Blake Shelton’s live music and restaurant concept is coming to Indianapolis, the country star announced April 29 at an elaborate press conference at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Ole Red, a live music, bar and restaurant, will open at 231-235 S. Meridian St., as part of the Simon family’s expansion of its growing sports district in the area surrounding Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Inspired by Shelton’s 2001 hit of the same name, the Indianapolis Ole Red location will include a main dining area, an indoor bar, and two performance stages, as well as a covered rooftop bar overlooking downtown. Ole Red is projected to open in late 2027, a few months before the NCAA Women’s Final Four in the spring of 2028.
Local officials and sports executives, including Pacers owner Herb Simon, Pacers CEO Mel Raines, Mayor Joe Hogsett and Gov. Mike Braun, joined Shelton on Wednesday to announce the seventh Ole Red location. It will be the first in Indiana.
“I’m really excited about this one because of the particular vibe,” Shelton said at the press conference. “And by the way, we’ve done a few of these now. I think I’ve never seen as much support from a community. I mean, the governor’s here, the mayor’s here, everybody’s here. This is incredible, and that’s why I knew this was going to be a big deal, and why it’s so exciting to come to Indianapolis, because I knew the support was going to be here.”
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Ole Red’s parent company, had been looking at an Indianapolis location since before 2020, said Colin Reed, Executive Chairman of Ryman Hospitality Properties. A year of negotiations predated the formal announcement, Reed said, adding that the city’s convention industry was a draw for the company.
“We look at Indiana through the eyes of its convention industry,” Reed said. “We have coveted this partnership for a long time.”
Work on the historic Meridian Street buildings will begin later this year. Renderings show a revamped look of the buildings, with modern signs and a mural overlooking the alley.
Fieldhouse sports district grows downtown
Ole Red’s expansion announcement comes less than a year after Boxcar Development, an entity controlled by Herb Simon, announced the purchase of the pair of properties for a combined $4.5 million. At the time, the Simon family’s spokesperson said there were no immediate plans for the site, but the real estate mogul took the opportunity to expand the family’s land holdings around Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
As the Pacers and the Simons acquire more land, the area of downtown could grow to resemble a sports entertainment district, as experts see sports owners and executives increasingly vying for more land to increase profits tied to sports teams.
Boxcar is building a Ritz Carlton and Live Nation music venue nearby at 230 S. Pennsylvania St. that is slated to open in early 2028. The 170-room luxury hotel will also house retail space and include a connecting bridge to the fieldhouse. Raines said the Ole Red spot will be another asset in the district.
“This raises the profile of Indianapolis, like the Ritz Carlton and some of the other amazing things we have going on,” Raines said. “You see cranes all over downtown, and I think we have a really unique culture here of public-private partnerships.”
Alysa Guffey writes business and development stories for IndyStar. Contact her at alysa.guffey@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Blake Shelton restaurant and live music venue coming to Indianapolis
Reporting by Alysa Guffey, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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