Urban Parks: Riverside Park
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-7606-p1160881.JPG)
Bordered on the north by Interstate 95, Riverside Park offers 11.39 acres of open space and a diverse range of recreational opportunities in Five Points.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/937
The storm that ravaged the park produced this area's highest measured wind gust. 106mph at NAS JAX with severe damage reported.
Great photo tour.
IMO, the little island in the middle of the pond could use some TLC.
It would be great if the land under I-95 could be regained as park space. Right now, its just wasted dead space that cuts the park off from the Annie Lytle school and area north of the interstate.
I remember seeing the city's original architectural plans and the entire length under I-95 from the Annie Lytle to the St. Johns was to be park space. It was beautiful on paper. Not sure if that is still happening or not.
That pond in Riverside Park needs some serious maintenance. It is becoming a health hazard.
A good bit of it is the nesting and resting birds and ducks shitting everywhere.
Things could have been a lot worse if the expressway authority had their way with it in 1950.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/urbanjax7816/Riverside-Park-Expressway.jpg)
Thank God this never happend. I remember the storm that destroyed the tree canopy, Memorial Park was also hit pretty hard. I actually have pictures of me standing on the root structures of some of the old oaks that were uprooted. they were pretty massive.
Francis Lytle begs to be a terminal for the Skyway, and the sidewalk leads straight from the steps into 5-Points. With bus-skyway-streetcar running out of PS-4, and a beautiful arbor leading from the terminal to the action. Now just add vendors in the terminal istelf, a mini-craft mall - with food and gift services. Can you imagine the tourist traffic? Can you imagine the re-birth of this corner of the historic city? Can you imagine?
If you can your probably not COJ or FDOT employed, rather a visionary that can touch this future of ours.
OCKLAWAHA
Some of my favorite memories as a child growing up in Riverside in the 80's, was going to Riverside & Memorial Parks. Lived off of Forbes, Donald, and even in that pink colored apartment on the corner of Cherry Street. :D
Quote from: thelakelander on November 10, 2008, 01:37:51 PM
Things could have been a lot worse if the expressway authority had their way with it in 1950.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/urbanjax7816/Riverside-Park-Expressway.jpg)
That is insane! :o
Thank goodness that never came to pass. It would have been still better to have I-95 run a bit farther to the east though IMO.
Thanks for the tour of the park. :)
Nice park I agree with others, pond and the island needs some TLC.
I think the island is almost entirely comprised of bird poop. :)
I've been doing some digging into RAP's files and discovered that during the Godbold administration, there was a plan afoot to pave over a good deal of Riverside Park to provide surface parking for Five Points. Yikes! It's so interesting to review the old records and see how something we absolutely TREASURE today could have been an afterthought, ready to be sacrificed, in previous eras.
Oh, and there was also a plan to put in a six-lane Riverside Freeway . . .
QuoteQuote from: Ocklawaha on November 10, 2008, 02:15:26 PM
Francis Lytle begs to be a terminal for the Skyway, and the sidewalk leads straight from the steps into 5-Points. With bus-skyway-streetcar running out of PS-4, and a beautiful arbor leading from the terminal to the action. Now just add vendors in the terminal istelf, a mini-craft mall - with food and gift services. Can you imagine the tourist traffic? Can you imagine the re-birth of this corner of the historic city? Can you imagine?
If you can your probably not COJ or FDOT employed, rather a visionary that can touch this future of ours.
Yes, I can imagine it. Instead of just imagining, I spoke three times to transportation officials. FDOT and JTA just looked at me like I was crazy. Restore a dilapidated historic building - we'd rather go somewhere and tear down a historic building! The MPO (renamed TPO) wants new headquarters. Their leaders want to stick it in Lavilla and build a new building to house it. I asked them to consider ANNIE Lytle, PS#4. For the cost of building new in Lavilla they could rehab the school, save a historic building, and be in the very center of things in Riverside. The staff loved the idea; decision makers not so much.
Annie Lytle school just sits, a prime candidate for stimulus money to make her a pride and glory for Riverside.
When I moved to Riverside in 01 the basketball court was my favorite weekend activities. I don't go much anymore and normally opt for Memorial Park most afternoons.
QuoteFrancis Lytle begs to be a terminal for the Skyway, and the sidewalk leads straight from the steps into 5-Points. With bus-skyway-streetcar running out of PS-4, and a beautiful arbor leading from the terminal to the action. Now just add vendors in the terminal istelf, a mini-craft mall - with food and gift services. Can you imagine the tourist traffic? Can you imagine the re-birth of this corner of the historic city? Can you imagine?
If you can your probably not COJ or FDOT employed, rather a visionary that can touch this future of ours.
This may be the best skyway extension idea yet!
That idea was tossed around quite a while ago when the PS4 discussion was hot and heavy.
Here are a few images I threw together of what the building could look like as a transit station.
Before...
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/asonj23/Google%20Earth%20Snapshots/AnnieLyttle-1.jpg)
After...
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/asonj23/Google%20Earth%20Snapshots/AnnieLyttleSkywayTerminal-2.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/asonj23/Google%20Earth%20Snapshots/AnnieLyttleSkywayTerminal-3.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/asonj23/Google%20Earth%20Snapshots/AnnieLyttleSkywayTerminal-4.jpg)
Wow, Jason. Every time I jog or bike by there, that's exactly what I thought of. Thanks for putting some conceptual drawings up (since I never learned how to make nice CAD drawings myself).
I think the old schoolhouse would be perfect! I can't believe that I didn't see it before! How can we make this happen? And why does it not make sense to the city? Have they no ability to see that this will save the skyway from it's demise?
So the proposal would be to have the skyway coming out in the air over the park? I don't like that idea.
Kay, this plan sends the skyway north away from Riverside and not south confilcting with the interstate and over the Riverside park as you fear.
Quote from: thelakelander on November 10, 2008, 10:24:06 AM
It would be great if the land under I-95 could be regained as park space. Right now, its just wasted dead space that cuts the park off from the Annie Lytle school and area north of the interstate.
Land under the interstate with the pond is the code required stormwater retention area. Such area is not wasted. A waste would be taking out trees to build such a pond.
Having worked under various bridges for years I can assure you that grass don't grow there very well either. Weeds ......some but not grass. Too much shade and not enough rain.
Glad this thread was bumped because I never saw it originally. Jason, if you are still around, that is such a great idea!! My only addition to your idea would be to replicate the portico on the back side, because nobody can see the front anymore and you leave enough space for it.
This is why I love this board; people are so creative!
Quote from: Overstreet on August 31, 2010, 09:17:48 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on November 10, 2008, 10:24:06 AM
It would be great if the land under I-95 could be regained as park space. Right now, its just wasted dead space that cuts the park off from the Annie Lytle school and area north of the interstate.
Land under the interstate with the pond is the code required stormwater retention area. Such area is not wasted. A waste would be taking out trees to build such a pond.
Having worked under various bridges for years I can assure you that grass don't grow there very well either. Weeds ......some but not grass. Too much shade and not enough rain.
A public space under a bridge does not have to be grass and stormwater retention areas can be integrated as amenities in park settings. RAM expanding under the bridge between Riverside Avenue and Park Street would be an example of what I had in mind when I made the quoted post above a couple of years ago.
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/assets/thumbs/image.1187.feature.jpg)
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jul-artists-walk-at-northbank-riverfront-park
Plus, not all of the land underneath the bridge is used for stormwater retention. Considering the width of the bridge in front of the school, a potential use could be a covered seating area for picnics or special events.
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-7603-p1160906.JPG)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/505195233_uMnHe-M.jpg)
Maybe the track on the west end of the station can go over the highway. I think that there would be enough clearance as the highway is on a down slope. But to have clearance for the big rigs, the track may have to have an incline. Would that be feasible? The east track would probably have to terminate right there, but that would be fine. I hang out there sometimes so next time, I'll get a closer look at the details. The auditorium roof has collapsed. That can be replaced with a beautiful glass dome.
An article in a community paper said that in the 1930s an outdoor concert stage was somewhere in the vicinity of this overpass. Does anybody know? Reviving that idea would be a great amenity for the park and school.
Quote from: urbaknight on August 31, 2010, 04:25:30 PM
I think the old schoolhouse would be perfect! I can't believe that I didn't see it before! How can we make this happen? And why does it not make sense to the city? Have they no ability to see that this will save the skyway from it's demise?
It makes sense to me. The building is solid, and was built for the community - with some care and rehab, it would be ready to serve us again, albeit in a different fashion.
And I agree: HOW can we make this happen? Right now the whole interstate acts as a wall between a beautiful park and "the other side". It was all together once, it can be again in planning.
QuoteAnd I agree: HOW can we make this happen? Right now the whole interstate acts as a wall between a beautiful park and "the other side". It was all together once, it can be again in planning.
The only hope for the old girl is for RAM to expand their proposed 'artists walk' and for a pedestrian bridge to be constructed linking AL with Riverside Park. Right now, the building is just too isolated. Hell, there's not even a sidewalk leading to the school.
This whole area was in need for quit a while now and I'm glad to see someone keeping it in the public eye. I've always wanted to go in the old school...my grand mother told stories of that school...it was once the place to be...I'm so sad to see it sit...looks like it would make a great extention to the transit system but that system has to be much larger, encompassing much more of the city, to make it really worth while. These 1/4 mile here and there ain't gonna get it...now connecting downtown with Orange park and then over the buckman bridge to Mandarin...now that's a good start to a system...but...not in my time i guess...
Quote from: urbaknight on September 01, 2010, 10:25:09 AM
The auditorium roof has collapsed. That can be replaced with a beautiful glass dome.
quote]
I like the glass dome idea.
Quote from: urbaknight on September 01, 2010, 10:25:09 AMThe auditorium roof has collapsed. That can be replaced with a beautiful glass dome.
Ooh, wouldn't that look beautiful at night when you drive by on the Interstate?? It would be a true landmark again!
There is some thought about taking the back of the existing park and underneath the bridge to creat a dog park.
^Has there been any real movement on that? I signed a petetion at Bark during a First Friday, but I never heard anything more about it.
Quote from: Kay on September 01, 2010, 04:23:46 PM
There is some thought about taking the back of the existing park and underneath the bridge to creat a dog park.
The part underneath the bridge directly across from PS4, or the part slated for the new Artist's Walk extension of RAM?
The FDOT has indicated that they would grant an easement under the Interstate to connect the front of the school back to Riverside Park. Now that the approaches to the Fuller Warren Bridge are elevated that is a possibility.
Right now that area is being used for storage by Archer/Western for construction equipment used on the interchange expansion.
And a dog park on the seldom used part of Riverside Park up against the retention ponds would be fantastic. Riverside needs a dog park!
Quote from: Dog Walker on September 02, 2010, 10:39:22 AM
The FDOT has indicated that they would grant an easement under the Interstate to connect the front of the school back to Riverside Park. Now that the approaches to the Fuller Warren Bridge are elevated that is a possibility.
Right now that area is being used for storage by Archer/Western for construction equipment used on the interchange expansion.
And a dog park on the seldom used part of Riverside Park up against the retention ponds would be fantastic. Riverside needs a dog park!
This is fantastic.
Kay, are there any public meetings RAP will be holding for people to engage in these two issues?
I would love a dog park in Riverside Park. I bring my dogs to the Springfield one now, which is awesome, but i would rather be able to head just a mile up the road to get to one, rather than treking through downtown and over to Springfield.