Schiller Park

Bird’s eye view showing the southern half of Schiller Park and its boundary, the inner loop north.

Franklin Park and - Andrews and Cumberland Streets, c.1906. Courtesy Rochester Public Library, Local History Department.

Memorial by sculptor Carl Jennewein to Spanish-American War fighters, dedicated at Franklin Park in 1948 and removed to the Rochester War Memorial in 1960.

Map from Rochester Plat Book, after 1933. Ground was broken for the Post Office in 1933.

Schiller Park, 2022

Beginnings

Schiller Park was first known as Franklin Square, which was first acquired by the City of Rochester by a subdivision dedication. By the 1850s, its level and uninterrupted grounds were used for rallies and ball games. In 1893-94 , the Olmsted firm was hired to provide designs for Franklin, Brown, Jones and Madison squares. In 1899, bulbs, annuals, and perennials were planted and in that same year, the park came under the control of the Park Commission. An 1894 design by the Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot firm shows curved paths and a central ellipse. By 1906, mature trees and shrubs appear in photographs. Over time, minor changes were made to the paths and the corners. The neighborhood itself shifted more dramatically, from residential to mixed use.

Things to Know About or Notice

The first sculpture to be placed in then-Franklin Park was a memorial to American losses incurred in the Spanish-American War. The sculpture was installed in a reflecting pool, which was soon filled in as it became an attractive nuisance. In 1960, with the coming of the Inner Loop, the eagle was moved over to the Rochester War Memorial and rededicated in 1961.. In four years, Inner Loop construction necessitate the move of another sculpture and a name change for the park. The sculpture dedicated to the musician and poet Schiller was moved from Anderson Park to Frankin Park (see the entry for Anderson Park on this website)and the name was changed to Schiller Park. Schiller Park was also collateral damage when the north section of the Inner Loop was installed. Prior to that incursion into and destruction of the north half of Schiller Park, Franklin Square/Park was a gracious and picturesque link between Andrews Street and Cumberland Street, and notably the beautiful main post office building.

Changes

The two parks most acutely impacted by the Inner Loop, Anderson Park and Schiller Park, are linked by the damage caused and also by providing a home for the Schiller sculpture. Schiller Park, however, has been more dramatically impacted, by a name change and also by the decrease by half of its acreage and also by the elimination of half of its Olmsted design. There is hope that attention will be paid to both parks by the redesign of the Inner Loop and the focus on them by groups such as Hinge Neighbors and the Parks Commission led by Rich Perrin. To learn more about Hinge Neighbors and their work on the Inner Loop, click here: Hinge Neighbors and Inner Loop.