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The Idle
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″N 86°08′38″W / 39.75556°N 86.14389°W / 39.75556; -86.14389
Opened	September 2018 (September 2018)
Founder	Tom Battista
Operated by	Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
Cost	$89,462
Website	www.idleindy.com

The Idle is a public park overlooking the I-65 and I-70 interstate interchanges in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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, which themselves are geographically separated by I-65.

The concept behind The Idle was conceived in 2013, through the vision of Tom Battista, a local Indianapolis property developer and entrepreneur. It was partially funded through Patronicity, a crowdfunding website which raised $48,462. Through a match, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority had contributed an additional $41,000. 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.

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. It also features native vegetation, repurposed ash tree benches, as well as informative signage explaining the area's history and concept behind the project.

See also

• List of parks in Indianapolis
• The 606, urban park in Chicago, Illinois
• High Line, similar project in New York City

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. ^ 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. ^ "The Idle". Lonely Planet. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
5. ^ "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.

External links

• Official website
• "PHOTOS: Park to watch interstate traffic opens near Fountain Square". RTV6 Indianapolis. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
• Indianapolis' Idle, an oasis on the interstate on YouTube

v t e Parks in Indianapolis
Parks	ARTSPARK Ball Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park Brookside Park Cancer Survivors Park Eagle Creek Park Ellenberger Park Fort Harrison State Park Garfield Park The Idle Indianapolis World Sports Park Lentz Park Military Park Oldfields Riverside Park Skiles Test Nature Park Southeastway Park Southwestway Park Town Run Trail Park University Park Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres White River Gardens White River State Park
Trails	Fall Creek Greenway Indianapolis Cultural Trail Monon Trail Pleasant Run Greenway Pogue's Run Greenway
Related	Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System Lilly ARBOR Project
Category · Commons

v t e Indianapolis Cultural Trail
Cultural districts	Canal and White River State Park Fountain Square Indiana Avenue Market East Mass Ave Wholesale
Parks	American Legion Mall Hudnut Commons Military Park Richard G. Lugar Plaza The Idle White River State Park
Public art	Ann Dancing Care/Don't Care Chatham Passage E Pluribus Unum Glick Peace Walk Looking Through Windows Moving Forward Poet's Place Prairie Modules 1 & 2 Swarm Street Talking Wall
Related	Gene B. Glick Indiana Pacers Bikeshare
Commons

• Fountain Square, Indianapolis
• Parks in Indianapolis
• 2018 establishments in Indiana
• Urban public parks