How is Electric Works delivering on its promises to Fort Wayne?

Hey Locals,

Electric Works has been in the news a lot lately.

As we reported on Tuesday: The Indianapolis-based Cunningham Restaurant Group recently announced plans* to bring three original restaurant concepts to campus by late 2026 or early 2027:

• A sports bar called “Fuse Box” in the former Chapman’s Brewing space.
• “The Morning Current” cafe for coffee and brunch.
• A future dinner concept TBA.

The Local’s Editor and Co-Founder, Kara Hackett, was also recently featured in a documentary by WPTA 21, Revisiting the Dream of Electric Works, which reflects on the original vision for the project. 

This all got us thinking: What promises has Electric Works made to Fort Wayne, and how is it delivering on those promises so far – now that we're almost five years into the 10-year vision?

In today’s newsletter, we’ll explore the status of three key promises the developers made to the community, and as usual, our reporting has led us to more questions than answers. So this will be a multi-week project.

For today’s report, we consulted many sources and interviewed several people, including:

• City Councilman Russ Jehl (R-2), also featured in WPTA 21’s documentary
• Mary Tyndall, Fort Wayne Community Development Public Information Officer
• Dane Leitch, Creator of an event previously held at Electric Works, MadCon
• Derek Camp, Wayne Township Assessor

Let’s dive in.

Promise No. 1: Electric Works will generate significant tax revenue and economic activity for Fort Wayne, which wouldn’t happen if its buildings sat vacant.

Specifically, the developers told The JG* in 2020: “Electric Works is expected to generate nearly $300 million in economic impact during construction – and almost $400 million in annual economic impact when the campus opens in 2022.” Reporting by WANE 15 indicates the West Campus was anticipated to create nearly 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent positions – with a capacity to support more than 2,200 daily workers on site at full occupancy.

So what’s the status?