Welcome to our new Trail Talk blog! We are dedicated to sharing stories of the many interesting people, places and things along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick®.
First, a Little About Us
The non-profit Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Inc. (ICT, Inc.), your blog host, was established in 2010 and we are here to ensure that the Trail remains a beautifully maintained and vibrant community asset connecting people and place in downtown Indianapolis. Last April, ICT, Inc. introduced Pacers Bikeshare and we proudly celebrated over 100,000 rides in less than a year. If you want to know more about our history and timeline, the U.S. Department of Transportation wrote a wonderfully detailed case study.
About the Cultural Trail
The Cultural Trail began construction in 2007, but was envisioned seven years earlier by Brian Payne, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), as a way to connect the five downtown Cultural Districts. Over those next years, he worked tirelessly to pitch the project to hundreds of stakeholders, align goals and expectations, and raise funds. Completed in 2013, the Trail is unique in the world and is an example of an extraordinary and successful collaboration between the City and local philanthropists, particularly Gene and Marilyn Glick who gave the lead gift of $15 million and in whose honor the Trail is named.
The Trail by the Numbers
- Eight miles of protected bike and pedestrian pathways connecting to over hundreds of businesses, attractions and amenities
- $4 million in public art installations
- Glick Peace Walk with 12 distinctive sculptural luminaries celebrating individuals who made peaceful contributions to humanity
- Pacers Bikeshare with 26 stations and 250 bicycles
- 525 trees, 5,685 shrubs and 67,685 plants beautify the streetscape
- 25,000 square feet of stormwater landscaping diverts approximately four million gallons of rainwater per year
- Over $864 million impact on economic development since construction began
- Over $300 million in new development along the trail since 2008
Connect with Us
The Trail was created as a way to provide more connection in downtown–with each other, with healthy living and with our amazing city. We want to further that connection by sharing our stories with you; we’d also love to hear what you’d like to know more about.