Barbara Bennett Park
The grassy and shaded 2.8-acre Barbara Bennett Park is a popular place to play tennis or basketball, or just relax under the beautiful trees next to the Truckee River near downtown Reno.
The park’s origins date back to the birth of Reno. Portions belonged to Wynn Lake in 1865 and the Central Pacific Railroad in 1876. In 1906, the land was purchased by Robert Grimmon from the Newlands Company, then sold to the City of Reno for $15,100. The city established Riverside Park and it was popular with Reno residents for concerts, dances, picnics and more.
The park was renamed in 1995 to honor Reno’s first female mayor, Barbara Bennett, after her death. She served as mayor from 1979 to 1983, and she was instrumental in passing a construction tax which has helped fund many parks in Reno.
Originally the park had bath houses, a baseball diamond, and bandstand. Tennis courts were added in the 1920s and 1930s. The current amenities—playground, tennis, basketball, and restroom—were greatly improved in the 1980s.
Originally there was no way to access the park from the north side of the river or from Belle Isle (now known as Wingfield Park) without walking down to the Virginia Street bridge to cross the river. Therefore in 1915, the City Council began discussions on a proposal to add foot bridges so residents from the north side could easily access the park; the two bridges were built in 1920 and 1921.
The original name for the park was Riverside, and it dates back to 1906, although newspaper articles list activities in the park before that date, including religious services, band concerts and even a University of Nevada football rally.
In 1910, the city began improving the park with a band stand, benches, fountain, and new lawn. At that time the Washoe County Courthouse was being built, and soil from the excavation for the foundation of the new courthouse was used to improve the lawn at Riverside Park. The City also added lights which burned in the evenings.
An interesting find was made in 1911 when the park was being graded by a “chain gang” in preparation for an upcoming Independence Day celebration. One of the workers found a stash of expensive jewelry (turquoise bracelets) wrapped in a paper from 1910. The authorities assumed it was the result of foul play, and indeed, two days later the owner claimed the jewelry which she said had been stolen from her house on the date listed on the soiled paper.
A year later, the newspapers announced that Theodore Roosevelt, then known as Colonel Roosevelt, would address the residents of Reno at Riverside Park. The papers did not mention the actual event, so perhaps it was canceled.
The current name of the park was chosen in 1995 to honor the first female mayor of Reno, Barbara Bennett.
Bennett was born in Oakland, California, in 1923, and moved to Reno in 1964. Active in Reno politics, she successfully ran for the position of mayor in 1979, winning over the incumbent mayor. But her legacy includes more than that—she pushed for the adoption of the residential construction tax, which funds new parks. And she was the founder of the Northern Nevada Women’s Political Caucus and was an activist for women’s rights and an advocate for the less fortunate.
“All of us have grown up with her for an example of determination and success. Most important, she has accomplished all with the utmost integrity and honesty,” said her daughter, Sherry Wood. “She wasn’t in it for the money,” added her son.
One of Bennett’s primary platforms was the opposition to uncontrolled “runaway” growth in Reno in the 1970s and 1980s. Her time in office was when many major hotel/casinos opened, including the Grand Sierra Resort (at that time it was the MGM Grand). These construction projects brought large numbers of workers to Reno, but without adequate housing, many had to live in tents along the Truckee River. She fought for rent control in the housing market and mobile home parks. “She was a mayor of the people,” according to the newspaper.
After three and a half years, Bennett had to step aside as mayor, because she was unable to take care of her family on a mayor’s salary. She then served as deputy director of the state Youth Services Division.
Bennett passed away in 1993 at the age of 69 after a long illness.
The murals in the park were painted in 1998 by 30 young artists. The project was organized by Youth Artworks. The murals and artists were featured on the ABC television show “Good Morning America” with a segment by weatherman Spencer Christian. The segment featured Christian in Reno congratulating the painters, and his comment about the city was, “Reno is a lot cleaner and prettier since I was here in the summer of ’84,” Christian said. “It’s grown so much.”
Over the years, Reno has had an outdoor, public ice skating rink. This started in the 1990s but the location was moved to various locations over the years. In the late 1990s, the 85 by 140-foot ice rink was located at Barbara Bennett Park where it attracted 410 skaters a day. Many hailed this location over the previous location at Idlewild Park because it brought people to downtown Reno, but the neighbors complained about traffic and parking, so the rink was moved to the square on the Harrah’s property the following year.
