Union Campus History
1888. A Vision.
TThe Union has a very rich history in Indianapolis. It was designed to provide training in such fields as mechanics, drafting, and the domestic arts. On June 14, 1888, the board went on record as favoring the proposed step of manual training education and voted to establish two such classes in the Indianapolis High School. Forty students enrolled in these first classes, and enthusiasm for the undertaking grew. A bill enabling the Board of School Commissioners to levy a tax for the construction of an industrial school in Indianapolis was introduced in the Indiana House of Representatives on February 19, 1891. This bill, permitting the collection of five cents on every hundred dollars of taxable property in Indianapolis for the establishment of an industrial training school, was passed with one dissenting vote, on March 7, 1891.
1920. Expansion.
On June 7, 1920, the cornerstone of the "South Building" extension was laid. This would include an auditorium, cafeteria, and new gymnasium. A portion of this wing collapsed while under construction in November 1920. The addition opened in the Spring of 1922.
In 1953, the Charles E. Emmerich Manual Training High School relocated to 2405 Madison Avenue, its present location. The Meridian Street facility was renamed the Harry E. Wood Vocational Training School.
Harry E. Wood High School opened in the fall of 1953 with the specific purpose of providing vocational education at the secondary level. Indianapolis Public Schools refurbished the old building with an extensive $350,000 renovation.
While vocational training was the original purpose of Wood High School, the school board decided that the primary focus would be on academics, but with exceptional facilities and curriculum to provide students with the vocational training they would need to be successful after high school.
The new school was named for Harry E. Wood, who was an alumni of Manual High School. He became an renowned artist and craftsman, and was an educator and administrator at Manual. He also lectured at many universities and was president of several art associations. Wood retired from IPS in 1950 and died in 1951.
In athletics, Indianapolis Wood High School won several Sectional Championships in both basketball & track. The Woodchuck's wrestling team won the Indiana State Championship in back-to-back seasons, 1959-60 & 1960-61. Former Harlem Globetrotter, "Jumpin' Johhny" Wilson became the first black head coach of an integrated Indiana high school when he was named head basketball coach at Wood. Wood High School was closed in 1978.
1984. Brougher.
In 1981, IPS sold off the buildings and parking lots.
In 1984, Brougher Insurance Group purchased the building and converted the old school house into an office building. In early 1999 the building was sold again, this time to Eli Lilly & Co. It was remodeled again and Lilly occupied the space in early 2000 under the name 'Brougher Building'.
In 2015, a group of investors purchased the building from Eli Lilly & Co with the intent to do something big, and out of that commitment, The Union was born. The first tenants took possession of the property on December 1, 2016, and thus a new era of innovation began.
2016. Union Campus.
In 2016, local tech entrepreneur, John Hurley, brought his 20+ years or tech startup experience and partnered with three seasoned commercial real estate professionals, John Tiebel, Brad Tiebel, and Al Krygier, to create a flexible real estate platform for the tech community, The Union 525. The model allows businesses to start at one person and scale to 100 people with 10,000 sq. ft. of office space. All of the spaces are preconfigured to allow your company to maximize usability, and ALL offer flexible lease terms. And unlike traditional models, we don't require any personal guarantees.
In 2020, The Union 525 expanded and built on 601 S Meridian. We have grown to three separate buildings that make up over 210,000 sq ft of space, creating a unique and diverse culture called Union Campus.
Union Campus' success is a testament to the companies that call Union home and is just a glimpse of what the future holds for our great city. And we're not done. Plans are in the works for a parking garage, micro-apartments, and more offices.
