INDIANAPOLIS — City leaders held a ribbon cutting Thursday, June 20, where they opened the expansion of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail in downtown Indianapolis.
The Indiana Avenue and 10th Street expansion increases connections to cultural destinations in the historic Indiana Avenue neighborhoods, including the Madam Walker Legacy Center, which is a staple downtown. The expansion also adds one mile to the park.
The ribbon cutting outside the Madam Walker Legacy Center featured dozens of people and a live band, with a focus of restoring and celebrating Indiana Avenue and Black history.
"Indiana Avenue and our city was built by innovative, brave, Black American leaders. And now, we'll continue to build. We'll continue to form paths toward each other and not away," U.S. Rep. André Carson said.
The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick is the first expansion of the internationally recognized park, connecting trails, people and places.
"One of my parents' goals was always to create access for everyone regardless of their race, place, religion, whatever — that everyone should be connected to the arts and to each other," Marilyn Glick said.
The mayor said the trail has boosted property value by about $1 billion.
Construction on the White River expansion is expected to start in late 2025 and be finished in late 2026.
“The Indianapolis Cultural Trail is about creating connections of all kinds: connections to our cultural destinations, connections to new experiences, connections to our city’s greenway network and ultimately connections to each other and the people that make up the many cultures that make Indianapolis unique,” Indianapolis Cultural Trail Executive Director Kären Haley said.