Last updated: October 27, 2023
Place
Riverside Park (Buffalo)
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Buffalo, NY
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Park
MANAGED BY:
The final Olmsted designed park in Buffalo, New York, Riverside Park, is the city’s northernmost park. Established in the late 1880s as a private picnic ground termed Germania Park, Olmsted Brothers created their design in 1898. Encompassing twenty-two acres, Riverside Park overlooks the Erie Canal and Niagara River.
Olmsted Brothers brought to fruition their father’s long-held vision of a waterfront park. Riverside Park was Buffalo’s first Olmsted designed park with a direct waterfront connection. In their design, Olmsted Brothers chose to restrict planting along Riverside Park’s western edge, providing extensive views along a particularly wide section of Niagara River.
The design for Riverside Park has suffered considerably from intrusions and neglect since the Olmsted’s worked on it. A senior citizens center, an ice rink, and a set of swimming pools cover much of the formal area of the park, blocking views to the river. The noise from the Niagara Thruway has also caused a significant noise distraction in the park.
Olmsted Brothers brought to fruition their father’s long-held vision of a waterfront park. Riverside Park was Buffalo’s first Olmsted designed park with a direct waterfront connection. In their design, Olmsted Brothers chose to restrict planting along Riverside Park’s western edge, providing extensive views along a particularly wide section of Niagara River.
The design for Riverside Park has suffered considerably from intrusions and neglect since the Olmsted’s worked on it. A senior citizens center, an ice rink, and a set of swimming pools cover much of the formal area of the park, blocking views to the river. The noise from the Niagara Thruway has also caused a significant noise distraction in the park.