One Of The U.S.'s First Planned Communities, Riverside, Is Right Here In Illinois And Full Of History
By Melissa Mahoney|Published February 03, 2021
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
If you have ever visited the village of Riverside in the Chicago suburbs, you may have noticed the lush greenery, curved gas-lit streets, and the way homes are set back from the road 30 feet. These are elements of a planned community designed by the famed landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York City’s Central Park. In 1869, Riverside became the country’s first planned community and was such a success that communities just like it started to pop up all around the country.
First settled in 1836 by the Forbes family, Aux Plains, as it was called back then, seemed an idyllic place of riverbanks and forest. In time, word got out and more people started to move to the area, but very few held large landholdings. Since there wasn't much land development, a corporation formed to make it happen.
In 1969, the newly formed Riverside Improvement Company decided to develop a utopian village of sorts. After hiring Olmsted, land was developed and the community started to form and grow.
Notable architects were hired to design several structures around Riverside. Frank Lloyd Wright, William Drummond, and William LeBaron Jenney are just a few whose works make Riverside a distinct place for architectural history.
The F.F. Tomek House, Coonley Residence (pictured here), and the Coonley Playhouse were all designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Fans of this famous architect may download the "Wright From Riverside" pamphlet from the village's website to learn more and take along on a self-guided tour.
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The Riverside Water Tower, designed in the Swiss Gothic Style by architect William LeBaron Jenney in 1869, served several purposes in the community. Not only did it provide a clean water supply to residents using steam-driven pumps, but this striking structure served as an advertising piece.
The water tower was a notable landmark that advertised to train passengers, who were passing through town, that a different sort of community was being built along the river. The hope was that more people would buy land and move to the village. The tower also had an observation deck where potential land buyers would go to be shown lots for sale, along with a view of Chicago.
Today, many of Olmsted's original designs of gas-lit street lamps, curved streets, and green parkways remain, as well as the many structures designed by notable architects. And, so, the village of Riverside became a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
With its history and buildings designed by many prominent architects of the time, Riverside is a fascinating place to visit. For more about the history of the U.S.’s first planned community and to plan your trip, go to the Riverside website here.
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