Platting of Riverside Neighborhood - Intersection of Roache and Koehne Streets

The Riverside Drive Historic District lies to the east of Riverside Park and it draws its name from this association. The district is composed of six different additions and/or subdivisions, the earliest of which was platted in 1902 and the most recent in 1947. The earliest addition, Miller-Wacker Parkway Addition, was platted in 1902 by August Wacker and Hiram W. Miller and consisted of 410 individual lots. This addition lies directly adjacent to the east side of Riverside Park and is bounded by Riverside Dr., which at the time of its platting was named Parkway Ave., on the west and Harding St., which was named Schurmann Ave. at the time, to the east. The northern boundary is 27th St. with the southern marked at 21st St.

This addition is especially noteworthy for its gridded layout containing many features inspired by the City Beautiful movement. The City Beautiful movement gained popularity in the late 1890’s and promoted the idea that beautiful places promote moral and civic virtue among citizens. In Riverside that manifested in the addition of sidewalks and tree-lined streets, wide east-west boulevards with grassy, landscaped central medians, traffic circles at many intersections, and glacier boulder retaining walls lining the sidewalks of properties nearest the park. It’s said fountains were originally planned for the circles. Many residential features, including chimneys and porches, are also fashioned from the same stones as the retaining walls. The idea was that the neighborhood would provide a pleasant and beautiful respite from the hustle and bustle of city life, all easily accessible via streetcars.

This map is of Riverside Park, the central feature of the neighborhood.