For the first time in its 43-year history, this year’s Indy Chamber Monumental Awards took place at Tibbs Drive-In in an effort to follow CDC social distancing guidelines. As a change of pace from the event’s typical format, the outdoor location of the 2020 Monumental Awards allowed guests to mingle with fellow industry professionals in a safe, distanced, and more relaxed environment.

Industry professionals and their families parked their vehicles in front of the main screen at Tibbs, where a pre-recorded video of the 2020 design awards showcased the area’s most significant design achievements from the past year. Unlike Monumental Awards shows from years past, guests were treated to a more family-friendly environment where they could bring along their children to watch the awards alongside them. They set up tents and arranged lawn chairs to watch the show while enjoying unlimited access to the snack bar for the duration of the evening. Once the sun went down and visibility improved, the awards presentation was broadcast to the theater’s largest screen and guests listened through car radios and nearby speakers.

Representatives from Indy Chamber said this year’s show continued the Monumental Awards tradition of providing great opportunities to highlight local projects and recognize the companies that make those projects flourish. Indy Chamber Vice President of Regional Economic Development Sarah Iglehart said awards shows like this are important because they help people understand how critical the built environment is to economic development in Indianapolis.

“When we think about the Indy region and its economic development, we’ve traditionally looked at corporate expansions and jobs and investment,” Iglehart said. “But increasingly, economic development is encompassing talent and quality of place. When we think about quality of place, that includes everything, and it certainly encompasses the built environment around us.”

Schmidt Associates took home the 2020 Monumental Award – the event’s top honor – for their design work on the P.R. Mallory Campus project.

“The P.R. Mallory Campus project is a prime example of what innovative reuse in the Indianapolis Region can be,” said Justin Ferguson, Lead Strategist, BHDP Architecture and Chairman of the Monumental Awards Committee. “The Monumental Award winner captures the beauty of bold design, while keeping the historic value of the building’s industrial past. The P.R. Mallory Campus has always been home to pioneers and the Indianapolis community should be thrilled that this tradition will continue with this innovative campus.”

Award winners were selected by an impartial jury of community and professional leaders from the Indianapolis region. Other winners included:

• Architecture Honor Award went to “Martindale-Brightwood library” submitted by Axis Architecture
• Construction Honor Award went to “Sue Ann Wortman Nephrology Center” submitted by Wilhelm Construction
• Engineering Honor Award went to “96th Street and Keystone Parkway Interchange and Corridor Improvement” submitted by CHA Consulting, Inc
• Innovative Reuse Honor Award went to “P.R. Mallory Campus” submitted by Schmidt Associates
• Interior Design Honor Award went to “CLIF Bar Bakery of Indianapolis” submitted by CSO Architects
• Landscape Architecture Honor Award went to “Monon Boulevard” submitted by Rundell Ernstberger Associates
• Neighborhood Revitalization Honor Award went to “P.R. Mallory Campus” submitted by Schmidt Associates
• Public Art Honor Award went to “Music and Transit” submitted by IndyGoBus
• Real Estate Development Honor Award went to “Monon Boulevard” submitted by Carmel Redevelopment Commission
• People’s Choice Award went to “Music and Transit” submitted by IndyGoBus