Noblesville is creative.
- IAC
- Programs and Services
- Partners
- Cultural Districts
- Current: Noblesville
The Noblesville Cultural Arts District includes the city’s newest cultural amenity and public park, Federal Hill Commons, which will anchor the west side of the downtown and the Cultural Arts District with an amphitheater nestled against the White River. The district also stretches into the residential area considered “Old Town” to capture Noblesville Preservation Alliance's Preservation Hall, local artist residences and in-home studios and Seminary Park. The district encompasses approximately 50 square blocks in downtown Noblesville.
Impact Points
4,775
Creative jobs in the zip codes surrounding the Noblesville Cultural Arts District in 2022. (Source)
$154.2M
Creative industry earnings in the zip codes surrounding the Noblesville Cultural Arts District in 2022. (Source)
$13.3M
Cultural nonprofit revenues in the zip codes surrounding the Noblesville Cultural Arts District in 2022. (Source)
Impact Stories
- Investment and Revitalization
- Tourism Economic Impact
- Workforce Retention and Attraction
- Community Wellbeing
In 2024 the Noblesville facade grant program granted $130,000 for preservation-oriented improvements and repairs to the facades of 9 different properties within the Cultural District in 2024, including a major upgrade to the facade of one of the buildings on our campus. This program has been funded by a TIF in a section of downtown Noblesville and has grown each year. Receiving our Cultural District designation emphasized that downtown Noblesville was a vital and vibrant place for commerce, which has, in turn, fueled new investment. As the impact of this investment has become more visible, more building owners and developers have rediscovered an interest in investing in downtown, including in their building facades.
By opening NobleMade, our Noblesville-themed gift shop in the Visitor's Center on the Noblesville square, we have more direct access to stories from visitors. We met a set of sisters who live on opposite ends of the state who chose Noblesville as their regular rendezvous spot because of our charming downtown with its many unique dining and shopping options. We have met many new artists who took a day-trip to Noblesville in order to find out more about the opportunities they might have here, and we have met families who had heard that downtown Noblesville had many options that suited their entire family. We hope to capture more of these stories in 2020.
Interestingly, Hamilton County Tourism has been collecting and using data from Uber Media. They sample 2 ~ 6% of all visitors. Based on that %, HCT can estimate the total visitors to our District, which is what we used to calculate our economic impact. HCT had to make a big approximation for this data, but they estimate the following visitation to the Noblesville Square (heart of our Cultural District):
Noblesville Square:
- Daytrippers – 51,000 - 154,000
- Overnighters – 74,000 - 222,000
AJ O'Reilly has been eager to establish his art supply store within the Noblesville Cultural District. However, when no suitable spaces were available at the time he was ready to open, he launched Griffy's Art Supply in the Stutz Building in Indianapolis. Despite this, he continues to develop collaborations and opportunities within the Noblesville Cultural Arts District, providing valuable resources for artists.
AJ maintains a small kiosk at Noblesville Creates and has implemented a system for taking orders from local artists for convenient local pickup. Additionally, he has designed art kits to sell at NobleMade, Noblesville’s locally focused gift shop on Conner Street. He continues to monitor space availability, ensuring that when the right location becomes available, he can open a full retail outlet for art supplies and more fully integrate into the Cultural District.
Denny Henderson had a tiny violin repair shop in an old house on the south side of Noblesville. He was renting the space from a yarn shop that closed when the owners retired in 2023. It took a few months, but by mid-summer, a space opened up on the Noblesville Creates campus, and Denny became the newest studio artist.
He quickly became a nearly constant presence on campus, spending his afternoons and evenings repairing instruments for students and professional musicians, building new instruments, and contributing to the fabric of downtown. He was overjoyed to be embraced by the arts community, and his business grew markedly after moving into his new, higher-visibility studio.