R. E. Dimond and Associates, Inc.

777 N. Meridian – Indiana Veterans Center

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777 N Meridian Street exterior in Indianapolis

Renovating and modernizing the neoclassical buildings at the Indiana War Memorial Plaza

The American Legion’s national headquarters was originally located on a five block plaza in Indianapolis, Indiana. Built entirely with Indiana limestone, the historic 777 N. Meridian building was included in the headquarters and renovated as part of an Indiana War Memorial Plaza development.

The redevelopment finished in early 2020 when the original American Legion National Headquarters building at 777 N. Meridian reopened as the Indiana Veterans Center.

Overview

  • Project: Indiana Veteran’s Center
  • Location: 777 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis
  • Client: Indiana War Memorial and State of Indiana
  • Project size: 34,000 SF
  • Goal: Renovation and modernization

Creating a new space for the Indiana Veterans Center in a historic building

Veterans Center
Erected in 1950, the American Legion Headquarters in Indianapolis is a 5-story structure built of Indiana limestone.

The larger War Memorial Plaza project, funded in part by the State of Indiana, introduced new ADA-accessible ramps, restrooms, elevators, and other modern amenities at 777 N. Meridian. The building is now also home to all divisions of the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs.

R.E. Dimond and Associates was challenged to renovate and modernize this historic neoclassical structure with:

  • Updated and energy efficient heating and air-conditioning
  • Efficient lighting
  • Resouce-saving plumbing
  • Modern, scalable telecommunications to create centralized office space for Indiana’s Veteran Affairs organizations

Modernized to include energy-efficient heating, cooling, lighting, and more

Interior of historic 777 N Meridian Street building
Men listen to a speaker inside the American Legion Headquarters, ca. 1960

To achieve the building’s goals, save taxpayers money, and set the building up for long-term success, our teams used innovative techniques and design solutions.

  • The building utilizes steam and chilled water from Citizens Thermal Energy for building heating and cooling.
  • Four-pipe fan coil units, piping, electrical and telecommunication systems were concealed in ceiling bulkheads to minimize necessary alterations to the historic building.
  • Electrical design included new building electrical service and an integrated LED lighting control system for energy savings.
  • Advanced technology networks provide security, video and intrusion surveillance of the building.
  • The building also has a fully automatic sprinkler system.

Hamilton County Community Corrections Photovoltaic System

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Hamilton County Corrections Solar Farm

Innovative use of space meets energy efficiency for Hamilton County taxpayers

R.E. Dimond and Associates prepared mechanical and electrical plans and specifications for the Hamilton County Community Corrections facility. Completed in 2018, this project involved a new heating water system and the addition of solar panels.

The solar photovoltaic panels are placed on the roofs of the jail, work release building, juvenile detention facility, woman’s annex, and the administrative building in Noblesville. Solar panels are also arrayed on county-owned land nearby and provide enough energy to air-condition and heat the jail and county health department buildings.

Solar panels at the Hamilton County Corrections campus
Solar panels on the roof at the Hamilton County Correctional Facility

Adding power to the grid beyond the correctional facilities

As one of the largest solar installations in the state, the Hamilton County Corrections solar project does more than heat and cool the correctional facilities. With 9,300 solar panels, the system generates enough electricity to power about 500 extra homes. This means more sustainable power for Hamilton County residents added to the grid and has saved or earned millions of dollars in utility costs.

Plainfield Fire Station 123

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Construction Cost

$5,000,000

Size

 22,000 SF

Construction Completed

 December 2011

Plainfield Fire Station 123 Energy Efficient Design

R. E. Dimond & Associates provided the complete Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing design for the Plainfield Fire Station 123 in Plainfield, Indiana.  Services provided by R. E. Dimond included security and fire alarm systems in addition to the standard HVAC design, lighting and electrical layout and plumbing design.

The station is designed to be energy efficient.  It is cooled by a geothermal system and much of the light is natural.  It uses energy-efficient lighting, is partially constructed of recycled products and water use is kept to a minimum with low flow toilets and faucets.

Station 123 has a capacity of 15 firefighters which includes extra staffing for emergencies such as flooding or to accommodate firefighters from other stations out-of-service because of crises.  This station will also be a training center with high-tech training room, areas simulating fires in tight spaces such as manholes and sewer pipes and a tower to learn rope-rescue techniques and ladder training.

Indiana State House

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Construction Cost

Phase I – $2,487,000 | Phase II – $10,370,000

Size

360,000 SF

Construction Completed

Phase I – 2006 | Phase II – 2009

Monumental Affairs Achievement Award HVAC Replacement Indiana State House

Challenge

Installing air conditioning in a 100 year-old building that was never designed for cooling systems. Design included routing of piping and duct work through solid limestone walls up to 40” thick.

Strategy

Designed energy efficient replacement systems including space conditioning and dehumidification. Innovative installation of supply and return grilles within existing architectural features minimized alterations to the historic building.

Indiana War Memorial

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Renovation of the Indiana War Memorial

Over the years, the Indiana War Memorial has gone through several renovations. R.E. Dimond and Associates was honored to be a part of several of those projects which included a number of architectural firms.  R.E. Dimond was selected to design and oversee the installation of air conditioning in the Indiana War Memorial which previously was not air conditioned. There are many challenges to retrofitting an existing historic building with new air conditioning, including but not limited to space restrictions, condensation control in uninsulated inaccessible ductwork and keeping the historic fabric of the building intact.

In addition, auditorium lighting was refurbished in ceiling as well as aisles.  A dimming system was also added to the auditorium lighting.  Electrical work in the auditorium and AV room included addition of power receptacles and data cabling for AV equipment.   Also, R.E. Dimond was involved in a later remodel that included the restrooms.  Fixture selection was critical to maintaining the character of the building.  Roof drains were also replaced and rerouted as needed for this project.

Our Location

Located in the heart of Indianapolis, R.E. Dimond is an Indianapolis MEP engineering consulting firm.

We are easily accessible from major interstates around Indiana and offer large conference rooms suitable for hosting project meetings and free parking.

START A PROJECT

Contact Bill Eisler, Executive Vice President, Mechanical Services – bill.eisler@redimond.com

732 N Capitol Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone: 317.634.4672

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