Jim Irsay’s $12 mansion is for sale. See inside the Carmel home
Jim Irsay’s 24,000-square-foot estate in Carmel is listed at $12 million. See inside the home.
Casey Foyt promised the board that the ice rink would not be used for commercial purposes.The rink sits on an acre off of 116th Street and was built in 2018 by Irsay as part of his Carmel estate.The board unanimously approved the variances requested by Foyt to maintain the ice rink’s operation.
Indianapolis Colts owner Casey Foyt came before the Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals last week to fight to keep her family’s Carmel ice rink operating. Her late father Jim Irsay built the rink in 2018 as part of his estate on 116th Street, which recently sold.
“My dad built this rink out of love for my children,” Foyt said, adding that all five of her children use the venue, her three boys for hockey and her two girls for figure skating. Irsay died in May at the age of 65.
The rink sits on more than an acre at 1705 W. 116th St. next to Irsay’s former Carmel mansion. When that property sold in September, the rink was not included with the estate.
The same month the mansion sold, Foyt and her family formed James Irsay Arena, LLC, which is now listed as the owner of the rink.
“I had to fight to keep this, and this is for my children, and one day, who knows, our grandchildren,” Foyt told the board Nov. 24. “But I just want to say that it’s mainly for the love of our own children. We’re not trying to do anything other than what we’ve been doing for the last five, six years.”
The five-member panel unanimously approved Foyt’s requested variances, with her commitment to not use the rink for commercial purposes. One variance was a permit to allow Foyt to operate the rink on the property now that it’s no longer connected to the original estate. Another variance will let Foyt build a driveway with access to the rink directly off of 116th Street.
Neighbor Ed Hourigan came to the meeting last week in opposition of the variances, mostly due to drainage concerns which he says have created a “swampy area” on his property.
“How would you like a 1-acre ice rink in your backyard, on your side yard with all the drainage,” Hourigan said. “I want drainage corrected, and I want my property back the way it was supposed to be. I don’t know how Carmel can allow a structure, a commercial structure in a residential community of this size and magnitude.”
The board told Hourigan drainage was a concern for the city’s engineering department, which has already begun a review of the property, and any approval they give for variances can be overruled if the department deems necessary.
Foyt’s attorney, Joe Calderon, told the board Foyt would commit to making upgrades to the drainage system if the engineering department determines that’s needed.
“It’s going to be used for the same purpose it was used before,” board member Kevin Rider said as he approved the variances. “It’s just owned on a different piece of property on its own instead of with the estate.”
Since Irsay’s death, several of his real estate holdings have been put on the market, including:
In October, a 97-acre Carmel property owned by Irsay was sold to the second-largest Arby’s franchisee in the nation, and will be used as a family estate and private family farm. The same month, Irsay’s golf course in Culver, Ind., had a sale pending.
In September, Irsay’s Carmel mansion sold for $11.75 million, less than two months after it went on the market. The 24,000-square-foot estate borders Crooked Stick Golf Club and features two separate standalone guest homes on 9.4 gated acres.
In August, a $19.9 million lake house owned by Irsay, featuring a 13,956-square-foot estate located on nearly six acres on Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver, Ind., was listed for sale. The home features eight bedrooms, 10 baths and the personal touch of Irsay, who helped design the property he built in 2001. That listing for the lake house is still active.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.  Â