The Idle

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The Idle
The Idle (4).jpg
The Idle in 2022
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Type Urban park
Motto"The Idle - A Point of View"
Location Fletcher Place and Fountain Square, Indianapolis
Coordinates 39°45′20″N86°08′38″W / 39.75556°N 86.14389°W / 39.75556; -86.14389 Coordinates: 39°45′20″N86°08′38″W / 39.75556°N 86.14389°W / 39.75556; -86.14389
OpenedSeptember 2018 (September 2018)
FounderTom Battista
Operated byIndianapolis Beautiful, Inc. [1]
Cost$89,462 [2]
Website www.idleindy.com

The Idle is a public park overlooking the I-65 and I-70 interstate interchanges in Indianapolis, Indiana. [3] The park is located right off the Indianapolis Cultural Trail on Virginia Avenue, directly in-between the city's Fletcher Place and Fountain Square neighborhoods, [4] which themselves are geographically separated by I-65. [5]

Contents

The concept behind The Idle was conceived in 2013, [2] through the vision of Tom Battista, a local Indianapolis property developer and entrepreneur. [6] It was partially funded through Patronicity, a crowdfunding website which raised $48,462. [5] Through a match, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority had contributed an additional $41,000. [2] Since the park is located on federal highway land, its creation required cooperation between the Federal Highway Administration, the Indiana Department of Transportation, and the Indianapolis Department of Public Works. [5]

The park features an accessible limestone trail leading to a viewing platform, which is furnished with seats salvaged from the city's former Bush Stadium. [4] It also features native vegetation, repurposed ash tree benches, as well as informative signage explaining the area's history and concept behind the project. [5]

See also

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References

  1. Lynch, Amy (October 1, 2018). "Indy's Newest Urban Green Space is One of a Kind". Visit Indiana. Indiana Office of Tourism Development. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Bongiovanni, Domenica (September 12, 2018). "You can now sit and watch highway traffic at this viewing perch by Fountain Square". Indystar . Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  3. Mhatre, Amol (October 13, 2019). "The Idle: An oasis in the midst of traffic". CBS Sunday Morning . CBS News . Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "The Idle". Lonely Planet . Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "The Idle, A Point of View". Patronicity. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  6. Fernandez, Megan (May 2, 2017). "A Bizarre Park Called The Idle Is Planned For Downtown". Indianapolis Monthly . Retrieved February 17, 2020.