Riverside Regional Park redevelopment underway
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A rendering of the nature-themed playground planned for the north end of Riverside Park. Rendering: Courtesy of Indy Parks
With more than 850 acres spanning both sides of the White River, Indianapolis' aptly named Riverside Regional Park is larger than New York City's Central Park.
- Yes, but: For too long, it's been overlooked, underutilized and maybe a little misunderstood.
Why it matters: Indianapolis is reinventing the park, working through pieces of an aspirational $120 million plan to make it more accessible and cohesive.
Driving the news: The city recently broke ground on a $13 million project to redevelop the Riverside Golf Course into an adventure park — the largest investment to date in the park's overhaul.
Flashback: When Riverside Park opened in 1899, it was one of the largest municipal parks in the country.
- It was the largest in Marion County until Eagle Creek Park opened in 1962.
- When I-65 was built through Riverside Park and the surrounding neighborhoods that decade, it destroyed popular recreational spaces and exacerbated a decline in the park facilities that started years earlier.
The big picture: A master plan for redevelopment of the park was created in 2017.
- Several pieces have already been completed, including the rehabilitation of the Taggart Memorial Amphitheater in 2021 and the opening of the Promenade Trail late last year.
- The trail aims to tie together pieces of the park that people may think of as separate entities.
Details: The adventure park is expected to open by the end of the year, said Alex Cortwright, spokesperson for Indy Parks.
- It will include new trails, a fitness loop with outdoor exercise equipment and a nature-themed playground.
- Riverside Golf Course, which closed in 2019, is one of three golf courses housed within the park. Coffin and South Grove courses are still operational.
- The cost is split between the city's Circle City Forward Initiative and grant funding from the Lilly Endowment.
What's next: A new playground will be built, replacing aging equipment, near the amphitheater.
- Cortwright said future phases of the master plan may be implemented as funding becomes available.
- Ideas in the plan include a mountain biking course, more river access, a community garden and an event venue, but will depend on funding and what the community wants to see.