Land donated by famed crossword puzzle editor to become Indiana park

Will Shortz (Image courtesy of The Tuesday Agency)

The city of Crawfordsville—about 50 miles west of Indianapolis—is beginning plans to establish a nature park on a 47-acre parcel of land on the city’s southwest side.

The land is owned by Will Shortz, a Crawfordsville native, Indiana University graduate and longtime crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times, who grew up on the land he is donating for the project.

“This is incredible generosity,” said Mayor Todd Barton. “I know he’s had some very large offers for this property, and he’s willing to give it back to the community. So, we really appreciate that.”

Barton told Inside INdiana Business the city had been working with Shortz, 70, on how the land could be developed for some time.

“It’s really located in a prime location; our current Sugar Creek Trail wraps around this property … and there was a lot of interest in putting housing there,” Barton said. “And then really around the first of the year, he had reached back out to us and said, ‘You know, I would really like to see this set aside as a nature park. And I’m willing to donate it for that purpose if you can guarantee that this always would be a park moving forward.’ We saw that as an unbelievable opportunity.”

The mayor said the city still needs to go through the formal planning process, but the hope is to add several multi-use trails throughout the park, one or two bridges to cross the stream that runs through the property, a small picnic area and a public parking area.

Another amenity that could be added to the park is a sledding hill.

“Mr. Shortz has fond memories of sledding in this particular area of that land, and so it still kind of lends itself to that. So, we thought that would be a nice thing to add for the community,” the mayor said. “So, [we want] just nature-related activities that allow the people of the community to come out and enjoy the space.”

The city is also looking at incorporating a puzzle theme in the park, which Shortz has agreed to design.

“I’m donating the property to honor my parents, Lyle and Wilma Shortz; my sister, the late April Curtis; and my brother, Richard Shortz,” Will Shortz said in written remarks. “I owe so much to Crawfordsville. It pleases me that the land will continue to be enjoyed by others.”

An estimated cost for the project was not disclosed, but the city is preparing to apply for a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to support the park.

The city expects to learn the status of the grant funding in 2024, at which time it will engage a professional design team and seek public input on the project.

Ultimately, Barton said it could be two to three years before the nature park is fully developed.

The Shortz Nature Park project comes as Crawfordsville continues to work on the 100-acre Brickyard Nature Park on the city’s north side. The project is being funded by the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative and slated for completion in June 2024.

Barton said having both projects in the works, along with revitalization efforts for existing parks throughout the city, will bring benefits for residents and help with business and talent attraction.

“Like every community, we’re in a battle for citizens, for people,” he said. “We have unfilled full-time jobs now; we have hundreds more new jobs coming to our community in the next few years. We need to be able to attract residents to come to Crawfordsville and build a life. This is part of the overall picture. You have to be able to offer these kinds of amenities.”

Crawfordsville has seen major investment from businesses in recent years.

Kentucky-based mattress maker Tempur Sealy International Inc. is preparing to open its $138 million foam pouring manufacturing facility in the second quarter. The project is expected to create 300 jobs, and the company began hiring last year.

In February 2022, North Carolina-based Nucor Corp. detailed plans to invest $290 million to expand production capabilities at its Crawfordsville steel sheet mill and create 80 jobs.

The mayor also cited Indianapolis-based Closure Systems International Inc. nearly doubling in size with a planned $25 million expansion and 50 new jobs.

“When you total all those up, over the next two years, you’ve got hundreds of new jobs coming to our community. The opportunity is here; we just have to make sure that we have the housing and the quality of life that people desire so that they’ll locate in our community.”