Envisioning the forthcoming High Falls State Park

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack, Elissa Orlando, Julie Williams

Published October 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM EDT

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From left to right: Carl Flora, associate architect for New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and lead architect for High Falls State Park, Brian Sharp, investigations and enterprise editor for WXXI News, Stephanie Hyde, engagement planner at Highland Planning, and Vincent Esposito, senior vice president for regional economic development at Empire State Development in studio for WXXI's Connections with Evan Dawson on 10/24/2025.

Megan Mack / WXXI

An illustrated map of the forthcoming High Falls State Park, with areas of interest marked numerically

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Framework map of High Falls State Park

Provided / OLIN

An illustrated map of the forthcoming High Falls State Park, with a walking trail highlighted

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Walk map of the forthcoming High Falls State Park

Provided / OLIN

In this rendering showing an "island overlook" that is part of the proposed High Falls State Park, people gather at a railing or sit on a wide bench on an expansive wood-plank deck. The deck extends over the water near the edge of the island in the Genesee River a short distance north of High Falls that continues north under the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge.

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An "island overlook" near the base of High Falls, south of the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge, would provide visitors a close-up view of the 96-foot cascade.

Provided rendering / OLIN

A rendering of the "terrace overlook" in the proposed High Falls State Park shows people on a wood-plank deck at the top of the eastern gorge wall looking southwest with High Falls, the High Falls district and Kodak tower in the distance.

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The "terrace overlook" in the proposed High Falls State Park, as shown in this rendering, would provide a view of High Falls looking southwest from the east side of the gorge. The overlook would be located at what is currently High Falls Terrace immediately south of the Genesee Brewery off St. Paul Street.

Provided rendering / OLIN

In this rendering, people walk along a zigzag walkway extending down the west wall of the Genesee River gorge. A wood wailing with cables extends along the outer edges of the walkway. The Pont de Rennes bridge is shown in the distance.

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What is labeled the "Beebee Station walk" in the proposed High Falls State Park would extend along the west wall of the Genesee River gorge north of the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge, overlooking the west lawn and playground.

Provided rendering / OLIN

A woman with a stroller looks down a path toward an embankment with climbing rocks and a metal tube slide and other play features. The Running Track pedestrian bridge is seen overhead in the distance.

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One of two planned playgrounds, shown in this rendering, would be located on the east side of the Genesee River gorge between the Smith Street and Running Track pedestrian bridges.

Provided rendering / OLIN

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The west lawn in the proposed High Falls State Park, in this rendering looking north, shows the smoke stack of the old city incinerator and Smith Street bridge in the distance. This would be on the west side of the river gorge in a recently remediated area at the base of the former Beebee Station just north of the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge.

Provided rendering / OLIN

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A rendering shows remnants of brick walls with large window openings partially enclosing a seating area amid large rocks and vegetation with the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge seen in the distance.

The proposed High Falls State Park could include a plaza where the old city incinerator sits today at the base of the Smith Street bridge on the west side of the Genesee River gorge. The "Incinerator Plaza" name shown in this rendering is a placeholder but reflects the planners’ goal of incorporating old and new and maintaining some remnants of old industrial uses in the gorge. / OLIN

People walk in winter coats, and with bicycles over a wide, wood-plank bridge a few feet over the Genesee River in this rendering showing what is proposed for a new High Falls State Park. Educational placards are mounted on the wood railing providing descriptions of what visitors are seeing. The visible placard reads Rochester, New York, Northern Cardinal.

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The pedestrian bridge connecting the western and eastern sections of the proposed High Falls State Park would extend from beneath the Smith Street bridge on the west side, north to the eastern Genesee River bank.

Provided rendering / OLIN

People sit on a raised, wooden platform along the eastern bank of the Genesee River, down in the river gorge in this rendering of the "relic garden" that is part of the proposed High Falls State Park. The Smith Street bridge, a smoke stack and Kodak Tower are seen in the distance, along with the wooded eastern edge of the gorge.

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The proposed "relic garden" is shown in the planned High Falls State Park. The rendering is looking southwest toward the Smith Street bridge from the east bank of the river. The garden would be near a large "east lawn" and south of a woodland grove and a playground, with a nearby boardwalk-like pedestrian bridge connecting to the west riverbank.

Provided rendering / OLIN

A woman crouches, taking pictures of two children in the grass in this rendering of the woodland grove envisioned to be part of the proposed High Falls State Park. The grove would be on the east side of the river, north of the Smith Street bridge near the base of the Running Track foot bridge toward the northern edge of the park. It would be near a playground.

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A rendering of the woodland grove envisioned to be part of the proposed High Falls State Park. The grove would be on the east side of the river, north of the Smith Street bridge near the base of the Running Track foot bridge toward the northern edge of the park. It would be near a playground.

Provided rendering / OLIN

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

As WXXI's Brian Sharp reports, the vision for a new state park in downtown Rochester is gaining focus.

The state recently released renderings of the planned High Falls State Park. Construction will begin late next year.

The 40-acre space will include restored green space, playgrounds and seating areas, overlooks, and more. This hour, our guests discuss the plans for the new park.

In studio:

Vincent Esposito, senior vice president for regional economic development at Empire State Development
Carl Flora, associate architect for New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and lead architect for High Falls State Park
Stephanie Hyde, engagement planner at Highland Planning
Brian Sharp, investigations and enterprise editor for WXXI News