I’ve been spending a bit more time in Riverside recently, ever since I learned about a plan to recreate an original Olmsted vision known as RiverRock Gardens. I’ve explored Olmsted’s Riverside Park numerous times over the years, but for some reason the park never captivated my imagination as much as the rest of the Olmsted parks. Obviously Riverside has paid a heavy price for having a Robert Moses-style expressway rip apart the important urban fabric that once connected the people to the water. That connection was once the glory of Riverside.
When I think about Delaware Park, I think of Gala Waters, the boathouse and the Rose Garden. I think of the jugglers and the weddings, the row boats and the events. The Olmstedian features of Delaware Park lend themselves to creating vibrant urban activities in and around them. Features such as the Rose Garden beckon people to sit and talk, take photographs and daydream. When I look at the plan for RiverRock Gardens, I see a similar type of historic park feature that will one day act as a draw for weddings, musicians, painters and photographers. Now that I have envisioned the flowing pools of water in my head, I can’t imagine Riverside without the dramatic aquatic landscape.
The fact is that Olmsted landscape architects Greg Robinson and Tom Mead have painstakingly taken the time to research detailed schematics in order to pinpoint the exact locations of the former Minnow Pools and the original landscape that bounded them. Even the original trees still exist to this day, helping to identify the aquatic path. That means that an updated water feature will soon replace the rather dull park landscape that was always intended to have a signature landmark. Back in the day, the original Minnow Pools fell prey to neglect, as many features within the park system did. The waters were stagnant and neighbors complained about the condition of the pools. Eventually, as was the way at the time, the pools were filled in and Riverside was left with an ordinary parkscape filled with lawn and trees.
^Current site that is constantly soggy since the Minnow Pools were filled in
Fortunately modern landscaping practices allow for practical updates that will once again see this water feature brought back to life. Instead of stagnant waters, the plan is to have a circulating stream where the water will flow from one shallow pool to another. With the addition of multiple municipal water sources, the conditions of the waters will constantly be renewed without added expense to the neighborhood. With historic 6′ wide pathways, picnic shelters, a stone pedestrian bridge, 100,000 plants and a small waterfall, Riverside Park will once again have a feather in its cap worth parading to residents and visitors. Although this is not the ultimate connection to the water that Riverside deserves, it is a significant advancement that should help to restore pride in one of the Olmsted jewels.
To date, Olmsted has secured over $700,000 in funding, and is seeking an additional $518,000 from the Greenway Commission. The investment will only come with strong support from the Riverside community, and so far it looks as if the community stakeholders are on-board with the initiative.