INDIANAPOLIS -- The City of Indianapolis will obtain the former Indiana Women's Prison on the city's near east side after agreeing with the State of Indiana to exchange various properties in what the entities are calling a "significant milestone in city-state collaboration." According to a news release, the city has acquired the former women's prison at 401 N. Randolph Street while the state will receive the property located at 2600 S. Harding Street, which currently houses Indianapolis Animal Care Services. The state will take full possession of that property in 2026 after IACS completes its relocation to its new animal shelter on Raymond Street and Emerson Avenue. The agreement also stipulates that the state will acquire up to 7.7 acres of the Sherman Park property at 710 N. Sherman Drive. The release added that the former Indiana Women's Prison was created in 1873 and holds the distinction of being the first institution in the country designed to house female inmates. The facility operated for over 100 years before its relocation to Girls School Road in 2009 where it transitioned into the Indianapolis Re-Entry Educational Facility. It permanently closed in 2017 and the vacant property has been under the Indiana Department of Administration's supervision since then. The property exchange is expected to be finalized by November.