Existing for more than two decades as Heritage Center Park, supported by Mount Vernon’s Rotary Club, this small green space included trees, benches, and lawn. With the sale of the adjacent car wash, which was obtained by the Mount Vernon Development Company who ultimately gifted the property to the City of Mount Vernon, and the concurrent redevelopment of four other downtown parking lots, the opportunity to enhance this space took shape. It was redeveloped in support of Mount Vernon’s Downtown Plan through partnerships between The Ariel Foundation, the City’s engineering office and Shade Tree Commission.

Renamed Riverview Park, this public-private space is a welcome addition to the downtown corridor, framing a picturesque view from the Kokosing River’s northern bank. The site provides free parking, consistent branding/wayfinding signage, additional green space and is bicycle and pedestrian friendly. It features:

• Colonial brick columns and black wrought iron fencing, consistent with the other renovated properties
• A repurposed pergola, the perfect space for intimate cultural events
• Bicycle racks as artistic sculptures, consistent throughout the downtown area
• A tiered amphitheater-style seating area overlooking the river, facing a City walkway under the historic viaduct bridge and a foot bridge, both being beautifully lit with colorful LEDs in the evening hours

Foundation Park Conservancy now maintains and programs the property. It has enhanced the public’s connection to the Ohio to Erie Trail system, local trails systems, the downtown, and Ariel-Foundation Park. This special community project demonstrates that riverfront redevelopment is possible in communities of all sizes, serving as a launching point for continued redevelopment.