RACINE, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Root River Parks in Racine (Racine County) on the State Register of Historic Places. The historic district encompasses Island, Riverside, Cedar Bend, and Washington Parks.
The Root River Parks were developed between 1905 and 1914. They reflect the Racine Board of Park Commissioners’ initiation of a citywide park system, which was a milestone in local planning and the foundation of what is now a much larger system of parks and green spaces. The Commission raised private funding to establish the cohesive group of four parks that are connected along both sides of the Root River.
The Root River Parks were designed by Jens Jensen, a nationally recognized Midwestern landscape architect, to take advantage of scenic vistas from the existing natural waterway. They include characteristic features of the Prairie style of landscape architecture including native vegetation, a central water feature, gently curving circulation pattern, and long open meadows. Park facilities—including athletic fields, playgrounds, and a golf course—demonstrate the evolving history of recreation in Racine.
The State Register is Wisconsin’s official list of state properties determined to be significant to Wisconsin’s heritage. The State Historic Preservation Office at the Wisconsin Historical Society administers both the State Register and National Register in Wisconsin.
Additional information for the Root River Parks is available at
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2805
To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit: www.wisconsinhistory.org.
About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.
