Seneca Park (Rochester)
Seneca Park, in the City of Rochester, is nationally recognized as an important historic landscape. It was designed 107 years ago by Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., who is acclaimed as North America's greatest landscape architect. Olmsted himself chose the land for the park, which originally extended for several miles on both sides of the Genesee River north of the downtown. In selecting the land, his intent was to secure the wild and scenic river gorge as a refuge in the busy city. In designing the park, he wanted to provide views of and access to the gorge, while creating space for public recreation and relaxation. Despite its natural appearance, most of the park was created by hand.
Much of the original parkland has been lost to residential, industrial and road development. On the river's east side, only a 297-acre piece remains. Here, Olmsted's design is largely intact, particularly at the Trout Pond area in Lower Seneca Park. But that's precisely where Monroe County proposes to expand the Seneca Park Zoo and construct an 800-car parking lot.
Considered the "father of American landscape architecture," Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. (1822-1903) is best known as the chief designer of New York City’s Central Park. His life-long commitment to people and the role that open space plays in their lives may be best appreciated in the visionary park systems he created for six America cities: Brooklyn, Buffalo, Boston, Chicago, Louisville, and Rochester. Seneca Park joins Genesee Valley and Highland Parks in Rochester's Olmsted system. Recognizing Seneca Park to be evidence of Olmsted's design achievements and significance, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation found the park to be eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1986.
The
Seneca Park Zoo is confined to 12 acres on a narrow plateau along one side
of the park, and is largely hidden from the park. The zoo expansion plan
favored by Monroe County, which has development rights in the city-owned
park, would triple the size of the zoo and extend it off of the plateau.
Parkland would be lost for animal exhibits, while a seven-acre parking lot
would eliminate an open meadow, mature trees, walking paths, and vistas
alongside Trout Pond.
According to Henry McCartney, Executive Director of the Landmark Society of Western New York, "the area around the Trout Pond is some of the last remaining parkland in a neighborhood very short of open space and recreational areas. It's a rare area of tranquility in a busy city, it provides level ground that can be readily accessed and enjoyed by all, and it's beautiful."
Scott P. Heyl, President of the Preservation League, states that "by including Seneca Park in this year's Seven to Save list, the Preservation League joins the Landmark Society, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the National Association of Olmsted Parks, and neighborhood groups who find that the proposed new zoo would cause severe changes to an important and treasured landscape. Some of Frederick Law Olmsted's signature features-- open fields for contemplation or play, stately trees and scenic vistas– would be lost forever. The Preservation League urges careful review by the appropriate city, county, and state officials before plans go any further. Rochester's Seneca Park, which underwent a $1.2 million restoration following the region's devastating 1991 ice storm, deserves no less."
Contacts:
Henry McCartney, Executive Director, Landmark Society of Western New York, 716-546-7029, ext. 22
Peter Siegrist, Preservation Advisor, Landmark Society of Western New York, 716-546-7029, ext. 29
Scott P. Heyl, President, Preservation League of New York State, 518-462-5658, ext. 19
Tania Werbizky, Director of Technical and Grant Programs, Preservation League of New York State, 607-272-6510