Windows in Bloomington's Trades District busted by vandals during Wednesday night storm

On Thursday, Bloomington police were investigating several broken windows in and around Bloomington’s Trades District, which is located north of city hall.

The damage was apparently done by vandals during Wednesday night’s storm, not by the winds from the storm. 

The investigation remains active and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jeff Rodgers at (812) 349-3318 or rodgersj@bloomington.in.gov

Damaged were windows at the new technology center (aka The Forge) and The Mill—both are owned by Bloomington’s redevelopment commission. Also damaged were windows at The Kiln, just north of The Mill, which is now privately owned, after its sale to a group called The Kiln Collective.   

The Forge is the new 3-story 22,000-square-foot building across from The Mill co-working space with a rust-colored brick facade, with dark gray accents. It’s supposed to provide office space for technology companies that are beyond the startup phase. 

According to Bloomington police, officers went Thursday morning (April 3) to The Forge, responding to a call about vandalism. When officers arrived, they noticed several broken windows and large rocks near each broken window. As officers were going over the scene, damage was also found at The Mill (642 N. Madison), which is a coworking space. 

The pattern at The Mill was the same as at The Forge—several windows and window screens were damaged, and large rocks were found nearby.

John Fernandez, who is vice president of The Mill, told The B Square that while it’s too early to put a precise figure on the damage, he thinks it’s probably in the tens of thousands of dollars. The B Square spoke with Fernandez just after he finished presiding over the regular meeting of the Monroe County election board. 

Fernandez  indicated that based on security camera footage, the vandals broke the windows around 10:30 p.m. At that time, Bloomington was getting hard rain from the storm.

The Trades District is a 12-acre portion of a larger area that forms Bloomington’s certified technology park. The Mill has a connection to the Trades District that includes responsibility for marketing and promoting the developable land there. The city of Bloomington purchased the land from Indiana University in 2011 for $9.3 million.

[Added at 12:36 p.m. on April 4, 2025: The Monroe County Republican Party issued a news release condemning the acts of vandalism.]