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Highland Park History
The Rochester Common Council accepted a donation of 19.63 acres of land from George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry for the beginning of a public park system on October 3, 1887. The land offered was part of their world-famous Mt. Hope Nurseries and adjoined the existing reservoir. The gift specified that the City of Rochester would hire a landscape engineer to develop the park and establish a first-class arboretum; but along with the restrictions came the offer to provide from the Mt. Hope Nurseries numerous specimen and rare plants for use in the new park.
The New York State legislature created the City of Rochester Parks Commission in April 1888; this commission would develop and operate the city park system until 1916. On the advice of the Buffalo Parks Commission they selected Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. and Sons as their park system designers.
Olmsted used the existing topography of the Pinnacle Range, a glacial moraine, to emphasize the plant materials and park elements incorporated into Highland Park's design. The high ground east of the reservoir served as the location of a focal point and viewing feature of the surrounding areas. To enhance the scenic vistas, a three-story Pavilion was constructed to serve as the park's crowning element.
The Beginnings... Ellwanger & Barry
“...I have never ceased to admire and enjoy the outlines of the distant hills at the south, the vineyard slopes of the east, the green tall trees on the west, and northward the busy prosperous and picturesque city, and Lake Ontario beyond... Where have nature and art – God’s handiwork and the skill of man – combined so many elements of beauty, of prosperity and happiness?”
Visit the Ellwanger and Barry Papers collection at the University of Rochester.
Learn more about the Ellwanger and Barry family stories at the University of Rochester’s Special Collections.
Land Acquisition through the Years
1875-1892 • Multiple parcels of land were donated to the City of Rochester; the vast majority of acreage came from George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry for the purpose of creating the city's first municipal park. Highland Park was dedicated in 1890.
1902-1924 • The two parcels in the northwest area of the park were originally part of the Warner Estate (home of Warner Castle). The small area south of the Historic Olmsted Core was deeded to the Park to create the graceful curve at the south perimeter.
1951 • City of Rochester purchased Warner Castle and its adjoining gardens.
Late 1970s • The former sites of the Almshouse and Penitentiary, along South Avenue, were added to create Highland Park South; renamed Gary Beikirch Memorial Park in 2021.
1990 • The Rochester Ward Chapel (building and property) was purchased and converted for use as the Monroe County Parks Department Administration Building with Olmsted Lodge used as a meeting hall and rental space.