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Real estate update: the latest commercial developments and trends around the state.

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Evansville. "There's a lot of excitement about our downtown," says Ken Newcomb, president of F.C. Tucker Commercial in Evansville. "Our downtown is on a fast track of rebuilding."

In recent years the skyline has benefited from new headquarters buildings for Vectren and Old National Bancorp. Now, residential opportunities are on the rise; including lofts and condominiums, he says.

Efforts also are under way to boost the downtown's status as a tourism and entertainment destination, reports Jeff Deig, vice president of engineering and business development for Industrial Contractors in Evansville. His company is currently working on new entertainment options linked to Casino Aztar, including a new hotel, a Jillian's entertainment complex and a Ri-Ra Irish pub.

The firm also is playing a role in the engineering and construction of the Hands On Discovery Children's Museum, which is to open next school year in the old, art deco Central Library building downtown. "That's a project with a lot of visibility," Deig says.

The downtown office market remains affected by the move of Vectren and Old National to their new quarters, which left their old spaces vacant. There's still a quarter of a million square feet of space available in the central business district, and the vacancy rate exceeds 20 percent. But, says Newcomb, "we're getting a lot of inquiries about the space there.

The suburban market is...