The final Olmsted park designed for Buffalo was the city’s northernmost park, Riverside Park. The plan for this park was created in 1898. 21-1/2 acres in size, the land it would occupy had been the site of a pair of large private picnic grounds. 10 acre Germania Park fronted on Niagara street, and 11-1/2 acre Union Park fronted on Tonawanda street. Combined, the new park would be nearly twenty-two acres in size and it overlooks the Niagara River is at its widest location. Those scenic views were considered Germania Park’s main attraction and were what prompted the interest in obtaining the site for the northern part of the city, underserved to that point by the city’s park system.
The Olmsted Brothers’ Plan
Riverside Park was the only Olmsted park in Buffalo in which Frederick Law Olmsted himself did not factor as a designer. He had retired from active practice in 1896 due to declining health, and his sons John C. Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. were continuing the architectural practice as Olmsted Brothers. It also was the only Buffalo Olmsted park not created under the supervision of William McMillan, who had been discharged as Park Superintendent in December of 1897.
As was the norm for an Olmsted park, the Riverside Park plan included both formal and informal features, as well as provision for both passive and active recreational activity. So as not to overwhelm the relatively small size of the park with driveways, they recommended that a carriage drive enter the park from Tonawanda street, opposite Roesch avenue. About halfway through the park it would branch to the northwest and the southwest, each branch connecting with Niagara street near the park’s respective boundaries. would have two entrances on the Niagara street, which runs parallel to the river, near the northern and southern corners of the park. That wishbone configuration handily divided the park into three parts. The formal part, to the west, would include a bandstand with a music court which included provision for listeners in carriages to pull near. The area immediately around the bandstand was to be graveled, as the traffic there prevented maintaining viable turf. Provision was made for play equipment in that vicinity for the young people, such as swings and see-saws. Halfway between the bandstand and Niagara street would be a fountain, situated along an axis leading to the footbridge over the canal to the lake. A shelter would be situated equidistant between the bandstand and the fountain to protect visitors in the event of inclement weather. Only a moderate amount of formal gardening would be provided in that section, particularly in the vicinity of the structures and along the twin walkways leading toward Niagara street and the boat landing.
As the site had formerly been used as picnic grounds, the second part was already graced with a sizable grove of fine and mature trees. Because of that, there was minimal need for additional trees to be planted there. A number of winding pathways meandered through the shady grove and also provided foot access from Tonawanda, Vulcan (then O’Neil) and Niagara streets. A unique feature, a slow moving shallow stream passed through the grove, parallel with the northern boundary and intertwining with the footpaths. At the little stream’s head, by Tonawanda street, a deeper minnow pool would be excavated. This pool would have sufficient depth that it would be suitable for children to wade there. The former public house of Union Park, located next to the Tonawanda street carriage road entry, was to be retained as housing for the designated park keeper.
The third part, the southern portion of the park, would be largely a turf plot with provision made for a baseball field to be laid out and with plentiful space for other sports. Immediately adjacent to that portion of the park, fronting on Niagara street, is located St. Francis cemetery. An earthen berm, planted with shrubbery, was to be built up there and planted thickly with shrubbery to shield the views of the headstones from park visitors.
In all three parts of the park, and along the boat landing and base of the bluff, the planting of a considerable amount of shrubbery was required to complete desired natural effect.
Riverside Park was also the first Buffalo park designed and completed by the Olmsted firm with a direct waterfront connection. While The Front (now Front Park) overlooked the water, railroads and the Erie Canal precluded actual water access. Olmsted’s earlier proposal for a waterfront park directly on Lake Erie at Ridge road at the juncture of South Buffalo and Lackawanna had been rejected by the Park Board. At Riverside Park, a footbridge provided access across the Erie canal to the park from a boat landing on the Niagara River across Niagara street. Both the footbridge and landing were already present when the site was obtained. The Olmsted Brothers designed the formal features of the park to align visually with the footbridge and landing. They thought it very desirable to try to induce the canal authorities to lower the footbridge by about three feet, to reduce the interference of its superstructure with the views without impeding canal traffic. It was also recommended that the fairly small boat landing be enlarged, that the bank behind it be graded and planted with shrubbery, and that a pair of ornamental structures be built at each end to shelter guests awaiting boarding. Since the river bank was at its highest between Niagara street and the canal, it was proposed that a pergola be constructed there to shield views of the canal infrastructure from the park, running from the footbridge north to the park boundary. It was also planned that three fountains be placed on the river bank; one at the dock, and a pair at either end of the pergola; all three of these fountains would be fed from the raised basin of the main fountain in the park proper.
Implementaton
The Olmsted Brother’s design for Riverside Park suffered considerably from intrusions and neglect over time. The Park Board was no longer made up of men who’d worked directly with the senior Olmsted and they did not apparently fully understand or embrace his philosophy. The modern interest in introducing civic beautification, active recreation, and monumental grandeur held more influence with the newer members than Olmsted’s quiet and reflective extension of nature into the city. The strong guiding hand of the William McMillan was gone, and the new Park Superintendents would never have either the vision nor the power that he had held. The upcoming Pan-American Exposition also diverted both attention and funds from the new park. To make the best use of limited funds, the park commissioners decided to implement features individually, so that at least portions of the plan could be implemented each year. The shallow series of water pools – the “minnow pools” – were among the first features constructed. The footpaths in that section of the park, however, were incomplete. While the original plan proposed footbridges to cross the pools, the park commissioners saved cost by substituting a series of stepping stones across them, placed to accommodate use by both adults and children.
The minnow pools tended to become stagnant due to insufficient water flow. They were dredged in an attempt to have the portion closest to Tonawanda street serve as a wading pool with a sand bottom added, but the water quality remained poor. In 1907, they were dredged a second time and a concrete floor was laid for the wading area. Again, the result was disappointing.
In 1912, another 18 acres of mostly open land was added to the immediate south of Riverside Park via the purchase of what had been the Dennis Crowley farm. The park now was bounded by Tonawanda street on the east, Vulcan street on the north, Niagara street on the west and Crowley avenue on the south. Only the cemetery grounds in that expanse were not part of the enlarged park. The new portion was slow to be developed by the park commissioners, but by the 1920s it had become the center for athletic and active recreational activities for Riverside Park. There was no involvement by the Olmsted firm with this new section of the park, however.
A Different Direction
The Olmsted Riverside plan itself was effectively shelved after the functions of the Park Board were moved under the control of the mayor and a single appointed commissioner.
In 1921, a new and somewhat deeper swimming pool was excavated on the Crowley avenue side of the park. The use of the wading pool in the Olmsted section of the park was discontinued; indeed, the minnow pools in their entirety were filled and graded because of the persistent stagnant water issue. A granite memorial, with bronze plaque commemorating the forty service members of the 21st ward of city killed in World War I, was dedicated on 11 November 1922. It was installed facing Niagara street and is set back a short distance from it, its siting unfortunately not being chosen in relation to any of the other park features. Its location is approximately where one of the walkways of the formal area of the park would have led to the lakeside. In 1923, the swimming pool in the new section was expanded to feature separate men’s and women’s sections of the pool. (The pool partitioning was removed in 1930.) A two story brick bathhouse was built in 1928 to serve the bathers, designed by City Architect Howard L. Beck, with the second story featuring a balcony area.
A large casino was constructed in the western corner of main part of the park, just north of the nearby cemetery, in 1923. It’s presence in that formal portion of the grounds was not part of the original plans, and were actually contrary to them. This large building was intended as a community gathering site, particularly for younger people. It was designed by Howard L. Beck, the City Architect. The main floor had a terrazzo floor for dancing and other uses, and featured a three story octagonal rotunda, 35 feet across, supported by 8 marble columns and topped with a cupola. A pair of wide exterior staircases flanked the structure, and led to a wide balcony and observation area. Looking outward from the balcony one would enjoy the views of the Niagara River and the Canadian shore; looking inward, a “wall of windows” oversaw the open area or dance floor, below. Unfortunately, the building suffered from flaws in design and construction, as well as from vandalism and from poor maintenance. For the first three years of its operation, it repeatedly had to be closed to repair leaks and falling plaster. Finally, after a major renovation, it was made usable.
Time was not kind to the structure, though. Maintenance was a problem throughout the city parks. In 1947, complaints were noted about sagging plaster and general internal neglect, and about damage from weather and vandals to the pavers forming the deck of the second story platform. By 1955 the casino was described as “a wreck” with the second floor balcony boarded off, plaster failing, the concrete stairs cracked and the railings rusted and unsafe. In 1957, the Common Council authorized a study of the structure, to weigh costs of rehabilitation versus replacement. At first, rehabilitation was intended; then, in 1959, it was determined to remove the structure and build a new community center building as a replacement. The casino was demolished in the late winter of 1960.
On 4 July 1925 another monument, unanticipated in the Olmsted plan, was installed in the grove portion of the park a short distance from Hotaling drive. It was a bronze bust of Hungarian poet and revolutionary figure Sándor Petófi, mounted on a granite base. It was donated to the city by its residents of Hungarian descent. Hungarian emigre Geza Kende of Buffalo was the sculptor. Sometime in 1989, the bust was stolen from the base. A new bust was commissioned from Hungarian sculptor Gabriella F. Koszorus-Varsa to replace it; the new work was unveiled in 1992, utilizing the original base with an updated bronze explanatory plaque.
The abandonment of the Erie Canal along the Niagara had allowed additional riverfront space to be added to the park; however, it did not receive any improvements. It was considered for a time that the canal bed might become a swimming area, but that idea was rejected. The space was ultimately lost during the 1950s, along with the footbridge and boat landing, when the Niagara Thruway was constructed along the river shore. Worse, the Thruway cut Riverside Park off from access to the water and added a very significant amount of noise pollution via the roar of traffic on the highway. A small piece of the former Crowley farm section was also later lost to the Thruway to provide an off ramp to Niagara street for northbound traffic.
The intended central formal area of the park, which was never constructed, effectively was negated by the construction of the present swimming pool and adjacent community center and ice rink buildings. These newer park buildings now shift the focus of the park southward to where one of the park drives were planned, and they block sight lines from the much of the park to the river as well. A modern viaduct was constructed over the Thruway to reconnect Niagara street to the Niagara Riverwalk. While it restored the riverfront access lost when the Thruway was constructed, unfortunately it was not built along the visual axis of the of the original bridge; rather, it aligns with the original southern border of the park. Both the riverside walkway and bike path it connects to are sterile asphalt, devoid of trees. No parkway link to the rest of the park system was ever completed. The once dense tree stand had been considerably thinned by age and disease. Utilitarian picnic shelters dotted the area adjacent to the carriage drive, which was paved and then named Hotaling Drive. An ill-sited parking lot now adjoined it, and a new driveway was built across former lawn space leading to the senior citizens center’s entrance. Almost no integration of the 1912 southern addition with the main park was ever developed. Access to that portion is primarily from the outer perimeter of the site rather than from the original park. Where they were constructed, interior pathways showed little consideration for pedestrian amenity or park enjoyment, let alone adherence to the Olmsted plans. The noise of the Niagara Thruway, where the canal once quietly flowed, was and is a significant distraction along the western portion of the park.
It had been considered that Roesch avenue could, in the future, become part of a northern parkway system connecting Riverside Park with Delaware Park and which would also include Scajaquada parkway The later parkway, which has been destroyed by the Scajaquada Expressway, had followed the bank of its namesake creek. That anticipated parkway complex, while proposed by the park commissioners, funds were never allowed by the common council to construct it. Roesch avenue remained a standard city street while the Scajaquada Parkway never connected north to Riverside Park.
A refrigerated ice skating rink was installed behind the aging casino in 1957. As mentioned, the casino was removed in 1960 to make way for a new recreation complex. In 1961, the park’s outmoded bathing pool complex was replaced by a new swimming and diving pool, installed to the immediate north of the casino site and parallel to Niagara street. Where the casino had stood, a new community center was built. The new structure provided changing rooms for the adjoining pool as well. The ice rink was enclosed in 1984, with the structure housing it connected to the community center. The rink is named after Bud Blakewell, an organizer of youth hockey programs in Buffalo. Near the intersection of Tonawanda street and Crowley avenue, in the 1912 addition, is a lighthouse-shaped monument donated by Riverside native and former NFL player Joe Ehrmann in 1979 as a memorial to his younger brother Billy, who succumbed to a rare form of cancer the previous year. Just down Crowley avenue is a modern children’s playground with a shelter and a wading pool. Baseball and softball fields are in the newer section of the park, as well, along with basketball and tennis courts. The original baseball diamond of the Olmsted plan has been moved to that section, replaced by a football / soccer field of minor visual impact.
Ongoing Rehabilitation
As the result of the formation of a steering committee for Riverside Park in 1994, an initial master plan for restoration and development of the park was prepared. Covering both the original Olmsted Brothers planned main park as well as the later park addition, it called for considerable landscape improvements. These include tree plantings and landscaping of an improved river linkage. It also called for a more coherent development of the newer section as the focused site of the park’s active recreation activities. The minnow pools, while not restored as a water feature, would be recreated as low lawn areas under the plan. It called for the replacement of the dilapidated picnic shelters, removal of the parking lot at the east end of Hotaling Drive, and the restoration of the early cobble curbs along the drive. The diving pool – no longer used in any of the city parks – and the driveway to the senior citizens center would be removed, and a performing arts stage constructed on the site of the original park bandstand Importantly, the document also recommended the eventual removal of the buildings from the site once their life expectancy was be reached, and for any replacement to occur in adjacent areas outside the confines of the park.
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks conservancy began implementation of many of the master plan’s recommendations after maintenance of the park was transferred to it by the city of Buffalo in 2004. Soon after, the conservancy commissioned a new master plan encompassing all of the parks under its supervision. That 2008 Olmsted Parks Master Plan superseded the 1994 document, but incorporated many of the improvements earlier recommended. During 2013 and 2014, under Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy guidance, a large number of new and replacement trees and shrubs were planted. These were sited in conformance with the original planting plan, and work particularly concentrated on the northern section of the park where the original grove had been much thinned over time. Missing pathways were restored, and the park’s unique pools were recreated as a rain garden. As a re-watered series of pools was deemed impractical, the rain garden is a depression in the landscape that collects and allows rainwater runoff from hard surfaces to pond and then be absorbed. It is planted with native plants, and includes a soil media and mulch. Consulting Park Architect Anthony James designed a small arched stone bridge crossed the rain garden, as stepping stones are recognized today as mobility barriers. The bridge design is based on similar examples of Olmsted-designed structures located in other landscapes, the suggested footbridges of the Olmsted plan were never constructed. A small pergola, much less elaborate than the original, has been installed of the western side of Niagara street to evoke the original.
Today, the conditions in Riverside Park as well as its outlook for the future are much brighter as a direct result of the recent work and a greater awareness of the value of the park as a true Olmsted landscape.
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