INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue University marked a major construction milestone Sept. 17 as the final steel beam was lifted into place on the south side of the Academic Success Building in Indianapolis.
The topping-out ceremony marked the highest point of construction on the facility, which is being designed to support Purdue students and serve as a central part of the university’s Indianapolis experience.
Before the beam was lifted, students, faculty, staff and project partners signed the steel beam, leaving their mark on the future building.
The beam also carried several traditional symbols, including an American flag, a Purdue flag and an evergreen tree representing safe, successful and resilient construction.
A Purdue-themed addition was also included when David Umulis, senior vice provost for Purdue University in Indianapolis, drew a hammer on the beam in reference to the Purdue cheer, “Boiler Up … Hammer Down! Hail Purdue!”
“I can think of no better symbol for this building as the Indianapolis center of Purdue’s main campus,” Umulis said.
Umulis said the Academic Success Building will represent more than a construction project, serving as a place where students can grow academically, professionally and personally.
“There is something very fitting about Boilermakers helping build a building that will shape future Boilermakers,” he said. “Here, knowledge will be built. Confidence will be built. Community will be built. Careers will be built.”
The ceremony also highlighted the progress that has been made on the project, which is now more than 60% complete.
Jay Wasson, Purdue’s vice president for physical facilities and chief public safety officer in Administrative Operations, recognized the architects, engineers, construction crews and university partners involved in bringing the project from plans to a new downtown Indianapolis landmark.
“We aren’t pouring concrete just to add square footage to a campus map,” Wasson said. “We are constructing the physical bridge between Purdue’s academic rigor and real-world impact. That is Purdue’s land-grant mission meeting the velocity and economic power of Indianapolis.”
Purdue student Davyd Postolaki, a sophomore studying electrical engineering, also spoke during the ceremony about his experiences at Purdue Indianapolis and the opportunities he sees developing in the city.
“Indianapolis has changed my life forever,” Postolaki said. “It taught me that I need to work for everything that I want, the value of perseverance and the true value of giving back.”
The Academic Success Building will include a variety of spaces intended to support student life, including a dining hall, classrooms, laboratories and student housing.
Postolaki said the new facility will give students opportunities to think about their futures at Purdue Indianapolis.
“The ASB is, most importantly, going to give the opportunity for students to dream about their future and the future at Purdue in Indianapolis,” he said.
Construction of the Academic Success Building is scheduled to be completed by fall 2027.
