Historical Highlights
BOS Community Development Corporation was created in 1982 through the efforts of Midtown Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (MEDIC) and Madame Walker Theatre Center, with the support of Flanner House. BOS was created to develop and implement a revitalization plan that would be in the best interest of the Midtown neighborhood and its residents. A diverse group of organizations provided the initial funding for BOS. These included Madame Walker Theatre Center, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Lilly Endowment and a local bank.

BOS’ primary service area is near downtown and includes historic Ransom Place, Flanner House Homes, Bush Stadium, the canal and Indiana University / Purdue University – Indianapolis (IUPUI). According to the 2000 census, 8,000 people live in the area served by BOS. The median age is 30, and 71 percent of the occupied housing units are rental. This reflects the large number of apartments in the area, particularly along the canal.

Accomplishments and activities
BOS Community Development Corporation accomplishes its mission through a set of core activities:

• Homeownership activities
• Construction of single-family homes
• Rental housing development
• Home repair assistance
• Commercial/business development
• Community organizing

BOS produces affordable and market rate housing through new construction as well as acquisition/rehabilitation. BOS also operates a home repair program that assists low to moderate-income homeowners with repairs to their homes. BOS’ commercial real estate development activities include the Walker Plaza office building located at 719 Indiana Avenue and the 500 Place office building located at 501Indiana Avenue. The most recently completed commercial project is Stewart Center, an office building located at 520 Indiana Avenue.

Community Partnerships
BOS Community Development Corporation has an ongoing relationship with a variety of community and corporate partners, including the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, the City of Indianapolis, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Canal StakeholdersAssociation, Indiana Association for Community Economic Development, National Congress for Community Economic Development, and various banks and mortgage companies.

Meetings
The BOS board of directors meetings are conducted at 10:00 a.m. on the third Friday of each month. These meetings are not generally open to the general public; however, if someone wishes to attend a meeting, a request should be submitted to the President of BOS in advance of the meeting date.