Seven to Save Spotlight: Genesee Valley Park's Woodland Buffer
Rochester’s Genesee Valley Park, specifically its historic, Frederick Law Olmsted-designed woodland buffer, is one of the League’s 2022-2023 Seven to Save sites. This listing follows an earlier inclusion of the Olmsted-designed pedestrian bridges of Genesee Valley Park on the 2014 Seven to Save list. The League is eager to continue working with local advocates to protect this important Rochester landmark.
Threat: Demolition; Development Pressure; Lack of Public Awareness; Loss of Visual/Architectural Integrity
Black and white topographical map of Genesee Valley Park with the proposed development area circled in white.
In response to this listing, JoAnn Beck of the Rochester Olmsted Parks Alliance said, “We wish to acknowledge the historic designed landscape of Genesee Valley Park as vital to the scenic quality of the river corridor and to celebrate it as part of our Olmsted heritage.”
A view over one of the Park’s bridges in fall. Credit: Jennifer McCabe
Genesee Valley Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1890, and it remains a well-used and defining community landscape. An original aspect of the park’s design is a woodland buffer that runs from Elmwood Avenue to the Erie Canal next to the University of Rochester. Genesee Valley Park is publicly owned by the City of Rochester, but this stretch of woodland is privately owned by the University. This intact, mature woodland buffer is integral to the scenic quality of the park. Olmsted’s design integrity is under threat by a proposal to clear over an acre and a half to build a warehouse plus another .6-acre paved loading area. The University’s project would result in an irremediable loss of scenic quality from key public viewpoints. If this current proposal does not proceed, the site remains zoned for, and subject to development by the university.
Naturalistic designed landscapes like this one are often less valued than their manicured counterparts, leaving them vulnerable to a continuous threat of incremental loss. This Olmsted bicentennial year provides an opportunity to articulate a preservation ethic regarding under-valued historic landscapes, and the League will work with local stakeholders to advocate for proper stewardship of this important piece of Rochester’s historic park system.