The Landmark status is more than just in name only, and much more than a map, which newblood correctly says can be seen on a website. it seems to me that much is still left despite the many changes from Olmsted's original vision. to me there seems to be enough left that it inspires the sense of tranquility that Olmsted imagined his design would inspire. This feeling, of course, is subjective, and relative to an individual. I am speaking for myself first off. I think that Riverside is extraordinary. I have even gone so far as saying that a walk in this town, ANYwhere in the town, would inspire a sense of well being and would make the person walking feel that the person is walking in a Van Gogh painting. That would not be shortchanging the person. The person will probably want to figure out how to buy a house here ("and, george, it is so close to chicago and the expressways").
http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/in-your-opinion-what-makes-riverside-special/page/2#post-2564
Subjectively, how do you feel when you come in to Riverside from busy Harlem avenue on Longcommon, from the bridge to Barrypoint road, or from Forest av off of insane 1st av?
To me, it invariably inspires a slowdown sense of 'the country' with the gently meandering roads, and front green space. If anyone is a Twilight Zone fan, Riverside is like Willoughby, where 'a man can slow down and live his life full measure'. More description of this cachet is mentioned in the following link, even in the context of attracting out of towners...(who would not want to see 'Concorde, Ma in the middle of gritty cook county , Illlinoiz'?)
http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/some-olmsted-and-riverside-links#post-3668
I do not get this feeling in other places, even ones with 'river front properties'. It is because of olmsted's design. He made it like a mobius strip where the space gently curves in on itself, and so that there is not a 'better side of the tracks' as there is in other places. There is the sense that 'the country' or the rural is always there. In other layouts, one WALKS TO 'the park' (nature); here anywhere you are you feel that sense of the country. For example, wHile I live in the cbd, downtown, I also am thisclose to the river and the greenspace surrounding it. In typical towns, the cbd's, from a nature point of view, is usually less interesting, less scenic-- less nature, more of place to suffer while you get your goods, then back to your tranquil abode.
http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/discussion-from-workshop-2-sat-feb-10/page/3#post-2579
So anyone who is interested observing this design, as a student of design, or just as a person living in the 21st century, who might wonder whether 'the world is too much with us' as Wordsworth said, would get LOADS of BENEFIT experiencing Riverside, just in strolling around.
Again, I am speaking on first blush just from my own experience. When I accidently came through Riverside while looking for other places to settle down, I immediately was AWEstruck by the generous amts of greenspace that seemed omnipresent, the gas lamps that made it look like 'the town that time forgot', and the gently winding roads that forced you to slow down and watch the flowers. I saw then , as I clearly see now 21 years later, that Riverside is unique among places, and is therefore very special and could be a destination for any like minded person.
I also happened once on my old neighbors from Oak Park where I grew up. They were coming to the chew chew (when it was at the Arcade) for their weekly escape, they told me.
These are some first impressions for your question, newblood. A large part of the TIF debate , which birthed this very online forum, was a discussion on what the real Riverside is. The townspeople overwhelmingly voted that the real Riverside is closer to a seamless fabric - again, LIKE a Van Gogh painting, than a town with typical congested downtown that is not like the rest of the townspace.
Another name, NB: I believe I have called Riverside the feng shui capital of the world - something like that. No, anyone who knows about what feng shui is about, would not feel shortchanged for visiting here. I bet they would feel awestruck as I was.
The following link has some more discussion on the specialness of Riverside as well as some great VanGogh paintings - that, to me, sum up my feelings (picture is worth a thousand words). I captioned the paintings, cross referencing lines from Olmsted's Riverside description - also copied below. btw, I have seen many times artists drawing in the downtown. So visitors can get an immediate sense of what it means to be in a planned , unified, design. Remember, that gentle bend in the road - It's all there.
http://www.riversideinfo.org/forum/topic/where-we-stand?replies=23#post-2594
it also includes this quote from Olmsted, which is as valid today as much as it was in 1869.
"Riverside is a semi-rural suburb, not far from the City of Chicago, designed to foster and express the harmonious association and cooperation of citizens in the community, and the civic relationship and interdependence between families, and to suggest and imply leisure, contemplativeness, and happy tranquility, with miles of pleasant access to the scenery of the streets and open spaces, to sunshine and fresh air, and to convenient commercial activity to support our daily lives. The character of this community is expressed in a unified landscape experience through a consistent, continuous planting approach, and a sense of enclosure and of safety with curvilinear streets."
Trustee elect Saachi said in the link, too, the following...my emphasis on 'unified'
The unified concept of Olmsted's design is the key to understanding what he was doing
In sum, Riverside is more than some kind of lifeless 'historical museum', or a JPEG picture on a website; it still lives and breathes what the genius of Olmsted conceived.
Posted Monday Apr 27, 2009 00:23
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