The stop and the date
Purdue University is building the Academic Success Building at the corner of Michigan and West streets in downtown Indianapolis. The redbrick tower carries 248,000 square feet across 15 floors. Purdue held the groundbreaking on 2 April 2025 at the Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio St., across the street from the site. Completion is scheduled for May 2027.
That May 2027 date is the one to work against. Before the building opens, a campus itinerary in Indianapolis runs to the Purdue addresses already occupied along the West Street corridor.
The walk from the hotel cluster
The campus-district hotel ring sits close to the site. Hampton Inn Indianapolis Downtown IUPUI and Homewood Suites by Hilton Indianapolis Downtown IUPUI share 414 W. Vermont St. at 232 m (0.14 mi) and 234 m (0.15 mi). Residence Inn Indianapolis Downtown on the Canal at 350 W. New York St. sits 385 m (0.24 mi) away. Courtyard Indianapolis at the Capitol at 320 N. Senate Ave. sits 489 m (0.30 mi) away.
The wider downtown cluster falls inside three-quarters of a mile. Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown at 601 W. Washington St. sits 893 m (0.55 mi) from the site, Fairfield Inn & Suites Indianapolis Downtown at 501 W. Washington St. 899 m (0.56 mi), SpringHill Suites Indianapolis Downtown at 601 W. Washington St. 899 m (0.56 mi), Hilton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites at 120 W. Market St. 918 m (0.57 mi), Marriott Indianapolis Downtown at 350 W. Maryland St. 984 m (0.61 mi), The Westin Indianapolis at 241 W. Washington St. 1,012 m (0.63 mi), Embassy Suites by Hilton Indianapolis Downtown at 110 W. Washington St. 1,038 m (0.65 mi) and Hyatt Regency Indianapolis at 101 W. Washington St. 1,121 m (0.70 mi).
Every figure above is a straight-line measure taken from the Purdue University Academic Success Building object in OpenStreetMap at 39.7748821, -86.1680549. No publisher has released a walking-time study for the route.
Campus stops on the same grid
Purdue occupies several addresses inside a quarter mile of the site. The Student Center at 518-520 Indiana Ave. sits 221 m (0.14 mi) away, the parcel at 501 Indiana Ave. 224 m (0.14 mi) and 510 Indiana Ave. 232 m (0.14 mi). The building at 420-422 W. Michigan St. sits 199 m (0.12 mi) away, and 401 W. Michigan St. 253 m (0.16 mi).
The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library at 543 Indiana Ave. sits 169 m (0.11 mi) from the site, directly across from the Madam Walker Legacy Center at 152 m (0.09 mi). Purdue agreed in August 2026 to acquire the museum building, a 10,400-square-foot facility.
What sits west of the stop
The Canal Walk runs through the district west of the site. White River State Park sits 1,059 m (0.66 mi) away, with the Indiana State Museum at 682 m (0.42 mi), the Eiteljorg Museum at 707 m (0.44 mi), the NCAA Hall of Champions at 775 m (0.48 mi) and the Indianapolis Zoo at 1,353 m (0.84 mi). The Indiana Convention Center sits 1,296 m (0.81 mi) from the site and the Julia M. Carson Transit Center 1,556 m (0.97 mi).
Closures that move the route
Purdue publishes its own travel notices for the site. The notice of 23 April 2026, updated on 26 May 2026, closed Indiana Avenue from North West Street to North Blackford Street on 18-23 May for water connections to the building. The same notice closed the westbound lanes of West Michigan Street from North West Street to North Blackford Street from 26 May through 6 June. Utility and fit-out work continues to the 2027 completion. Operators should re-read Purdue's construction and travel notices before setting a departure date.
The West Lafayette leg
Purdue runs the Campus Connect shuttle between West Lafayette and Indianapolis. The round trip is free to faculty, staff and students, and the service runs seven days a week. Riders reserve a seat through the R2U Connect app and show the confirmation when they board. Campus Transit also runs a loop inside Indianapolis.
What no publisher sets
Purdue publishes no coach staging area, loading zone or step-free route plan for the Michigan and West site, and no walking-time study exists. Ask Purdue for the group arrival plan at the building, and ask the Indianapolis Department of Public Works at dpw.communications@indy.gov for the street and loading-zone status on Michigan Street, West Street and Indiana Avenue.
Hold the campus stop for itineraries dated after May 2027. The hotels inside a quarter mile serve the visit today, and the building adds the classroom, laboratory and dining space a campus programme needs.