| The Idle | |
| Type: | Urban park |
| Motto: | "The Idle - A Point of View" |
| Location: | Fletcher Place and Fountain Square, Indianapolis |
| Coords: | 39.7556°N -86.1439°W |
| Founder: | Tom Battista |
| Operator: | Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.[1] |
| Free Label: | Cost |
| Free Data: | $89,462[2] |
| Website: | www.idleindy.com |
| Map: | USA Indianapolis#Indiana#USA |
| Map Width: | 250px |
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 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]