AP Development Wins Indiana's Top Restoration Honor

AP Development LLC has received the highest restoration award in the state of Indiana, and honestly, it means a lot.

Indiana Landmarks awarded us the 2026 Cook Cup for Outstanding Restoration for our $13 million restoration of the Ben-Hur Building in downtown Crawfordsville. Completely vacant since 2006 and mostly empty long before that, decades of water damage, a failing roof, and steady deterioration had taken a serious toll on one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.

We didn't just stabilize it. We restored the original 1911 lobby, staircase, lunch counter, revolving door and elevator and the art deco additions made in 1940.  We replicated missing historic details from original designs. We upgraded every major system, added a modern accessible entrance, and created 49 apartments plus a short-term rental space in the historic boardroom.

When we reopened the doors in June 2025, more than 1,000 people came out to see the restoration. 

"Everyone had a story about the building and their connections to it," said Jonathan Anderson, our President. "That made it all the more important to save the building and give it new life."

The Cook Cup has been awarded by Indiana Landmarks since 2007. It recognizes property owners whose restoration work meets the highest standards and creates real, lasting impact on the surrounding community.

Thank you to the City of Crawfordsville, MartinRiley architects + engineers, First Farmers Bank & Trust and IEDC for their role in making this project a reality.

We're proud of this one. The Ben-Hur Building now has residents living in the heart of downtown Crawfordsville, bringing foot traffic to nearby businesses and contributing to the city's vision for a more vibrant urban core.

This is what we do. We find the buildings everyone else walked away from and figure out how to bring them back.

Indiana Landmarks is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to saving meaningful places and restoring historic neighborhoods and downtowns across Indiana. With nine regional offices, they help communities rescue endangered landmarks before it's too late. For more information, visit www.indianalandmarks.org or call 317-639-4534.

AP Development LLC works with communities to bring vacant historic buildings, industrial properties, and brownfields back to life as useful, vibrant spaces rooted in their original significance. For more information, visit www.APDevelopmentLLC.com or call 317-294-4905. To inquire about living at the Ben-Hur, go to www.liveatbenhur.com.