Riverside Park is a historic

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

located in the

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

neighborhood in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. Located in northwest Buffalo, it is an individual park designed by the Olmsted Architectural Firm in 1898 after

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

's retirement. It is on a site on a bluff overlooking the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

. Riverside Park was designed for active recreation and periodic alterations have occurred as the community's recreation needs have changed. Despite the changes, the park retains numerous original design elements and remains as the final element completed as a part of the Olmsted plan for Buffalo's park system. ''See also:'' ''and'' The park was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982.

Facilities and events

Some attractions include a playground, picnic areas, two public pools, tennis court, and a basketball court. The lighthouse facing Tonawanda street was recently relit after years of inoperation. The Bud Bakewell Arena, located on the Niagara Street side of the park directly facing the river, is an ice rink and lacrosse field, as well as home to youth hockey, Hasek's Heroes, and other sports affiliations. The park is also home to several baseball diamonds maintained by the River Rock Baseball League, a youth baseball and softball organization, and a fully renovated football field, home to the Black Rock Riverside Little League Football and Cheerleading organization. A winding road, Hotaling Drive, bisects the park at the edge of the football field. In July 2011, the park received additional grant funding for future development. Riverside Parks hosted the annual

Friendship Festival The Friendship Festival was an annual celebration of the bond between Canada and the United States. This event was held in Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York, which are connected by the Peace Bridge. The festival ran from 1987 to 2019 and ...

in the past along this road during the Independence Day holiday in conjunction with Fort Erie, Canada. In addition, the park hosts a seasonal farmer's market and other community events.

References

External links

Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy - Buffalo, NY, Western New York, WNY, Olmsted, Frederick LawBuffalo as an Architectural Museum, "Municipal Parks and City Planning: Frederick Law Olmsted's Buffalo Park and Parkway System,"
by Francis R. Kowsky, Reprinted with permission from the ''Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'', March 1987. {{National Register of Historic Places in New York Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) 1898 establishments in New York (state) Geography of Buffalo, New York Parks in Erie County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York Articles with WikiMiniAtlas displaying incorrectly; WMA not showing area