Falls Park on the Reedy

Project Details

Project Description

FROM THE JURY:

The park, completed in 2004, is the realization of a vision that began with a 1907 “Beautifying and Improving Greenville, South Carolina” report sponsored by the local municipal league that identified the river falls and gorge as “the most distinctive feature in the topography and landscape of Greenville.” Liberating the falls and creating a park was advanced by the Carolina Foothills Garden Club, which led an effort to establish the park beginning in 1967 and engaged Washington DC-based landscape architect Andrea Mains in 1987 to complete a master plan.

Development of the 26-acre park included replacing a four-lane vehicular bridge built directly over the falls with an elegant, curving, pedestrian suspension bridge designed by Boston-based Rosales+Partners. The award-winning bridge appears to float above the river, offering a dramatic overlook of the falls, and it has become a signature of the park and city. A series of stone steps, gently sloping ADA accessible ramps, and an elevator provide connections between the city’s Main Street and the river valley 65 feet below.

The park offers a series of sweeping vistas and winding trails interspersed with manicured greens and wooded valleys that connect the city with the river and support a diversity of activities such as walking and cycling, quiet contemplation, and picnics, as well as large events like the annual Reedy River Duck Derby. Plantings include a mix of mature trees and native plants, supplemented with vibrant annuals that provide splashes of color at key areas.