Location and Land

Fort Benjamin Harrison is located in Lawrence, Indiana approximately 10 miles or 20 minutes from downtown Indianapolis. It contains 2,500 acres, of which approximately 1,069 acres is covered by woodlands. Lawrence, Indiana is the 18th largest city in the State of Indiana with a population of nearly 50,000. Lawrence is within Marion County and is located in the more heavily wooded part of northeast Indianapolis near Geist Reservoir. See us on the map.

When the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) closed Fort Benjamin Harrison down, approximately 1,700 acres were conveyed to the State of Indiana for property now known as Fort Harrison State Park and The Fort Golf Course. 

Approximately 10% of the base remains under federal control with Building One, the military’s financial headquarters and the Army Reserve enclave on the eastern boundary of the base. 

Nearly 800 acres were sold to the FHRA for $9 million, and the FHRA conveyed a significant portion of that to the City of Lawrence for parks and recreation. In fact, Lawrence Community Park has 21 soccer fields that bring in thousands of people each year to the City for practice and tournaments. 

Over the years, much of the remaining land has been sold to private investors for civilian and local government reuse. Ivy Tech Community College purchased property and redeveloped Building 400 into their Lawrence Campus which serves over 7,000 students each year. The YMCA leases 10 acres from the FHRA for their Benjamin Harrison facility, which they will own outright in the near future.