restoring historic spaces for modern use
Connect
Improving access and movement between campus and downtown
Special thanks
To our community partners
Revitalize Richmond by the Numbers
downtown buildings targeted for redevelopment
plus in revitalization investment
new downtown destinations in progress
acre gorge activated for recreation
The scope of the projects included in the ‘Revitalize Richmond’ initiative would typically take decades to effectively secure funding for. Now we can move confidently and quickly forward on key efforts that have been planned to secure a strong future for our community.”
– Valerie Shaffer, president, Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County
Richmond’s greatest asset is its ability to collaborate. When the opportunity presents itself, our community comes together. We can make it happen, and right now, the timing is perfect!”
– Monica Koechlein, Richmond Symphony Orchestra & Stamm Koechlein Family Foundation
Frequently Asked Questions
Revitalize Richmond is a multi-year effort to bring new life to Richmond’s downtown. With support from Lilly Endowment Inc.’s College and Community Collaboration (CCC) initiative, the project focuses on housing, business spaces, public art, and stronger connections between Earlham College and the community. The vision is a downtown that is active, welcoming, and central to Richmond’s future.
Downtown is Richmond’s “front door.” Investing here creates momentum that reaches across the community: more jobs, new businesses, stronger tax base, and a sense of pride in the city. A thriving downtown also helps retain and attract residents, including the many people who currently commute into Wayne County for work but live elsewhere.
Another key factor is how the Lilly Endowment College and Community Collaboration (CCC) grant was structured. Lilly required that proposals include significant cost share—that is, local partners putting their own money on the table alongside the grant. Lilly is funding about 30 percent of this project, with the remaining investment coming from the City of Richmond, private developers, and local organizations.
That meant the project had to be designed around a vision that multiple partners were willing and able to invest in. Downtown revitalization was the clear choice: it’s visible, broad-based, and capable of drawing investment from both public and private partners in a way that neighborhood-specific projects could not.
Richmond has several initiatives aimed at low-income housing, but there is also a gap in market-rate and workforce housing. Approximately 42% of people who work in Wayne County live in surrounding communities because they can’t find the kind of housing they want in Richmond. By adding market-rate options downtown, we make it easier for those workers to live here, contribute to the local economy, and strengthen the tax base that supports services for everyone.
A major influence on the design of this project is the structure of the Lilly Endowment College and Community Collaboration (CCC) grant. The program requires that a substantial portion of the funding come from “cost share”—local partners committing their own resources in addition to Lilly’s support. In our case, Lilly’s contribution makes up roughly 30% of the overall budget, with the balance coming from partners such as the City of Richmond, private developers, and community organizations.
The goal is a balance: creating housing that attracts and retains residents who might otherwise live elsewhere, while laying the foundation for new businesses and activity. Downtown is currently underutilized, with many empty or underperforming spaces. By bringing more people to live in the heart of the city, we create the conditions for new shops, restaurants, and services to open, building a cycle of vitality that supports the whole community.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation based in Indianapolis that has long supported Indiana communities in the areas of education, community development, and religion.
The College and Community Collaboration (CCC) initiative is a grant program that helps Indiana colleges work with their local communities to improve quality of life. The program had specific requirements:
- Projects had to strengthen both the college and the community
- Projects had to be sustainable and broad-based
- Proposals needed to attract additional investment, or “cost share”
“Cost share” means that Lilly Endowment does not cover the full cost of the project. Instead, local partners must also contribute significant resources. This ensures the project is truly collaborative and that the community itself has a stake in its success.
For Revitalize Richmond, Lilly Endowment is providing about 30 percent of the total investment. The rest is being covered by a coalition of community partners, including the City of Richmond, private developers, and local organizations. This shared investment was essential for winning the grant and helps guarantee that the work will be sustained long after the grant period ends.
- Activate – Breathing life into downtown through culture and activity
- A public arts initiative to bring murals, sculptures, and creative projects to visible sites downtown
- Community events and cultural programming that make downtown an active gathering place
- Beautification efforts like lighting, landscaping, and wayfinding to create a more welcoming environment
- Hiring a small business development coach to help entrepreneurs and business owners succeed in the new downtown spaces
- Build – Renovating vacant or underused buildings into mixed-use spaces
- Transforming multiple Main Street properties into white-boxed ground-floor spaces that are move-in ready for small businesses, nonprofits, or community organizations that couldn’t afford major renovation on their own
- Converting upper floors into new housing units, drawing more residents downtown and supporting a cycle of activity and investment
- Development of a nonprofit makerspace with shared tools and equipment to foster creativity, skill-building, and innovation
- The Whitewater Gorge project, building on one of Richmond’s most unique natural assets to enhance recreation and attract more visitors to the area
- Connect – Linking Earlham, downtown, and the wider community
- Rebranding and strengthening Rose View Transit to improve public transportation options and make service more accessible and visible to the community
- A multimodal path connecting Earlham’s campus, downtown Richmond, and the Cardinal Greenway, designed for walking, biking, and safe non-car travel
- Streetscape and corridor improvements to make the route between Earlham and downtown safer, more accessible, and more visually appealing
- Programs and partnerships that build stronger ties between students, faculty, and the Richmond community
The strategy is to make the ground floors “white-box” spaces: structurally renovated and ready for local businesses or organizations that otherwise couldn’t afford the extensive upfront renovation. The upper floors are being converted into new living units, adding needed housing downtown.
The path will connect Earlham, downtown Richmond, and the Cardinal Greenway. It is designed for walkers, cyclists, and others who need safe, accessible, non-car transportation options. Just as importantly, it provides a visible, physical link between campus and downtown, encouraging more connection and shared activity.
Revitalize Richmond is a five-year project running through 2028. The work is structured in phases:
Final years (2027-2028): Focus shifts to activation—bringing in businesses, opening community spaces, showcasing public art, and programming events that help new downtown spaces thrive.
Early years (2024–2025): Planning, property acquisition, design work, legal/financial structuring, and initial construction. This includes early building renovations, groundwork for the multimodal path, and the first stages of Gorge activation.
Middle years (2026–2027): The most visible period of construction, with major building projects, housing development, and corridor improvements moving forward. Public art, greenspace, and beautification efforts are introduced alongside continued renovation.
Yes, progress is underway across all parts of the plan. Large-scale revitalization takes time, but behind-the-scenes work and early milestones are already moving the vision forward:
- Build: Downtown properties are being acquired and prepared for renovation. One major restoration (the Readmore Building) is already complete, with additional buildings in line to be white-boxed for businesses and converted into new housing on upper floors. Larger mixed-use housing developments are also in progress with private development partners.
- Connect: Planning is complete for a multimodal path linking Earlham, downtown, and the Cardinal Greenway, and the City is moving ahead with rebranding and improving public transit. These steps lay the groundwork for safer, more accessible connections across the community.
- Activate: The Whitewater Gorge is being transformed into a major recreation hub, with trailhead improvements, new river access, and future features like boardwalks and play areas. Public art, beautification, and wayfinding projects are also in development, and a small business development coach is now in place to support downtown entrepreneurs.
While not all changes are immediately visible, these steps are building the foundation for the more noticeable wave of renovations, beautification, and new businesses that will come as the project enters its middle and later phases.
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