Last updated: June 5, 2024
Place
Genesee Valley Park
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Part of the Rochester Park System, which Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. and his successor firm designed from 1881 to 1912, Genesee Valley Park was originally named South Park. Divided by the Genesee River, Olmsted chose the 543-acre site for its ability to naturally incorporate water with wooded, rolling terrain. Despite five years of public opposition to the park, the Board of Park Commissioners exerted considerable pressure on Olmsted to make recommendations and begin his landscaping work.
Olmsted wrote that any advice on how to utilize the land was dependent on the topography of the site. He deliberated over designs, preferring to study topography and other aspects of the land before making a final decision. In the end, Olmsted’s design included land bordering both sides of the Genesee River.
On the West side of the river, recreational facilities were placed while on the opposite bank, there was a pastoral setting that included a meadow, deer park, and picnic groves encircled by carriage routes. Between 1889 and 1898, 62,500 trees were planted, while shrubs and willows were rooted along the riverbanks and within the woods.
John Charles Olmsted would assist his father at Genesee Valley Park, overseeing the placement of additional recreational facilities, including a golf course. In 1908, a donation of 120-acres expanded the park, though when it was divided by the Erie Canal in 1908. Olmsted Brothers mitigated the damage to the site by creating a bridge that reunited the landscape.
Source: "Genesee Valley Park," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted Online
Olmsted wrote that any advice on how to utilize the land was dependent on the topography of the site. He deliberated over designs, preferring to study topography and other aspects of the land before making a final decision. In the end, Olmsted’s design included land bordering both sides of the Genesee River.
On the West side of the river, recreational facilities were placed while on the opposite bank, there was a pastoral setting that included a meadow, deer park, and picnic groves encircled by carriage routes. Between 1889 and 1898, 62,500 trees were planted, while shrubs and willows were rooted along the riverbanks and within the woods.
John Charles Olmsted would assist his father at Genesee Valley Park, overseeing the placement of additional recreational facilities, including a golf course. In 1908, a donation of 120-acres expanded the park, though when it was divided by the Erie Canal in 1908. Olmsted Brothers mitigated the damage to the site by creating a bridge that reunited the landscape.
Source: "Genesee Valley Park," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted Online