It took 13 years, two city administrations and several false starts, but downtown Kokomo finally has its conference center and hotel.
The Kokomo Conference Center and the Hilton Garden Inn Kokomo Downtown officially opened on Sept. 21. More than 100 people came to the opening.
"Kokomo is known more for sports, with Championship Park and Northwest Park," said Dean Hockney, board president of the Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau. "Now we can be known for a conference center with a hotel attached in right downtown. That has been a long time coming."
The long road to opening day
This isn't the first version of the project. In 2018, the city announced a six-story, 123-room Hilton Garden Inn with a 22,000-square-foot conference center, to be built by Dora Hotel Company. Dora pulled out, and other developers came and went before SSG Hotels took over the project in late 2023.
Ground was finally broken on Aug. 13, 2024. Two years later, the doors are open.
The project is a partnership among the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance, the Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau, the City of Kokomo, Howard County and SSG Hotels. SSG Hotels manages the conference center.
The conference center was budgeted at up to $27.5 million, financed largely by $22 million in bonds. The state also put $5 million in READI funding toward the project.
The conference center
The Kokomo Conference Center is at 121 E. Superior St., the site of city founder David Foster's original homestead.
The building covers 55,000 square feet over three floors and can host events for up to 1,000 guests. The ballroom alone is more than 8,600 square feet and can be split into three sections.
The meeting rooms upstairs are named for figures from Kokomo and Howard County history:
- Haynes, for inventor and automaker Elwood Haynes
- Apperson, for the Apperson brothers, who also built cars in Kokomo
- Foster, for city founder David Foster
- Henley, for Aliff Henley, the first Black American documented as buying land in Howard County, in 1844
- Koh-Koh-Mah, for the Miami leader the city is named after
- Peshewa, the Miami name of Chief Jean Baptiste Richardville
There's also The Elizabeth, a green room and bridal suite named for Elizabeth Foster, David Foster's wife.
The car museum downstairs
The most interesting part of the building might be the lower level. It's the new home of the Kokomo Automotive Museum, where 10 historic cars made in Kokomo are on display.
The collection includes Haynes and Apperson automobiles, built by the same local names on the meeting rooms upstairs.
The museum used to be at the Kokomo Event Center, where the Pioneer Auto Club took care of it. It left that building in 2018. At the opening, Mayor Tyler Moore made a point of thanking the club's members.
The conference center hasn't published museum hours or admission yet. Check kokomoconferencecenter.com for updates.
The hotel
The Hilton Garden Inn Kokomo Downtown is next door at 191 E. Superior St. It's five stories with 108 rooms, and a pedestrian bridge connects it directly to the conference center.
You don't have to be attending a conference to stay there. Anyone can book a room through Hilton. The hotel's restaurant, The Garden Grille & Bar, is open to non-guests for breakfast and dinner.
Why it matters
The Kokomo Event Center on Ind. 931 stopped hosting large events in 2022, and since then trade shows and conventions have had few options in the city. The new building gives them a downtown home with a hotel attached.
How to see it for yourself
The easiest way in is an event that's open to the public.
- Kokomo Home Show, Oct. 2–3: the first big chance for the public to get inside. Free parking is available in the lot south of the conference center and in the Superior Street Garage.
- Kokomo Art Association Centennial Gala, Oct. 17: 5:30 to 9 p.m., $75. Tickets are at kaaonline.org/gala.
The building is already booking business events too. The 43rd Annual Indiana MPO & IARC Conference is there Oct. 26–29. The Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance's annual awards dinner is Nov. 5.
Parking at the conference center, and throughout much of downtown, is free.
