Olmsted's Riverside

“This is a book that needed to be written. Cathy Jean Maloney not only provides a complete, expert, and detailed history of the design and development of one of the country’s first suburbs, but also provides ample evidence that Riverside was and is an exemplar of the American suburban ideal.”—Malcolm Cairns, author of The Landscape Architecture Heritage of Illinois

“Maloney’s book offers a lively look at the past and future of Riverside, the model—and magical—suburb created by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1869. Using Riverside as an example, she acknowledges that historic preservation is not a static endeavor and explores the ways communities can safeguard and invigorate their historic designed treasures while adapting to modern challenges.”—Anne Neal Petri, president & CEO, Olmsted Network

“Maloney helps us understand how a historically significant suburb designed by Frederick Law Olmsted learned to adapt to changing environmental, social, and cultural conditions while preserving historical integrity. The book will be of interest to urban historians, planners, and residents of places who seek to preserve what is good.”—Curt Winkle, associate professor emeritus of urban planning and policy, University of Illinois at Chicago

“Olmsted's Riverside is a case study in how one municipality has faced the struggles and strains of societal changes and worked to retain its initial nature—specifically its world-famous design by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. In addition, the book serves as an in-depth look at the ecology of a place where, for a century and a half, people have sought to have more of an interconnection with the natural world than most villages and cities provide. Maloney marshals her information well, seasons her pages with occasional pithy anecdotes and snappy quotes and keeps the pace moving. Her writing is energetic and far from stuffy. And the reader benefits greatly from Maloney’s obvious affection for the village and its design and her ability to describe how the village looks and feels, and how residents interact viscerally with the curving streets, vistas and other aspect of the design.”—Patrick T. Reardon, author of The Loop: The “L” Tracks That Shaped and Saved Chicago (SIU Press, 2020)