Roof repairs to close Indiana World War Memorial until spring of 2019

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Repairs to a leaky roof will close the stairs at the Indiana World War Memorial until next spring, according to the memorial’s director. 

The stairs — a hotspot for runners, photographers, and tourists — are currently closed off by gates. Workers are scaffolding the building and preparing the fix the copper and granite roof. 

Marie Yorn and her friends took advantage of the few stairs that are not blocked off during a Wednesday workout. 

“Really bummed because we actually heard November, so spring takes it even further,” Yorn said. 

Indiana War Memorial Executive Director Stewart Goodwin said work on the roof will cost the state $2.2 million in taxpayer dollars. 

The museum and indoor area are still open during the day.

“One thing that’s about (the repairs) is, people know where we are and hopefully we get them inside the museum,” Goodwin said. 

Goodwin said the wild Indiana weather wears down the building, which was dedicated in 1933.

“It’s one of the most popular places in the city to run,” Goodwin said. “We’ve had to give several groups the bad news.” 

Jason Shaw leads a group of exercisers called The November Project every week at the memorial. The broken stone is not stopping them.

“There’s other stairs here. We use the city blocks. We do a lot more running,” Shaw said. “That will just make the stairs that much more sweet when they’re ready to go again.”