The Graduate Hotel, only six years old, asks to be designated as a historic building

Bloomington, Indiana – The Graduate Hotel Bloomington has applied to be classified as a historic structure in an attempt to be permitted to sell alcohol. If approved, the hotel may then be located inside a designated historic area. Members of the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission expressed doubt about the endeavor because the hotel was constructed just six years ago.

An alcoholic beverage permit, which The Graduate has been denied thus far because of its closeness to First United Methodist Church, would be granted if it were designated as part of a historic area. According to Indiana Code 7.1-3-21-11, a business “may not issue a permit for a premises if a wall of the premises is situated within two hundred (200) feet from a wall of a school or a church” if it wants to serve alcohol. The First United Methodist Church was unable to agree to approve the Graduate Bloomington.

The Kirkwood Avenue hotel argued that their request would help the other buildings in the neighborhood, even if its primary objective is to be granted authorization to serve alcohol and use it as a selling factor for visitors and event reservations. Citing the need to preserve Kirkwood Avenue’s heritage, hotel representatives proposed designating the remaining structures as part of an entire historic district.

The Graduate Hotel Bloomington’s owners, Pablo David of AJ Capital and Alex Intermill of Bose McKinney & Evans Law Firm, met with the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission on July 11.

A historic district in Bloomington is one that is at least fifty years old, according to the Historic Preservation Board of Review. A property’s historic and architectural merits are taken into account by the commission reviewers while deciding whether to designate it as historical. The mayor appoints these nine members.

Intermill noted during the discussion that the building “should” be 50 years old, not that it “must,” as stated on the Board of Review’s website. Despite being only six years old, the Graduate Bloomington is vying for historic preservation, citing its “economic benefit” for the Graduate Hotel and its “commitment to history,” according to Intermill.

Intermill claims that because the hotel is unable to provide alcohol, it loses, on average, twenty-five event bookings annually. He claimed that this hurts the city’s economy as well as The Graduate’s earnings.

The hotel’s interior architecture maintains history, according to Graduate officials, who also claimed that this makes it deserving of the historic building title. The hotel pays tribute to the history of Bloomington and Indiana University through design elements like a mural of the 1952–53 IU men’s basketball team, displays of Hoagy Carmichael, a Bloomington native and IU alumnus, sheet music, and bleachers that were restored and placed in the lobby.

One commission member expressed during the discussion that he was “kind of okay” with Kirkwood being a historic district.

Commission member Daniel Schlegel remarked, “I like the idea of what was mentioned about maybe some of the other owners might be enticed to help protect Kirkwood.”

The other commissioners were all against The Graduate being designated as a historic work.
Commission member William Fulk stated, “As far as the streetscape goes, I think that would put a significant burden on a lot of the other individuals along the street because their cost to maintain those buildings probably goes up significantly as soon as it would be classified as a historic building.” “So, that also doesn’t seem like a realistic option to me.”

Reynard Cross, a commission member, questioned David about whether he “legitimately” thought The Graduate Hotel was deserving of being in a historic district on its own merits or if it was merely a “backdoor” way to get a liquor license after The Graduate presented their request for historical designation. David stated that it is both, characterizing the hotel as a hybrid museum.

Cross stated, “I think our goal is to preserve the building based solely on its merits.” “I fail to see how we are in any way required to take into account any other issue other than that.”
He suggested requesting an exception to the ordinance prohibiting The Graduate from selling alcohol on the grounds that they are experiencing financial difficulties.

Cross added, “I think the most kind thing I can say is that this is disingenuous and that it is offensive and insulting for you to try to win this organization’s approval.” “Let’s end it there. Second, I have not yet seen any evidence in your presentation to support the building’s designation as a historic structure.

Sam DeSollar, a commissioner, expressed his appreciation for the building but said he thought the hotel’s reps’ reasons were “both disingenuous, bordering on specious” and that “this is an hour we would all like to have back.”

“It is outside of our jurisdiction to consider a liquor license,” Jeremy Hackerd, a commission advisory member, stated.

For the vote, the commission is currently waiting on The Graduate to set up a meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for August 22. The second and fourth Thursdays of each month are when the commission meets.