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Riverside, Wichita, Kansas

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Riverside
Neighborhood
Riverside homes along Stackman Drive and the Little Arkansas River (2012)
Riverside homes along Stackman Drive and the Little Arkansas River (2012)
CountryUnited States
StateKansas
CountySedgwick
CityWichita
Founded1886
Elevation
1,306 ft (398 m)
ZIP code
67203
Area code316

Riverside is a neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas, United States.[1] A mostly residential area located between the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers, it is home to several of the city's museums and large parks.[2][3]

History

Campbell Castle (2012)

Riverside was founded in March 1886 when the Riverside Land Company, led by developer James Oakley Davidson, had the area surveyed and platted. The company intended for the new neighborhood to be Wichita's most stylish residential area and supported the construction of bridges and a trolley line to connect it to downtown. The local real estate market collapsed the next year, however, and development stalled for a decade.[3] By 1889, several of the company's investors, including Davidson and Burton Campbell, had built large, luxurious homes for themselves. Campbell's mansion, modeled after a Scottish castle, became known as Campbell Castle or Crumb Castle locally and was eventually designated a historical landmark.[4]

In 1897, the Wichita city government purchased land in the neighborhood and began developing parks. It also built two more bridges, increasing access to the area and attracting more home buyers.[3] Riverside became a popular recreational area for local residents, and development continued over the ensuing decades. The Riverside Boathouse opened on the Little Arkansas River in the late 1890s followed by a zoo in Central Riverside Park in 1921 and a public swimming pool in South Riverside Park in 1923.[4] The Wichita Art Museum opened in 1935.[5] In 1938, the Works Progress Administration replaced the pool with a second pool called Municipal Beach.[4]

Beginning in the 1960s, further development changed Riverside dramatically as new sites opened and others closed. The Boathouse was demolished in the 1960s as part of an urban renewal program. Similarly, the zoo was closed and torn down in 1973 with the opening of the Sedgwick County Zoo in the western part of the city.[4] In the 1970s, the city funded the construction a new facility for the Art Museum.[5] To commemorate the United States Bicentennial, the city had The Keeper of the Plains, a 44-foot steel sculpture by artist Blackbear Bosin, erected at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers in 1974.[6] The Mid-America All-Indian Center opened in 1976.[7] That same year, the public Ralph Wurz Tennis Center opened on the former site of Municipal Beach.[4] In 1987, the city opened Botanica, The Wichita Gardens in Riverside.[8]

Today, Riverside is regarded as a historic neighborhood known for its architecture and as a cultural and recreational center in Wichita.[3] It has also become a popular residential area for college students and young professionals.[9]

Geography

Riverside is located at 37°41′55″N 97°21′35″W / 37.69861°N 97.35972°W / 37.69861; -97.35972 (37.698611, -97.359722) at an elevation of 1,306 feet (398 m).[10] The Arkansas River forms its western and southern border, 13th Street North its northern border, and Bitting Street, the Little Arkansas River, and Nims Street its eastern border. The confluence of the two rivers forms the neighborhood's southeastern corner.[1][2] Located immediately northwest of Downtown Wichita, Riverside borders Midtown to the east and North Riverside to the north. Delano lies across the Arkansas River to the south; Indian Hills lies across the river to the west.[1]

Government

For the purposes of representation on the Wichita City Council, Riverside lies within Council District 6.[11]

For the purposes of representation in the Kansas Legislature, Riverside is located in the 25th and 29th districts of the Kansas Senate and the 92nd district of the Kansas House of Representatives.[12]

Parks and recreation

  • Central Riverside Park
  • North Riverside Park
  • Oak Park
  • Sim Park
  • South Riverside Park

Culture

Points of interest

References

  1. ^ a b c "Neighborhood Associations - City of Wichita, Kansas" (PDF). City of Wichita. 2012-06-13. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  2. ^ a b "Riverside, Wichita, KS". Google Maps. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  3. ^ a b c d White, Rebecca (2012-06-21). "Riverside neighborhood part of Wichita's history". KWCH. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Photos: Wichita's Riverside Neighborhood". KWCH. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  5. ^ a b "Museum History". Wichita Art Museum. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  6. ^ "Keeper of the Plains". City of Wichita. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  7. ^ "The Founding of MAAIC". Mid-America All-Indian Center. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  8. ^ "About Botanica". Botanica, The Wichita Gardens. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  9. ^ "Wichita, KS (Cow Town)". Neighborhood Scout. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  10. ^ Riverside, Wichita, KS, Google Earth, 2012-07-12
  11. ^ "Wichita Council District 6" (PDF). City of Wichita. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  12. ^ "Kansas Data - 2012 Primary Election Districts". University of Kansas Institute for Policy & Social Research. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
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