Genesee Valley Park, originally named "South Park," is located in the south side of Rochester,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

along the shores of the

Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...

. The New York State Barge Canal (the currently in-use portion of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing ...

) crosses the Genesee River within the park. The

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of ...

is located near the park's north entrance.

History

The park was formed from land first acquired by the Park Commission in 1888. Genesee Valley Park is among the many parks in

state designed by

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- ...

. Within Rochester, other Frederick Law Olmsted parks include Highland Park,

Maplewood Park Maplewood Park, also known as Seneca Park West, is a landscaped public park in Rochester, New York, situated between Lake Avenue and the Genesee River. The park features many trails along the river gorge and the river bank below, scenic views o ...

, and Seneca Park, which is now a

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to z ...

. Olmsted had originally designed the east and west sides of the park to have different purposes. The east side was intended to provide the feeling of a large pasture while the west side was for more recreational activities. At Olmsted's suggestion, a flock of 80 sheep was introduced into the park in 1893, which added to the pastoral sense of the park and also helped to keep the grass trimmed. In 1917, the golf course was expanded from 9 to 18 holes. The Barge (Erie) Canal was merged with Genesee River within the park on May 10, 1918. With the opening of Genesee Expressway (now part of

Interstate 390 Interstate 390 (I-390) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Southern Tier Expressway ( I-86 and New York State Route 17 Y ...

), the park was bisected straining the original pastoral atmosphere.

Features

Genesee Valley Park covers and features two public golf courses and a recreational area. The park has four foot bridges crossing the

and

, and is located at the intersection of the Genesee Valley Greenway trail and the Erie Canal towpath trail, which stretches across New York State.

References

External links

Genesee Valley Park
{{City of Rochester, NY Geography of Rochester, New York Parks in Monroe County, New York Cross country running courses in New York (state) Sports venues in Monroe County, New York Tourist attractions in Rochester, New York Erie Canal parks, trails, and historic sites 1888 establishments in New York (state)