Indiana Farm Bureau and the Indiana State Fair have been partners for a century, and the latest result of that partnership is about to start taking shape.

The new Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion will be built on the site of the former Swine Barn, which was built in 1923. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new structure was held Aug. 6, 2021, and as of early February, demolition of the Swine Barn was almost complete.

“The plans for this building, first and foremost, were to build a best-in-class livestock facility but to also build a multiuse facility that could host a variety of different events throughout the year – like all of our other livestock buildings do when the fair is not going on,” said Ray Allison, vice president of development for the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center.

Construction is scheduled to be complete in summer 2023 in time for the 2023 Indiana State Fair, said Tim Krueckeberg, project executive for Turner Construction, which is managing the project.

One thing that will be preserved is the building’s ornate brick façade. “In a few weeks, we've got a masonry restoration company that will start the restoration project on all the brick and everything in that north façade, and then we will build a brand-new building behind it that will be connected to it,” Allison said.

INFB been a supporter of the new facility all along, Allison added.

“Indiana Farm Bureau was right there next to us at the Statehouse helping us work with the General Assembly and having all the conversations to ensure that we got the approvals we needed and the funding that we needed to build this building,” he said. “They were instrumental in helping us get this project off the ground. So, Indiana Farm Bureau was the only company that we approached about having their name on this building.”

“Indiana Farm Bureau, along with Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, is proud to have the opportunity to be a part of this project,” said INFB President Randy Kron. “The Swine Barn as we know it has been there 100 years, and it was time for an update. The new structure will be multiuse, but I think livestock producers will be very pleased with the changes as well,” Kron said.

“It will be an important and dynamic change in the face of the fairgrounds,” he added.

Anyone who has used that building in the past 100 years knows how challenging it could be, Allison noted. The Swine Barn’s hilltop location drastically limited the amount of space available for loading and unloading animals.

 “We are actually dropping the elevation of the show floor 10 feet to the grade of the parking lot that's at the south end of the building,” Allison said. This will allow loading and unloading to happen on a flat surface on both the south and east sides of the building.

“When it's all said and done, the show floor in the new building will be about 117,000 square feet, and that will allow us to put 1,400 swine pens and two show rings with about 1,100 seats around the show rings,” Allison said.

Krueckeberg added that they are getting ready to start the demolition on the Public Safety Center, which is next to the Swine Barn and is partly in the new building’s footprint. A wing will be built onto the new pavilion that will house all the staff and the partners that use the Public Safety Center, such as parking, security, the State Police and the Red Cross. Once that building is demolished, they will begin the excavation phase of the project.

The new pavilion will have a 14,000-square-foot lobby at its north end that will house a permanent ag education space that will tell the story of Indiana’s swine industry. INFB also will have the opportunity to have a permanent presence in that space, Allison added.

Kevin Murphy, CEO of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, said the company is excited by this new partnership.

“Since it is located in Indianapolis but on the state fairgrounds, this project is a wonderful way to continue our long-standing commitment to Indiana’s rural community while also supporting the urban community that is becoming an increasingly important part of our customer base,” Murphy said. “We’re pleased to be able to work with the leadership of the Indiana State Fair Commission to help revamp the Swine Barn into a multiuse venue for the community that still honors the space’s traditional contributions to animal agriculture and 4-H.”