Indianapolis Opera transforms historic church into new permanent home

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A historic building in Indianapolis is being preserved by a local organization.

The former Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, a 60-year-old city landmark, has a new purpose and a new name: Basile Opera Center. It’s the new permanent home of the Indianapolis Opera.

The Indianapolis Opera began holding concerts in the former church, located at 4011 N. Pennsylvania St., more than 10 years ago.

“Since then, the Indianapolis Opera moved its headquarters into the former church and renamed it the Basile Opera Center. Organizers raised over $4 million to make repairs for reuse of the old church and preserve its mid-century, modernistic architecture that is worthy of the National Register of Historic Places,” the opera said in a news release.

The Basile Opera Center will now offer multi-use community artistic space located in the heart of Midtown-Meridian Kessler. The opera says the building “serves the neighborhood, city, and region from the historic and beloved former campus of the Greek Orthodox Church, once home to Greek Fest and other community-wide celebrations.”

The opera center will provide unique programming and diverse educational and community engagement opportunities along with a variety of outreach offerings tailored to Indy audiences of all walks of life. Residents can rent the Basile Opera Center for weddings, business functions, and other kinds of special events.

The Indianapolis Opera and the Indianapolis Arts Council will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The event will signify the center’s official dedication and include the inaugural performance in the newly-designated Ruth and Skip Vignati Performance Hall. The Vignati’s, longtime Indianapolis philanthropists, made the legacy gift that allowed the Indianapolis Opera to move into its new home.

Anyone interested in investing in the future of the Indianapolis Opera can make a donation online or contact David Starkey at 317-283-3531.