Visitors to Riverside Park in Buffalo next summer will see a redesigned landscape that fits the vision of renowned architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Among the features to be installed at the newly-named RiverRock Gardens are 18,000 square feet of pathways, a rain garden, more than 2,000 flowers and shrubs, minnow pools, and a new stone bridge.
The restoration of a long-lost garden is being done by the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. President and CEO Thomas Herrera-Mishler says the work will reconstruct scenery that has been lost for decades.
"What is missing from the Olmsted landscapes in Buffalo now is the depth and texture of the landscape that Olmsted was a master at creating," Herrera-Mishler told WBFO.
"He really was probably history's greatest landscape architect and his works are considered major works of art. We're putting the art back in the park."
Herrera-Mishler says the garden will be a boon to residents and should also draw cultural tourists devoted to Olmsted's work.
"This is such a significant restoration project, we believe that it's going to draw people who want to see what an authentic Olmsted landscape looks and feels like," Herrera-Mishler said.
The $924,000 project was paid for using state funds. It is expected to be completed by June 1, 2014.
