Indianapolis Cultural Trail breaks ground on Glick Peace Walk and third leg of the Trail

Indianapolis Cultural Trail breaks ground on Glick Peace Walk and third leg of the Trail

INDIANAPOLIS – This morning, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick hosted a construction kick-off event to celebrate the North Corridor of the trail, a one-mile stretch including portions of Indiana Avenue, St. Clair Street, Walnut Street, the Canal, Meridian Street, the American Legion Mall and North Street. The event also celebrated the groundbreaking of the Glick Peace Walk.

The Glick Peace Walk is made possible through a gift of more than $2 million from Gene and Marilyn Glick that is in addition to their $15 million contribution to the trail. “With the Glick Peace Walk, we hope to honor ‘luminaries,’ people of peace whose creativity, perseverance and concern for others improved life for everyone who came after them,” said local developer and philanthropist Gene Glick.

The Glick Peace Walk, once it’s completed in 2010, will include 12 distinctive sculptural gardens that celebrate the lives and accomplishments of 12 “luminaries,” such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others (see list below). Each garden will feature a granite terrazzo plaza depicting the individual’s contributions to society and a timeline noting significant events that helped shape the person he or she became. Interpretive signs will tell the story of the person’s life through descriptive text and images. The centerpiece of each garden will be a 12-foot stainless steel and glass “luminary” featuring a lighted glass etching of the individual.

Brian Payne, Cultural Trail founder and president of Central Indiana Community Foundation, thanked the Glicks for their tremendous generosity, vision and leadership. “You have chosen people who have inspired you, yet today, we are also inspired by your generosity and vision that will enlighten generations of Hoosiers and visitors from around the world,” said Payne.

Ten of the luminary gardens will be located on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail along a median to be constructed on Walnut Street between Meridian Street and Capitol Avenue. This section of Walnut Street will also receive new brick roadway pavers, lighting and landscaping to transform the street into a pedestrian-friendly destination along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. The luminary garden dedicated to Abraham Lincoln will be located on the trail at the southwest corner of Washington and Illinois streets, and the luminary garden dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. will be located on the trail at the southeast corner of Washington and Pennsylvania Streets. The construction of the Walnut Street section of the Peace Walk has already started and should be completed by fall 2010.

The luminaries will honor:

Speakers at the groundbreaking event included Marianne Glick, daughter of Gene and Marilyn Glick; Carolin Requiz Smith, director of internal and cultural affairs for the City of Indianapolis; Cultural Trail founder and Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) president Brian Payne; Ransom Place resident and chairman of BOS Community Development Corporation Randy Jones; and Indianapolis Urban League president and CEO Joseph Slash.

To date, nearly $42 million has been raised towards the $55 million budget. Brian Payne announced several new gifts to the Cultural Trail, including:

A portion of property at Indiana Avenue and St. Clair Street donated by The Indianapolis Urban League.

More information about the construction and the Glick Peace Walk is available on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail Web site at www.IndyCulturalTrail.org.

The north corridor is the third of seven construction phases, or corridors, of the trail. The half-mile East Corridor, along Alabama Street, was completed in June 2008 and construction of the one-mile Northeast Corridor began in April of this year. Construction recently began on the North Corridor, restricting traffic in the following area:

Walnut Street between Pierson and Illinois streets is closed to traffic and is expected to remain closed through mid August.

The entire eight-mile Indianapolis Cultural Trail is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.

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The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick is a world-class urban bike and pedestrian path that connects neighborhoods, Cultural Districts and entertainment amenities, and serves as the downtown hub for the entire central Indiana greenway system.