Riverfront Park (Harrisburg)

Riverfront Park
Facing west toward the Susquehanna River with a view of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Bridge
Map
LocationHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°16′03″N 76°53′33″W / 40.2674°N 76.8925°W / 40.2674; -76.8925
Areaapprox. 47.88 acres (19.38 ha)
Established1912

Riverfront Park is a public park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that spans beside the Susquehanna River.

Front Steps from Market Street Bridge looking south during construction of Riverfront Park, November 1914.

The park runs parallel to the Susquehanna River between the shoreline and Front Street, from Vaughn Street at the north to the I-83 John Harris Bridge at the south. It includes a concrete waterfront esplanade as well as greenspace on the riverbank first developed during the City Beautiful Movement in the early 20th Century by Warren H. Manning as one of the first riverfront reclamations by American cities.[1] Riverfront Park overlooks views of the river, City Island, Wormleysburg and Blue Mountain in the distance. Riverfront Park is also part of the larger Capital Area Greenbelt and maintains bike lanes and paved paths. Along the park are many statues, memorials, a series of exercise pits, gardens, public art installations, and a Harrisburg Centennial time capsule. Special areas include the Sunken Gardens, gravesite of John Harris Sr., and Kunkel Memorial Plaza.

  1. ^ Muller, Edward K. (November 2012). "Urban Blueways: John Ormsbee Simonds and Riverfront Planning". Journal of Planning History. 11 (4): 308–329. doi:10.1177/1538513212445163. ISSN 1538-5132. S2CID 146966925.