4. Genesee Valley Park in Rochester
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, whose bicentennial year is being commemorated this year, Genesee Valley Park is being threatened by the University of Rochester. Created in 1890, the park is publicly owned by the city of Rochester, but a stretch of woodland bordering the Erie Canal that formed part of the park’s original design is owned by the University of Rochester, which wants to clear over an acre and a half in order to build a warehouse. Even if the plan doesn’t go through, the site remains subject to development by the university.
“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,” JoAnn Beck of the Rochester Olmsted Parks Alliance said in a statement.
