Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of the former North Christian Church in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.
City officials on Tuesday approved a lane closure on Tipton Lane for next month so that it can serve as overflow parking for a concert at the former North Christian Church.
The Board of Public Works and Safety approved the special use of right-of-way request from Columbus Area Arts Council to close Tipton Lane and a small portion of Sycamore Avenue for “A Night of Two Taylors” on March 7, a concert featuring indie rock artists Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes and MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger.
The closure is to last from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., according to city documents.
The Bartholomew County Public Library (BCPL) acquired the site in 2024 to transform the space for regional programming.
The concert will be the first of its kind hosted there, according to the Columbus Area Arts Council (CAAC) website, which refers to the venue as the “Oil Can,” a temporary name known locally as BCPL gathers community input for its official name.
The CAAC’s Steve Sanders wrote in the request that it’s anticipated that the concert will sell out all 450 tickets, with two-thirds of them coming from out of town.
“We want to keep parking as simple as possible to give people a good experience and prevent random parking through the neighborhoods,” Sanders wrote.
Tickets are $45 and there are still some available. Those interested can learn more artsincolumbus.org/live.
The approval comes after the board of works unanimously voted to back a recommendation by City Engineer Andrew Beckort to install no parking signs on the street in July 2024, prohibiting parking along the north side of Tipton Lane from Sycamore to Home Avenue, unless approved by the board of works.
This was following a June 2024 Plan Commission meeting when members were considering changing the use of the former North Christian Church to a branch campus of BCPL.
Neighbors who lived nearby came to express concern about how overflow from St. Bartholomew Catholic Church and St. Bartholomew School, as well as events at the former North Christian Church, impacted them.
