The Idle

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]

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
Opened	September 2018 (2018-09)
Founder	Tom Battista
Operated by	Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.[1]
Cost	$89,462[2]
Website	www.idleindy.com

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

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