The Riverwalk at 45: Brick Paths, Covered Bridges and the River That Made a City

Every city has a place that explains it, and in Naperville that place is a brick path along a slow river. The Naperville Riverwalk was created in 1981 to honor the city's 150th anniversary, turning the banks of the West Branch of the DuPage River into 1.75 miles of walkways, bridges and gathering spots that now anchor downtown life.

The landmarks come quickly on a walk. There are covered bridges in the tradition of rural Illinois, including the center bridge near Nichols Library and the Municipal Center, built in 1981 and stretching 101 feet across the river for pedestrians only. There is the Dandelion Fountain, the Free Speech Pavilion, the Riverwalk Amphitheater and the paddleboat quarry, where the water widens and the path slows down.

What is easy to forget is how deliberate the Riverwalk was. Before 1981, stretches of the downtown riverbank were given over to storage and work yards rather than people. The Riverwalk project reversed the direction of the city: storefronts, restaurants and public life turned to face the water, and downtown's revival followed the bricks.

The path is also a piece of public art. The Century Walk threads sculptures and murals through the corridor, and tile panels along the Water Street development retell scenes from Naperville history, from winter on the river to the arrival of commerce downtown.

In November the Riverwalk changes character. The paddleboats are done for the year, the trees along the banks go bare, and the path belongs to walkers, runners and dog owners willing to bundle up. Forty-five years on, it remains the rare civic project that residents use exactly the way its builders hoped — daily, casually and in every season.