Gary M. Urban
University of Wisconsin Landscape Architecture
Senior Thesis 1994
Table of Contents
Introduction................................ p.4-5
Site Inventory.............................. p.6-16
Site Context................................ p.6
Cultural Context/Resources.................. p.7
Access and Circulation Analysis............. p.8
Scenic Resources............................ p.9
Topography.................................. p.ll
User Groups................................. p.ll
Vegetation.................................. p.12
Design Issues............................... p.13
Points of Interest.......................... p.14
Site Analysis............................... p.17-19
River Front Section......................... p.17
Center Section.............................. p.18
LaCrosse River Section...................... p.18
Entry Points................................ p.19
Precedents.................................. p.20-26
Central Park................................ p.20
Moraine Park................................ p.21
Springvale Park............................. p.22
John Nolen.................................. p.23
Deign Program............................... p.27-28
Project Goals............................... p.27
User Group Needs............................
p.27Design...................................... p.29-35
River Front area............................ p.29
Center Section.............................. p.30
LaCrosse River Section...................... p.32
Entry Points................................ p.32
Amenities................................... p.34
Site Design-River Front Area................ p.36-38
Table of Plans and Drawings
Site Location............................... p.6A
Site Analysis............................... p.8A
Original Design............................. P.12A
Existing Conditions......................... P.12B
Use Area Delineation........................ P.17A
Proposed Master Plan........................ p.29A
North Layout and Planting Plan.............. p.30A
Center Layout and Planting Plan............. p.30B
South Layout and Planting Plan.............. p.30C
Details..................................... p.34A
Plazas and Esplanade Plan................... p.36A
Plazas and Esplanade Sketches............... p.36B
Introduction
"No better illustration could be given of the
making of a park system by a small city
than the recent experience of LaCrosse."
-John Nolen
Riverside Park was designed by Landscape Architect and
City Planner,
John Nolen. Originally called Levee Park, it was created
in 1911 as part of an
all inclusive city design which he did for the city of
LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
Fhough much of his design for LaCrosse was built, there
were many parts that
did not get constructed as planned. The most substantial
of these parts being
the park corridor that would have connected many of the
LaCrosse parks to
one another. Of all the park areas included in the
design of the city, Riverside
Park was the only park to which Nolen created a specific
design for. This
design was carried through to construction in 1912.
Riverside Park as Designed By John Nolen
Through the years, many changes have come about in the
park involving
the way the park is used and maintained, as well as
natural changes in the
vegetation, that have drastically altered the look and
feel of the park. The
result is a park with a broken and haphazard feel and
appearance,
dramatically different from the way John Nolen had
originally intended.The projects goal is to improve the
park, enhancing its feel, appearance
and function for the current and future users while
utilizing the original design
and overall design style of John Nolen.
John Nolen's Sketch of Riverside Park
Client
The client for the Riverside Park revitalization project
is the city parks
department of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Much of the contact
and information on
the project has been handled by the Superintendent of
the LaCrosse Parks
system, Gar Amunson.
Riverside Park as it appeared around 1920Site Inventory
Site Context
Riverside Park is approximately 14 acres and located in
LaCrosse
Wisconsin, a city on the western border of the state,
situated on a sandy plain
between the Mississippi River and the weathered
sandstone bluffs of the
driftless area. The park site lies at the junction of
the Mississippi and the
LaCrosse river. It is situated at the western edge of
downtown LaCrosse in an
area of rather mixed uses (see site context sheet).
Currently the parks adjacent land uses include a large
parcel of open
land on the north east end, a very popular LaCrosse
restaurant, "Piggy's" at the
south end, and Front street. The commercial area of the
downtown begins just
across Front street and includes the Hielmann Corporate
Headquarters, the
Radisson hotel, and the LaCrosse Civic Center. Further
east from Front street
begins to include more small shops, offices and
businesses along with many
restaurants in a typical downtown setting. Mixed in with
these uses, primarily
up in the northern section of the park, are many large
factories in an industrial
area.
Approximately a block and a half down from the southern
edge of the
park is located the newest downtown development. This
area, called the Torch
Light District, includes a large hotel and has business
as well as residentia
plans for the future.
In addition to the immediate surroundings, the park is
linked to other
parks in the area through the LaCrosse River Marsh Trail
system that currently
runs almost four miles with expansion plans for the near
future. Not far from
the park, a number of schools are also present in the
area including, West
Wisconsin Technical College and the University of
Wisconsin, LaCrosse. All of
these current surrounding land uses provide for an
interesting and diverse
group of park users.
* A list of the cities parks and their features is
located in the appendix A
The city of LaCrosse itself is a growing community of
over 51,000, and is
ranked twelfth largest in the state. Currently, the city
is undergoing an
exciting downtown redevelopment program, of which the
parks in the area,
including Riverside Park, are key issues
(Schrieber/Anderson). The plan,
called the City Vision 2000 Plan, was finished in
October of 1992 and areassuch as the Torch Light
District, have already begun construction. An
important aspect of the redevelopment is a
revitalization of the downtown
commercial area and a desire to strengthen the now weak
link to the waterway.
Another important issue in the redevelopment of the
downtown area is a
large condominium and commercial development adjacent to
Riverside Park.
The development is expected to begin construction in
April of 1994 and will be
located on the vacant land at the north east section of
the park. The
development is designed to hold three to four medium
size condominium units,
a large hotel, and a small commercial development at the
eastern edge.
Because of the limited activity in this eastern area of
the park, visually, the
development should not be very intrusive.
Approval has already been granted to the project to
allow automobile
access through Riverside Park. The access is to be off
of East Veterans
Memorial Drive and will work as a secondary entrance and
exit. Allowing the
increase in traffic is a concern of the LaCrosse park
board, and if it becomes a
problem for the park, it was decided that in three years
the issue of access
would be re-evaluated.
Cultural Context and Resources
Riverside Park has been in LaCrosse for almost 85 years
and has become
an important link to the city's past. The park was
designed by John Nolen, and
was created as a place for passive recreation, to get
away from the rigors of
daily life (Nolen). At the time, this included a focus
on the many large and
beautiful river boats and the socialization that went
with them.
The areas riverboat
history has always been a
major part of the city
including Riverside Park,
which through the years
has been the docking place
and tour boat headquarters
for many of the cities large
recreation vessels.
Pictures of the park as it was used during the peak of
this time during the
1920's and 30's show thriving activity in the park
focusing mainly on these
pleasure boat rides (Sanford).
The tour boats at the park have
since dwindled to only one much
smaller boat, the LaCrosse
Queen, which is docked at
Riverside Park and still receives a
great deal of business. Two
active and functioning paddle
wheel pleasure boats,
the Delta Queen and the Mississippi Queen, still run up
and down the river in
this area. Up until a few years ago, at least one would
stop at Riverside Park
on occasion. Due to lack of interest, however, the stop
in the park has been
eliminated from the tour. Bringing these boats back into
the area again is
desirable to the city and many of its residents and is
an important feature in
the revitalization of the downtown (Schrieber/Anderson).
Access and Circulation Analysis
The circulation through Riverside Park has changed
dramatically
through the years going from an automobile dominant
circulation to one that is
half pedestrian. When this transformation from auto to
pedestrian was done,
linkages to the outside of the park were not addressed
or at minimum, done
poorly. Originally, automobile access was allowed in the
southern portion of
the park with roads leading from both Main street and
Pearl street. Around the
1940's, the auto access to the park was limited to only
the northern half of the
park creating a turn around at the end of State street.
Pedestrian walks were
installed at the south half and followed a similar
pattern to that of the removed
roadways.
Within the last 20 years, what originally was Main
street running from
First to Front street was closed off to auto traffic as
well, creating a pedestrian
walkway or mall area (see site analysis sheet). This
walkway lies between the
Hielmann Corporate headquarters and the Radisson hotel
and has good
potential to link the park to the commercial areas of
the down town as well as
bring many park users from the large hotel.
The southern end of the park has the ability to become
an important
entry and linkage areas as well. It is this area which
lies closest to the newly
developing Torch light District as well as to the
popular Piggy's restaurant and
the LaCrosse Civic Center. Both of these areas, however,
must be improved in
8pedestrian safety and overall entry feel
characteristics if they are to be
successful entries into the park.
Another important point of access for the park is that
of the LaCrosse
River Marsh Trail. This area has the capability of
linking the park to many
other parks and areas of LaCrosse. Currently the trail
exit/entrance is hidden
in a far corner behind the park. This poor visual link
limits the ability of the
trail to bring users to and from the area.
The main entry into Riverside Park is a strong axis down
State street.
Currently it is the only automobile point of entry and
exit into the park. State
street enters into the park as a two way street with a
turn around at the rivers
edge. The street was the original main entry for the
park, though it currently
lacks the original dynamic entry feel which was created
by lining it with trees
in the parks first design.
Off of State street lies East and West Veteran's
Memorial Drive, both one
way streets which allow the park visitor to drive into
the north end of the park.
These streets allow access to the rear parking area for
the park as well as to the
Convention and Visitors Bureau and the LaCrosse Queen
boat tours area.
As mentioned earlier, the condominium development has
received
approval from the city parks commission to allow access
to the development
through the park, off of East Veteran's Memorial Drive.
This additional use will
potentially cause increased traffic on both East and
West Veteran's Memorial
Drive. This traffic increase, however, should not be too
substantial due to the
fact that the entrance/exit is secondary and other, more
direct access points
are to be allowed in other sections of the development
which will have no effect
on the park.
Scenic Resources
Being located on the Mississippi River, Riverside Park
offers many
beautiful scenic resources. The park contains views
directly across the
Mississippi river to historic Pettibone Island. Views
down to the south include
a large metal span bridge which connects Wisconsin to
Minnesota, while
visitors looking north across the river see beautiful
forested bluffs off in the
distance. The Mississippi River itself is major scenic
resource as well. The
park lies on the main channel of the river which is
slow, but steady moving in
this section.The north end of the park lies alongside
another river, the LaCrosse.
This river, which feeds the Mississippi, is much smaller
with a wooded area
across from it. This section offers park visitors a
different, more natural feel to
that of the larger river.
Along with these features, the river also offers
activities to observe such
as the boat traffic which passes by as well as the barge
traffic that moves up
and down the Mississippi. The Park itself has plenty to
offer in terms of scenic
beauty as well, including some large oak, hackberry and
ginkgo trees and large
areas of open green space.
10Topography
The topography of Riverside Park is very flat and holds
an even one to
two percent slope towards the river. This is because the
park, when originally
built, was created by dredging the Mississippi River,
thus producing the park
land. In doing so it was possible to create the
relatively flat and well drained
site, which it remains today.
User Groups
The current use of the park
is a mix of passive and active
recreation. Passive use includes
such things as listening to music
on the band shell, having a
family picnic, or simply sitting at
one of the many benches and
watching the river or reading a
book. The park is on the walking
routes of many of the areas
residents both old and young
alike. The active use in the park
includes such activities as
jogging, bicycling or fishing along
the river.
Automobiles play a major role in the
park. Many of the parks users visit
the park without leaving their cars,
parking along West Veteran's
Memorial Drive and viewing the river
and the people from behind the wheel.
It is possible to attribute this activity
to the lack of attractive seating areas
near the river itself. Another
automobile use is that of 'cruising' in
the park by the local youths from the
area high schools. Each night both
11East and West Veteran's Memorial Drive lines with
cars. This is a major
problem at the present time as the youths seem to take
over the park in the
evening. This effects the use of the park by all others
at night and the problem
is currently being dealt with by the park board and the
local police department
Park users come from all areas of the city. The
automobile users in
general are LaCrosse residents and visiting family
friends who come to enjoy
the scenic beauty of the area. Many of the joggers and
walkers come from
nearby residential areas as well as from the college
campuses in LaCrosse.
Others stop by the park after shopping in the downtown
area, seeing a show at
the LaCrosse Civic Center, or eating at one of the many
downtown restaurants.
These park users are regular and visit with differing
degrees of frequency.
Another group of users of Riverside Park is that of the
temporary
LaCrosse visitor. These users, many on business or
vacations, stay at the any
of the existing (and future) large downtown hotels,
which are all within walking
distance of the park. They come to the park to enjoy the
area, possibly take a
boat tour, eat and in general, relax.
Vegetation
The vegetation of the park has changed dramatically
since its creation in
1911. Much of the large tree groupings that were
originally created have since
disappeared (see original design and existing conditions
sheet). The loss of
trees happened for a number of reasons, the first of
which is Dutch elm disease
that plagued much of the area in the 60's and 70's,
killing most of the large
elm trees which had been originally planted. While elm
disease removed many
of the larger species, more were lost to high winds of
the area and still more to
various other diseases and over maturity.
The loss of the original tree plantings intended by the
architect, resulted
in a change of character in the park. The thick, though
small, wooded areas
were not replaced with other trees as they were removed,
but rather left alone
to what is now a sparse scattering of trees with only a
few of the original trees
remaining. Of the old trees on the site are a number of
very large hackberrys
as well as some impressively large ginkgoes. The final
result, however, is a loss
in the overall feel characteristics originally intended
for the park.
Many of the trees and shrubs which were planted in
recent years have
been incongruent with the style of the original designer
and have not been
placed in any whole manner, rather they are scattered
through the park
12limiting positive and negative spatial features that
were once characteristic of
the design.
*An. exact listing of tree species is located in
appendix B
Though some areas of the park do have healthy shrubs,
many of the
shrubs are extremely overgrown and appear as empty but
tall eye sores. The
shrubs, along with the trees, are an important aspect of
the park and all need
to be addressed.
Flower displays at one point in the parks history played
a major role in
the scenic beauty of Riverside Park (Rausch). The areas
planted with flowers in
the park presently are few. This reduction of planting
area is mainly caused by
increasing maintenance costs through the years which has
resulted in not only
smaller flower beds with less intricacy and visual
interest but also a reduction
in the number of areas.
Design Issues
The Riverside Park site offers many different
opportunities and
constraints. One of these is the parks location in
regards to the LaCrosse River
Marsh Trail System which, if a proper connection is
made, offers the park
linkage to many different areas of the city as well as
linkage to other parks.
The park is located near the downtown commercial area as
well as across the
street from a major hotel and convention center from
which many of its visitors
come. It will be important to strengthen this linkage if
visitors of the downtown
area are to be attracted into the park. A pedestrian
mall lies across the street
from the park and with proper design, has the ability to
accomplish this while
also attracting visitors of the Radisson Hotel.
Another important linkage issue is the connection to
what is called the
Torch Light District, at the south end of the park. This
newly redeveloping area
contains another hotel along with other future
developments and must be
taken into consideration now as a major source of park
users.
One of the Main focuses of the downtown revitalization
of LaCrosse is an
emphasis on the river front. As with many cities,
LaCrosse is realizing the
recreation value of the waterfront area and attracting
people to this area will be
a large focus in the design for Riverside Park.
13Points of Interest
Riverside Park includes many different points of
interest both of items
included in the original design and structures and
monuments which have been
accumulated in the park through the years. The following
is a brief
discussion of these items.
The park includes numerous structures, the first, and
largest is the
LaCrosse Convention and Visitors Bureau building which
lies at the north end
of the park. This building was originally designed as
the fish control lab back
in 1924 and is a dynamic, historic structure (Rausch).
Currently the building
houses a visitor information center and a historic
museum and it is also the
starting point for many bus tours of the LaCrosse area
thus attracting many
visitors.
Another important structure on the site is that of the
band shell.
Constructed in 1930, the band shell lies in the center
of the park on the
original stage location. Currently the band shell
receives a great deal of
attention through the summer months- at which times it
holds concerts with
local bands and orchestras as well as other activities
such as weddings. With
an outdoor seating capacity of approximately 500 people,
this area attracts
many people to the site.
Riverside Park also contains other points of interest
such as the levee or
barrier wall. This structure lies along the Mississippi
River and was built at
the time of the parks construction
in 1911 (Rausch). The area consists
of a large asphalt area backed by the
concrete post and rail which was the
dividing line between pedestrians
and the river, and the automobiles
which used to be allowed in this
southern section of the park.
The concrete post and rail section is currently in
remarkably good
condition thanks in part to a resurfacing of the
concrete which happened a few
years ago. The flat asphalt area below it had been used
for a waiting area for
people riding on the large paddle wheel boats of those
early years. Today it is
still used for fishing as well as a docking area for
some boaters.
14The south section of the park also contains a fountain
located at the
junction of the center pedestrian paths. Though the
fountain is not original to
the park, it is located in an area that was originally
designated as a focal area
and planted with flowers. The Fountain was constructed
in 1981 as a donation
by the Hoeschler family and replaced a small flower bed,
however, due partly to
the design of the fountain, it is currently in poor
condition an in need of some
major reworking to revitalize this
specific area. The plantings around
the fountain compound the problem
by hiding the fountain and
surrounding seating, making it an
infrequently visited section of the
park. This fountain area deserves
attention as it is in a prominent
location in the park.
Two sculptures are
located in Riverside Park.
The first of these is a large
concrete Indian titled
'Hiawatha'. The sculpture,
which stands approximately
25 feet in height, was
placed in the north end of
the park in 1962 after it
was created by a local artist
and his sons in the back
yard of their LaCrosse
home. The sculpture itself
detracts highly from the
overall character of the park
developing an almost
carnival-like feel to the
area.
The second sculpture is
one of a large eagle perched
atop the trunk of a tree.
15This sculpture, added to the park in 1986 is located
at the end of State
Street in the middle of the turn around island. The
large steel sculpture seems
to work well as a focal point and can be seen from
blocks away as you drive
down the road and into the park.
The park also contains a Riverboat Tour company. Though
unlike the
massive river boats that once went up and down the
river, the LaCrosse Queen
is rather small but it is a functioning paddle wheel
which offers tour rides
up and down a section of the Mississippi River and it is
well used by both
residents and tourists alike.
The LaCrosse Queen River Boat Tour company and the
LaCrosse Queen
reside on the northern end of the park. Along with the
tour boat they also hold
a floating gift shop on a converted vessel which sells
items of interest to those
riding the river boat as well as those visiting the
area. Also located in this area
is the shelter structure for the boat tour rides.
Finally, alongside West Veteran's Memorial Drive is a
monument to all
World War Veterans. The monument consists of a large
cannon which was
erected on the site in 1918 and holds a,great deal of
history both in the park as
well as in LaCrosse. The Memorial itself is located in
what could be an open
area of the park and is far too prominent in the area.
The monument is
flanked by two ash trees and a very large flag pole. The
ash trees were
originally dedicated by the LaCrosse Women's Club,
however the original trees
have since been removed and have only recently been
replaced. Because of the
historic significance of the cannon monument, removing
it from the site would
cause a considerable amount of debate. This will be
dealt with in the design by
compromising and relocating the monument on the site
rather than removing it
entirely. The trees will have to be removed however, but
because they are not
original, the debate should be far less.
16Site Analysis
Riverside Park is contained on three sides by strict
boundaries which are
the Mississippi and the LaCrosse River, and the third is
at the southern end of
the park adjacent to the parking lot of a prominent
LaCrosse restaurant. The
fourth side, the east, will however be addressed in the
redesign of the area.
This side includes the LaCrosse River Marsh Trail and
the pedestrian mall.
Spence Park, which is directly adjacent to the park, is
one of the first
parks in the LaCrosse area and will not be addressed
because it has little or no
bearing or effect on Riverside Park. The connection to
the condominium
development which lies next to both Riverside and Spence
Park will be included
in the design but only at the entrance to the
development which comes in off of
East Veteran's Memorial Drive.
The LaCrosse River Marsh Trail is included in the
redesign of Riverside
Park. The trail offers an important link to Riverside
Park from other parks and
areas around the city. This link currently is very poor
and almost nonexistent.
The overall linkage of parks to one another as well as
to the city was an
important aspect of John Nolen's original design of
LaCrosse and other cities
and can be at least partly addressed in this manner.
The pedestrian mall offers similar linkages as the River
Marsh Trail. The
mall, though it does not offer a linkage to parks in the
area, does have the
ability to link the areas business and commercial
district with Riverside Park
and therefore will be addressed.
Use Areas
For ease of discussion, Riverside Park has been divided
into different use
areas. These areas have been designated mainly due to
their use and overall
feel (see use area and entry point delineation sheet).
River Front Section. Area #1
The current activities of the river front area include a
mix of active and
passive recreation. The uses include running, walking,
fishing, people and
river watching, and partaking in the riverboat tour
rides. The area offers much
scenic beauty with the Mississippi River and its many
activities. This area also
holds a great deal of history involving the many luxury
paddle wheel boats
which used to run along the Mississippi River and dock
along the shores of the
17park. Unfortunately this use has now dwindled to one
small, but still active
paddle wheel, the LaCrosse Queen.
Currently the connection of people to the water which
used to exist has
almost disappeared. This is due for two reasons, the
first of which is the loss of
the tour boats which was mentioned earlier The second is
the increased
erosion control along the shore. Originally the park
area seemed to have little
to deal with in regards to excessive erosion, however as
barge traffic on the
river increased, so did erosion and thus erosion
control. The method of control
for the Riverside Park area is that of large concrete
and stone boulders. These
boulders lie almost fifteen feet wide in some areas and
they create both a visual
and physical barrier to the water. It is these boulders
which reduce the park
users connection to the water producing a feeling of
separation.
Central Section. Area #2
The central area of the park is almost strictly used for
passive recreation
such as tanning, walking, or listening to music on the
band shell. It is in this
area which the plantings and plant material play a major
role in the character
of the park.
Currently the vegetation of the area is dotted by some
of the large original
tree plantings, however, the original masses of trees
and shrubs have been
liminated as discussed earlier. This has changed the
dramatic positive and
negative spatial characteristics of the tree masses and
open space to a
disbursement of trees. The original outdoor room which
was created by John
Nolen around the bandstand area has since disappeared.
LaCrosse River Section. Area #3
Riverside Park is bordered by two rivers, the
Mississippi, and the
LaCrosse. Access, however, is only allowed along the
Mississippi, the side
along the LaCrosse River is covered with overgrown trees
and shrubs and is
highly eroded with a steep eight foot drop to the
current water level. The
combination of these factors limits access in this area
to only the most
adventurous of park visitors. The original design for
Riverside Park by Nolen
took advantage of this connection by moving the park
boundaries all the way to
both rivers. If the park was originally constructed in
this manner is hard to
say. There are few obtainable records of the park in the
early years and photos
of the area have not shown the north side of the park. A
building was
18constructed in 1924 at the north end of the park and
remains their today
(originally the fish control lab, now the LaCrosse River
Visitors Bureau). This
building might have been what alienated the Lacrosse
River from the park.
Entry Points
Access to parks from the city was an important issue
among many of
John Nolen's designs and is vital in a down town area
such as LaCrosse.
Linking the park to areas of the down town area such as
the commercial
district, civic center and surrounding hotels in the
area will be vital in
producing a successful design. The park currently
contains four pedestrian
access points which need improvements in their shape,
connection to
surrounding areas, and their planting material. The
following is a brief
analysis of these areas.
Entry Point A
The first of these entry points is the entry/exit of the
LaCrosse River
Marsh Trail. The trail, which currently exits in a
hidden spot at the rear of the
park, has the potential of offering Riverside a
connection to other areas of the
city. To do this however, changes must be made to
improve the trails visual
and physical link to the park.
Entry Point B
The second entry into Riverside Park is at State Street.
The access in
this area is good for both auto traffic and pedestrian
traffic, however, many of
the original trees from the area, as mentioned earlier,
have long since
disappeared. The result is a lack of entry feel in this
area which needs to be
strengthened.
Entry Point C
The second connection point is at the top of the
southern section of the
park. This entrance, originally an entry point for
automobiles, has been
converted for pedestrian use. It has strong access to
the pedestrian mall which
terminates Main Street and lies directly across the
street allowing for
connection to the center of the downtown area and its
commercial users. The
link here is in need of strengthening as is the overall
entrance feel. The visual
axis through the pedestrian mall is distorted by a
planting island which lies at
19a contorted viewing angle. Improvements may also have
to be made within the
pedestrian mall area to visually cany the park into the
city itself.
Entry Point D
The third and final pedestrian entry point is on the
southern most end of
the park. This area lies at the junction of two
potentially high use areas. The
first is a perpendicular sidewalk directly across the
street that runs along the
south side of the Civic Center. The second lies along
Front Street in front of
Piggy's Restaurant with the potential for connecting the
area to the newly
developing Torch Light District.
Currently the entry sidewalk runs parallel to the
parking lot of the
restaurant, giving the user an unwanted visual feel and
experience. With some
modification however, this entry could be used to
collect people from the Civic
Center as well as from the hotel and other businesses in
the Torch Light area.
20Precedents
The Riverside Park project is a park revitalization that
must be sensitive
to its original designer yet fulfill the needs of the
community to today's and
tomorrow's standards. Because of this rather difficult
undertaking, past
projects which were similar in nature proved to be very
important in creating
the new design. Though each of the projects were
different in their own right,
each gave guidance and assistance in the project. The
following is a brief
summary of these projects.
Central Park
Central Park in New York City underwent a dramatic
restoration in the
early 1980's. Originally designed by Frederick Law
Olmstead and Calvert Vaux
in 1858, it's creation was an extremely large and
beautiful park which thrived
for many years as an active and scenic focal point for
the city. Through the
years however, due to funding and politics, upkeep on
the park had dwindled
to only the most basic of maintenance,, and the result
was a park left in ruins.
Fortunately, an uprising in park popularity in the late
70's brought with it an
interest for rebuilding the park. The resulting work was
a massive undertaking
of research, cataloguing and site analysis that covered
every area of the park.
The product was a renewed Central Park, of which work is
still continuing. The
methodology that was used, resulted in an outline of
policy and procedure to be
used by future designers in their restoration work
(Central Park Conservancy).
Though the Central Park restoration was extremely large
in comparison
to Riverside Park of LaCrosse, the ideas and thoughts
behind the project
remain the same. It is this methodology which has a
bearing on the Riverside
project.
21+Moraine Park
Moraine Park in Highland, Illinois was a thesis done by
Susan Hall at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison. This restoration
involved a park in which a
portion of the area was originally designed by Jens
Jenson. The thesis
incorporated an understanding of the designer as well as
his style of design. A
tremendous amount of effort was spent on design details
which added to the
projects original characteristics. Throughout the
redevelopment plan, the
importance of using the designers style was stressed, as
was the idea that the
its design was not intended to imitate, but to
compliment the works of Jens
Jenson (Hall).
The thesis by Susan Hall is important for comparing
methodology to
Central Parks restoration in order to bring the ideas
down to a scale which fit
Riverside Park. The Moraine Park redevelopment also
stresses important
factors in relating a design or redevelopment to the
original designer or
Landscape Architect.
22Spingvale Park
Springvale -Park is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and was
originally
designed by Frederick Law Olmstead in the early 1900's.
The 4.6 acre park
was designed as a passive park in a pastoral setting.
However, like many parks
of it's time, it underwent decades of neglect due to
economics. It also suffered
from a moving trend which was away from the Inmann park
area which was
the parks location. As trends changed however, an influx
of people began
moving back to the area following a major downtown
revitalization project. To
accompany this, the city began a two part plan for the
revitalization of
Springvale Park.
The Springvale Park restoration is an important one in
regards to
Riverside Park, which, though not to quite the same
extent, has followed a
similar trend and lack of park care and funding with a
recent resurgence of
interest. The Springvale project from the beginning set
out to make a new
design which closely resembled the original with regards
to modern day needs
(Anderson). It is this idea which was put forth in the
Riverside project.
23John Nolen
In this project, the design style of the original
Landscape Architect was
an important issue, it is for this reason that I have
included a brief summary of
John Nolen and his style of design.
John Nolen was a successful Landscape Architect and City
Planner of the
late 1800's through the early 1900's. He was famous for
his holistic approach
to design and planning incorporating all aspects of the
city and surrounding
area into his plans. His work with city plans were
distinguished by the careful
integration of physical, social, political and economic
planning (Tishler).
In the works with landscape architecture, Nolen had a
design style which
incorporated certain characteristics into the landscape
that he felt import.
These features included naturalistic open space
involving large areas of turf
surrounded by free flowing tree groupings. These turf
and tree areas created a
strong use of positive and negative space in his
landscapes. His designs also
stressed natural and built barriers to screen and
separate incompatible uses
(Tishler).
Also found in Nolen's work is the use of gateways. In
many of his
designs, entryways were flanked by linear tree plantings
which gave a distinct
entrance feel into the areas. As a city planner he also
felt the need to treat
elements of the city such as parks, playgrounds, homes
etc. as basic units of a
city system (10). To do this, Nolen was a strong
advocator of a city and park
system, linking the units together as a whole.
24In analyzing the design work of John Nolen, particular
attention was paid
to his design of water front areas. In the designs he
did of waterfront areas, he
placed a defined emphasis on the area directly along the
water. These areas
were turned into well balanced and very formal
hardscapes of considerable
size. Most of his designs at the time incorporated long
straight pedestrian
esplanades or promenades, as in Nolen's design for San
Diego, California.
These long esplanades were often lined with rows of
trees as in the plan for
Madison, Wisconsin.
25In his design work, Nolen recognized the important
role that waterfronts
played in the commercial, residential and overall
recreation and health of the
people in the city. He often incorporated public
gathering spaces in his work as
he did with the bay front plaza area in the San Diego
plan.
It was these and other
points of Nolen's designs and
design style that played a
significant role in the redesign
of Riverside Park.
Along with these precedents, various other designs were
also studied.
Included with these were Lechmere Canal Park in East
Cambridge,
Massachusetts, and the Battery Park City Esplanade in
New York. Both of
these played a major role in the new design for the
waterfront area of Riverside
Park.
26Design Program
They [parks] are looked upon less and
less as luxuries, as beautiful pictures
merely for occasional holiday
enjoyment; they have become an
essential part of every day life in cities."
-John Nolen
Project Goals
The goal in redesigning Riverside Park was to create a
park which drew
from both the original design by Nolen as well as his
overall style while
adapting the park to the uses of today and the future.
This was done by
focusing on the following goals.
1. Improve the existing plant material to compliment the
original style of
John Nolen; This include eliminating the undesired
plants which do not fit the
style of original designer as well as reintroducing the
large tree groupings and
removing some of the existing planting material. This
opens the central area to
redevelop the characteristic design style of John Nolen.
2. Improve the emphasis on the waterway to strengthen
the cities
connection to the river which over the years has
dwindled; The parks change
in use from the original design has alienated its users
from the waterway,
improvement in this area are important in bringing more
people to the park as
well as linking the park to its historic past.
3. Strengthen the link to the city to make the park and
city one system,
and in doing so compliment the beliefs of John Nolen;
Improving the link to the
local streets as well as the path system will introduce
more people to the park
and make those that are already using the park more
comfortable.
4. Design a comprehensive site sensitive furnishing and
lighting scheme
for the park which compliments the deep history of the
area.
User Group Needs
Passive recreation users are by far the dominant group
in the park. It is
important to improve the area for their needs as well as
the needs of others.
These improvements include an increased link to the
water, improved visual
stimulation by increasing floral areas, texture variety
etc., changes in site
furniture and lighting, creating an outdoor plaza area,
and an improvement on
the entrances to the park making them feel more welcome
to the area.
27Other user groups include the active users such as the
joggers and the
bicyclists which could both benefit by a better link
from Riverside Park to the
LaCrosse River Marsh Trail system.
The festivals held in the park can benefit from larger
paved areas,
preferable near the river, as well as larger open green
spaces for tents, booths
and other activities.
28Design
To be adequate, a [park] system should not
only meet the demands of all classes of the
people in all parts of the city today, but
should reasonably anticipate the needs
of the future."
-John Nolen
Design Concept
To re-design Riverside Park, drawing on the original
design and style of
John Nolen while adapting it to present and future use.
River Front Section, Area #J,The objective in this area
is to strengthen the
park and downtown relationship to the river both
physically and visually (see
proposed master plan). To do this the proposed design
draws from many past
designs of John Nolen in incorporating a large
pedestrian esplanade or
walkway. This esplanade begins at the south end of the
park at the top of the
existing levee and continues along the entire length of
the park.
In the south section, the walkway takes the place of the
existing side
walk which lies approximately 20' from the levee and
places itself against the
original concrete post and rail structure of the park.
In doing this, the
esplanade creates a distinct waterfront plaza feel.
The lower levee area, which is occasionally flooded,
remains, with access
allowed to it from the walkway during periods of normal
or low water levels.
This lower section of the levee is the area which
originally used to load and
unload passengers to the riverboats. If the larger
riverboats of the area can be
attracted back to the park, this area will be able to
serve the same function as
it did over 80 years ago. Because potential flooding of
this area may limit use,
elevating the section from its existing height is
recommended to avoid any
future flooding problems.
The north section continues the pedestrian esplanade
throughout the
length of the area. The proposed design includes
replacing the existing erosion
control boulders with a concrete wall. The wall would
match the style of the
original levy wall in the north section including the
original concrete post and
rail features. The entire esplanade would be accessible
to disabled park users.
29Also incorporated in this section of the esplanade are
two small plaza
areas. These areas .are intended to be used for a
variety of activities. A more
detailed discussion of this area is found in the site
design section.
The proposed plan also includes narrowing West Veteran's
Memorial
Drive. Currently the road contains parking on both the
inside and the rivers
side of the road as well as one lane of south bound
traffic. Narrowing the road
would eliminate the parking on the rivers side of the
park thus opening the
area up visually to all park users as well as
eliminating the unwanted feel of
parked cars directly beside the plaza areas.
The design also proposes changes Veteran's Memorial
Drive in the far
north loop of the road. The section which runs directly
in front of the Visitor
and Convention Bureau building includes the drop off
area, and is no more
than five feet wide from the buildings front steps. The
goal in designing this
area was to safely and attractively bring people from
the back parking lot area.
This was necessary due to increased park usage as well
as the elimination of
half the parking on West Veteran's Memorial Drive,
therefore the back parking
lot will receive a measurable increase in its use. To
accomplish this, the space
between the drop off area and the building was increased
making it possible to
create a pedestrian walk way leading from the parking
lot to the river front
esplanade. The proposed area will be lined with
vegetation similar to other
entrees in the park.
Center Section. Area #2 The main goal in the central
area is to reintroduce the
open space as well as some large tree groupings. The
original masses of trees
need to be reinstalled and the straggling plant material
eliminated to once
again create the open areas of green space. The current
location of the
Memorial Cannon is directly in the center of the
proposed open space and it
needs to be needs to be relocated. The vegetation around
the band shell at the
center of the park was seemed originally intended to
create an out door room
with the stage at the center. This idea was carried
through, however, it to fell
victim to the loss of many of its trees. The
reinstallation of vegetation in the
form of trees in this area could revitalize this out
door room and create a very
interesting area in which to view and enjoy the
musicians playing in the band
shell. The plantings in this area however should still
allow for some, though
30limited views, both into and out of the area as well
as under the canopy of
trees.
A number of issues were addressed in selecting the trees
and their
locations in the revitalization of Riverside Park. The
tree species selected
included Hackbeny, Ash, Ginkgo, Oak and Maple among
others (see north,
central and southern section layout and planting plans
for complete listing and
locations). The species were chosen mainly for their
form, to create the desired
overhead canopy. Along with this, species were selected
to compliment existing
larger specimens on the site, as well as add a balance
of color to the park.
Hackberrys were selected to take the place of the Elms
that had originally
lined the main automobile entryway as well as in other
sections of the park.
The form of the tree is similar, though not nearly as
pleasing as the form of the
elm. Currently, Elms that are resistant to Dutch Elm
disease are being
produced, however, their form has always been somewhat
erratic. The
'Accolade Elm' is one that has been recommended by
Professor Edward
Hasselkus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The
form of the tree is said
to be exceptional and it is resistant to the disease,
however, it is currently not
readily available on the market. In a few years, after
further testing and a
larger availability, the 'Accolade Elm' may be a
welcomed substitution for the
Hackberrys in the Riverside Park Revitalization Plan.
There are other key areas among the central zone which
need addressing
such as the central fountain area. This area is
currently hidden by plant
material to the point that its existence is almost
unknown. In the original plan,
the area was created as a flower garden with
intersecting paths. The paths are
still in existence today, however the flowers have been
replaced by shrubs and
the rather poorly constructed fountain which was
discussed earlier. The area
has the potential of being an interesting focal point,
however, the flowers beds
should be reinstalled and the fountain improved to
create the interest and
visual access which was originally intended.
The space would also benefit from an overall enlargement
and improved
paving pattern. Along with this, improvements in seating
and lighting need to
be made to create a usable and enjoyable space.
The fountain has great potential as does this small
area. Currently the
fountain does not incorporate standing water, rather the
water lands on a
simple pebble base. Redesigning the fountain to include
standing water and
31increasing the volume pumped out of the fountain, will
add the sound of water
to the area, improving the overall experience.
LaCrosse River Section. Area #3: This area along the
LaCrosse River is
closed off to park users through overgrown vegetation
and a complete lack of
path systems. Park users can regain access to the area
by a removal of much
of the overgrown vegetation and extending a boardwalk
along the LaCrosse
River
The proposed pedestrian esplanade along the Mississippi
river turns the
corner to the LaCrosse River and begins to merge with
the River Marsh Trail
System It is here where the overall feel of the park
changes from the semi-
formal appearance to that of a more natural one. The
design in this area
responds to this change in feel by altering the river
walk from an esplanade to a
boardwalk. The boardwalk gives a somewhat more rustic
appearance
coinciding with the natural character of the area and
functions to bridge the
elevation gap between the top of the steep slope and the
LaCrosse River.
Entry Point A: One of the key entry points is that of
the LaCrosse River
Marsh Trail located on the north east end of the
Riverside Park. Currently, as
discussed in the site analysis, the trail exits into a
back parking lot eliminating
all connection to the park itself. This connection can
be greatly improved by
sliding the trail slightly to the north east in its last
50' and connecting it to the
proposed board walk. The boardwalk would provide a mixed
use of bicycle and
pedestrian traffic up until the two rivers meet at which
point the bicycle traffic
would be routed off.
Entry Point B: The main auto and pedestrian entrance
also is in need of
improvement. Originally, the area was shrouded on both
sides by rows of
trees, creating the characteristic and dramatic entrance
feeling of many of John
Nolen's works. These trees, as with many others, were
lost through the years
and never replaced. The reinstallation of the trees
along both sides would
create this feeling of entry once again for both
automobile users and
pedestrians entering the site. Along with this would be
an improvement in the
floral areas such as in the auto turn-around at the end
of State Street.
32Improvements such as this would greatly enhance the
park users visual
enjoyment of the area.
Entru Point C: This entry point, as discussed earlier,
lies directly across
from the Main Street pedestrian mall. It is an important
linkage to the
commercial area of second and third street and also lies
next to one of the
areas largest hotels which provides many of the users
for the park. Changes in
this area must be made to improve the visual connection
and increase the
entry feel in the area. This can be done by first
straightening out the axis to
run along the visual line of the pedestrian mall. Along
with this, the width of
the entrance should be increase to give a more
noticeable and welcome feel for
park users.
The area can also benefit from the elimination of a
larger stretch of
parking along Front Street. This can be achieved by
swelling out the curbed
area into the former parking spots as shown on the
master plan. A strong
change in paving across the street will allow for
increased pedestrian safety by
alerting automobile drivers to the possible foot traffic
in the area. Extending
the paving will also stretch the park out into the mall
and thus into the city.
This entry point will also benefit with the use of tree,
shrub and flower
plantings similar to other entrees in the park.
Entry Point D: The final entry area into the site lies
at the southern most
section of the park. This area has the potential of
attracting many users to the
park from both the LaCrosse Civic Center across the
street as well as the Torch
Light District which is no more than two blocks away.
Because of this, the
proposed plan has made a number of changes.
The proposed entry is situated approximately 70' from
the parking lot of
Piggy's restaurant. This reduces the visual encroachment
of the parking lot
while producing a stronger link to the Civic Center
area. As shown in the
proposed plan, the walkway will enter the park at an
angle to meet up with the
proposed pedestrian esplanade running along the top of
the levee area. In
doing this, a bend in the walkway is created, it is here
that a focal point is
proposed. The focal point will act to draw the potential
park user into the park
'and terminate their visual axis, turning them into the
park. The proposed focal
point is the Memorial Cannon which exists on the site.
As discussed earlier,
the cannon should be removed from its existing location
in the park to create
33the main large open space. The monument has been at
the park since 1911,
therefore moving it off the site would be inconsiderate
and cause a great deal of
problems, relocating it on the site should be a fair
compromise.
The plantings in this entry should be treated as the
other entrances to
create the entry or gateway feel that was the style of
John Nolen and to make
the users of the park feel more welcome while drawing
them to the area.
The proposed entry to the park will allow access to
people from the civic
center area as well as the Torch Light District,
however, in order to do this
successfully, the plantings and overall pedestrian
treatment along both
walkways outside the park needs to be improved.
Amenities The goal of the project was also to create a
distinct entry feel into
the park, not just through the characteristic entry
plantings of the Nolen style,
but also to create an overall historic feel for the
park. This was done in a
number of was, most prominently, however, through the
use of site amenities.
Items such as lighting, seating and trash receptacles
are designed to
replace the existing features of the park, creating a
more appropriate and
pleasing historic feel for the area (see site detail
sheet).
Historic research on the city of LaCrosse, mostly
through photographs,
lead to much of the style for the features of the park,
including the lighting and
seating.
Lighting for the area is designed to match as closely as
possible to the
style that was used in the early 1900's, directly after
the city switched from
using gas street lamps. The lamps themselves, shown on
the detail sheet,
consist of a square base and pole with three to five
globe lights on the top.
These lamps should be used both along the pathways and
esplanade as well as
along the roadways. The larger of the two lamps, with
five globes lights, is
designed to be placed along the roadway while the
smaller of the two, the three
globe lamp, is to be used in the pedestrian areas.
The lamp style is purposely not the same as those used
currently in
downtown LaCrosse or in the newer areas such as the
Torch Light District.
This is done to promote the historic feel of the park
that was part of the goal in
its revitalization.
The lighting will increase the overall security of the
park at night while
replacing the few lamps that are on the site, and are
inconsistent with the
design of the park.
34Along with the lamps, the benches and picnic tables
add to the historic
I feel of the park as well. Replacing the steel benches
that reside on the site
now, the cast iron benches with wood slats will provide
additional comfort to
park users while fitting with the overall design style
better. The picnic benches
are designed to match the new benches, consisting of
cast iron and wood. They
replace the tables currently existing on the site which
are concrete and detract
highly from the parks character.
35Site Design: River Front Area
"For every thousand dollars judiciously
invested in a park the dividends to the
second generation of the citizens
possessing it will be much larger than
to the first, the dividends to the third
generation much larger than the
second"
-Frederick Law Olmstead
The river front area includes the large esplanade as
well as the main and
secondary plaza areas located throughout. These plaza
areas, as mentioned
before, are designed to move park users through the
space and support a
variety of activities.
The river front plazas are key areas in the design of
Riverside Park. Due
to the length of the esplanade which is almost two
thousand feet, it is
important that they be designed in a way that attracts
the attention, visually
and functionally, in order to bring the park users and
activities through the
space. This is achieved by a variety of niodulated
spatial as well as functional
areas (see plaza and esplanade plan and sketch sheets).
The design of the esplanade and its plazas involved a
number of issues
which needed addressing. As discussed earlier, the use
of the park varies
greatly from a low but steady use during weekdays to a
much heavier use on
weekends and up to the heaviest use which occurs during
festivals.
This fluctuation in use poses a challenge for designing
the facilities and
space. If the design of the space was done to facilitate
the highest number of
people using the park at any one time, users of the park
during low use times
would feel out of place due to the large size and
abundance of empty seating in
the area. If, however, the space were simply designed
for the daily park users,
the true function of the space during weekends ad
festivals would be
compromised.
It is for these reasons that one of the most important
features designed
into the esplanade and its plazas is a balance of
primary and secondary
seating. This balance involves a mixture of standard
seating such as park
benches, combined with structures such as planters, seat
walls, steps etc.
which also can serve as seating and gathering spaces.
With this combination,
the areas will not appear empty during periods of low
use, but they will still be
able to accommodate large groups during periods of high
use.
36Main Plaza
The main plaza area is located at the northern end of
the river front
esplanade, near the Lacrosse Queen boat tour area. The
proposed plaza is
designed to accommodate a variety of uses and act as a
large gathering space
when needed.
In the center of the plaza is located a hexagonal
shelter structure. The
hexagonal style structure was used by John Nolen in
other designs and was
also the shape of the original central stage area in
Riverside Park. The building
itself should be a dynamic looking structure to act as a
visual draw from all
areas of the park as well as from across the river. This
structure takes the
place of the LaCrosse Queen bout tour waiting shelter,
moving this activity into
the park area. Also contained in this proposed structure
are bathrooms as well
as a food serving area. Surrounding the building is a
food court with an
elevated section giving users of the space a variety of
options to enjoy their
lunch or dinner while watching the activities on the
waterway and in the plaza.
Tables and chairs in the area are designed to be movable
thus giving
users of the area an opportunity to personalize their
eating space while giving
the area the flexibility to open the area up completely.
Also located in the northern half of the esplanade is a
grass strip which
separates the esplanade from the traffic along West
Veteran's Memorial Drive.
Incorporated into this grass area is a series of two
steps which, when combined
with a berm, provides for an area of secondary seating.
The berm also
provides for additional enclosure of the space while
limiting walking visitors
from creating desire lines across areas of the road not
addressed with cross
walks.
Incorporated into the steps and berm are a series of
trees in planters
running the length of the northern section. Placed at
equal distances from one
another, the trees locations draw from the other
waterfront designs done by
John Nolen such as the plan done for Madison, Wisconsin.
The planters themselves also act as secondary seating
during park use.
The trees, all multi-stem, provide additional enclosure
for the area while still
allowing visitors to view the waterfront from their
automobiles or from other
areas of the park.
37Secondary Plazas
Two secondary plazas are located along the esplanade.
Both treated
similarly in size, shape and features, they act as
points along the esplanade to
draw park users to. The plazas are designed to be large
enough to hold small
activities as well as contain vendors or food carts on
weekends or during
festival times.
Each of these smaller plazas also contain large planter
areas in the
center of the space. These planters will act as an area
for users to orient
themselves to. The planters will also function as a
sitting wall. Located within
the planter is a proposed site of a sculpture. The
sculptures will provide a
unique identity to each space while making the space
more visually attractive.
The sculptures themselves, however, should be low and
subtle, not to detract
from the views of the river.
Located throughout the esplanade and plazas are a series
of lamp poles.
The lamps themselves will provide a good amount of light
for evening park
visitors and enhance park security. The lamps themselves
will be situated on
decorative concrete squares which will facilitate
seating when desired.
River Access Points
The river front plan includes access points to the
river. These areas are
located on both sides of each secondary plaza as well as
on the south side of
the main plaza. They consist of a series of steps with a
wide surface area that
allows the user to descend from the esplanade to the
river itself. The width and
extended height of these steps improve the safety of the
feature by making the
decent to the water just difficult enough to alert the
user to the potential
danger of the water.
These access points work similarly to the levee area in
the southern
section of the park in allowing users to get near to the
water if desired. The
steps themselves also act as a pleasant area to sit and
enjoy lunch.
38"The life history of humanity has proved
nothing more clearly than that crowded
populations, if they would live in health and
happiness, must have space for air, for light
for exercise, for rest, and for the enjoyment
of that peaceful beauty of nature which,
because it is the opposite of the noisy
ugliness of the towns, is so wonderfully
refreshing to the tired souls of the
towns-people."
-Charles Eliot
Conclusion
The city of LaCrosse has many attributes including many
festivals,
people, beautiful scenery and parks. With its growing
downtown area, the city
of LaCrosse should be commended for taking such care in
the planning for this
growth. Time must also be spent, however, on the areas
recreational facilities,
more specifically the parks.
With such ambitious plans for the city, one must not
forget the man who
worked hard in designing many cities throughout the
Unitied States, as well as
LaCrosse, John Nolen, who's designs and design theories
are still successful in
today's society.
39Selected Bibliography
Schrieber/ Anderson Associates., City Vision 2000,
LaCrosse CBD Master Plan.
Oct, 1992.
Nolen, John. The Making of a Park System in LaCrosse.
1911.
A. Sanford, W. Hirshheimer., A History of LaCrosse
1841-1900., 1981.
Amunson, Gar., LaCrosse Superintendent of Parks,
Personal meeting with, 17,
September, 1993.
Rausch, Joan & Zeitlin, Richard., Intensive
Architectural & Historic Survey
Report of LaCrosse. Wi., 1983.
Hill & Connell., LaCrosse in Light and Shadow., 1992.
Hall, Susan., Moraine Park Redevelopment Plan, Highland
Park, 111.. Thesis
from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Rebuilding Central Park, a Management and Restoration
Plan., Central Park
Conservancy., 1985.
Anderson, Robert., "Springvale Park", Georgian Times
Tishler, William H., American Landscape Architects
Designers and Places.
Nolen, John., Madison, a Model City.. Boston, Mass.
1911.
40Appendix A
PARKS of LaCROSSE. WISCONSIN
(Over 1 Acre)
NAME OF PARK ACRES ACTIVITIES/FEATURES
Black River Park 20 Passive Recreation
Black River Beach 5 Passive Recreation
*includes a beach & bathouse
Bluffview Park 6.3 Sports fields
Burns Park 1.75 Passive Recreation
Cameron Park 1.5 Passive Recreation
CarrollPark 3 Sports fields
Clinton Park 16 Passive
*Future Sports fields
Copeland Park 20 Sports fields
*Future site for Railroad Museum
Erickson Park 10 Sports fields
Grandad Park 200 Passive Recreation
*Located 600' above city at it's
highest point, offering views
of Minnesota and Iowa
Green Island Park 7 Sports fields
*Indoor Ice Arena
Haas Park 6 Sports fields
Hickey Park 6 Sports fields, Playground
Hixon Forest 700 Passive Recreation
*Includes 160 acres of Restored
Prairie Land
Hood Park 1 Sports fields, Playground
Houska Park 14 Sports fields, Playground
Isle La Plume 2 Boat Ramp
Juniper Park 2.2 Sports fields, Playground
LeuthPark 2 Sports fields, Playground
Myrick Park 20 Sports fields, Playground,
Passive Recreation
*Includes a native Wisconsin
animals zoo.
Pettibone Park 167 Passive Recreation
*Includes beach & bathouse
PowellPark 3 Sports fields
Red Cloud Park 18 Sports fields,
Passive RecreationRiverside Park 14 Passive Recreation
*Bandshell
Roellig Park 16 Passive Recreation
Seminary Park 3 Passive Recreation, Playground
Sherwood Manner 7 Passive Recreation, Playground
Spence Park 3 Passive Recreation
*Site of the first cabin built by
settlers in LaCrosse; 1842
Starlite Park 1.6 Passive Recreation
Tower Park 1.3 Passive Recreation,Playground
Trane Park 10 Sports fields
Weigent Park 4.5 Sports fields, Playground
Wittenberg Park 5.3 Passive Recreation, Playground
Other Points of Interest
Oak Grove Cemetery
Catholic Cemetery
LaCrosse Country Club
Hill View Golf Course
The LaCrosse River Marsh Trails = 3.2 Miles LongAppendix
B
EXISTING TREE SPECIES OF RIVERSIDE PARK
LaCrosse, Wisconsin
SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME COUNT
Acer Maple species 48
*includes 13 Crimson King, 5 Silver
and mixed Norway, Red and Sugar
Celtis occidentalis Common Hackberry 30
Elaeagnus angustifolia Russian Olive 8
Fraxinus Ash species 34
Ginko biloba Ginkgo 6
Lirodendron tulipifera Tuliptree 2
Malus Crabapple species 35
Morus alba Common Mulberry 1
Picea Spruce species 16
*includes 3 Colorado Spruces
Pinus Pine species 3
*includes 2 Scotts Pine and
1 Austrian Pine
Populus deltoides Eastern Cottonwood 1
Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford' Bradford Gallery Pear 1
Ouercus Oak species 7
*including 1 Swamp White Oak,
2 White Oak and 4 Red Oak
Rhamnus cathartica Common Buckthorn 4
Robinia pseudoacacia Black Locust 4
Salix Willow species 1
Tilia Linden species 8
Ulmus americana American Elm 5
Total= 214
