South Village at Nickel Plate

A DEVELOPER’S VISION TAKES SHAPE IN THE SUBURBS

A Vision from the Heart

It began around 2006, pre-recession, when Mark and Joe Gradison first sensed the lifestyle movement no one had a name for yet. People were increasingly leaving the city, looking for urbanlike developments in the outskirts of town. With their deep roots in the construction field, the Gradisons recognized this geographical trend springing from a desire for a simplified version of city life—one that combined urban energy with the walkability and affordability of a suburban neighborhood.

A vision began forming in their minds to capture this new lifestyle mentality—a yearning to live outside the typical cookie cutter suburban norms and bring with it a funky downtown vitality. A fresh mix of unconformity mingled with urban hip. A community where like-minded others would forge something totally new and authentic. The surban* villagers. Mark and Joe were onto something!

A Developer’s Dream, A Builder’s Palette

Utopian vision in mind, they poured their heart and soul into finding just the right real estate to pull it off. It would be a challenge, but it was a natural for the brothers. As established developers and custom design-builders in Indianapolis since 1998, Joe and Mark were uniquely poised to make this dream come to life. They had the skills and the passion for the whole ball of wax—land acquisition, redevelopment, and custom design-build, building on a family legacy in construction reaching back four generations. The Gradison name has been known for architecture, earthmoving, utility contracting and concrete. Everything from road and bridge building to sewers, water purification and railroad construction. It was even a Gradison who had a hand in building the Panama Canal.

With all of that on their side, it happened.

Joe and Mark were able to marry up a parcel of primo property with one of the most forward-thinking towns in Hamilton County and began creating a true surban community. Having secured the perfect property adjacent to the Nickel Plate District of downtown Fishers, they worked tirelessly the next six years to redevelop, refine and build the place now known as South Village at Nickel Plate.

Setting the Stage for a New Culture

Transformation began as the brothers set about to translate their vision into the type of homes and community they wanted to offer. At the end of the day, they knew they wanted it to feel unscripted, modern, social, connected, on the verge of something daring. They wanted the villagers who’d take up residence here to have the kinship of stepping out in a new direction together, creating their own culture here in the ’surbs. Where cars just aren’t needed to partake of daily life—at least on the weekends.

These divergent qualities are expressed in the custom home designs themselves. Urban modern, edgy, organic, clean. Blended textures and finishes of stone, wood, rock. Contemporary rooflines. Downtown sophistication. Situated on easy to care for, compact lots—not sprawling acreage—to foster connectivity.

Inside, they carry through the same philosophy, with designs and floorplans the Gradisons call “clever custom” due to the way they intelligently purpose the space, not wasting one square foot on rambling unusability. Every element is thought about, to satisfy the flow of life, filling each nook and cranny with style and purpose.

The eclectic new culture is evident in the various types of people who choose to make their home here too. Already South Village is populated with a delightful assortment of just about every type—defying any type. Singles, diverse family units, entrepreneurs, empty nesters, young professionals. All feel free to define what life is going to look like. Enjoying the best of both urban and suburban living. Co-mingling side by side with others of the same mentality. And that makes life… interesting.

*term coined and trademarked by housing experts John Burns and Chris Porter, from their book Big Shifts Ahead