Program: R. C. Wilson Park

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Program Daffodil Day 2025:
Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy

Speaker: Ryan Sullivan CEO
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy

Work is underway on the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, March 2025.

Detroit's Waterfront: Belle Isle Bridge to Ambassador Bridge

Ryan Sullivan CEO Detroit Riverfront Conservancy . To learn more about Ryan Sulivan click on photo.

Over twenty years ago, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy was formed to transform the Detroit River's underused industrial riverfront into a beautiful Riverwalk open for all to enjoy.

With the hard work of many dedicated people and extensive fundraising, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy completed the East Riverwalk early in 2024. You can now walk three miles from Gabriel Richard Park, under the Belle Isle Bridge, through a string of parks and other attractions to Downtown Detroit. Over three million people visited last year.

Ryan Sullivan, CEO of Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, will give us an update on the West Riverfront Development. Work started on the two mile long West Riverfront Park in the early 2020's. A large gift from the Ralph Wilson Foundation resulted in a name change to Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park. When completed in the autumn of 2025, the West Riverwalk will make it possible to walk from downtown Detroit to the Ambassador Bridge.

Ralph C. Wilson and his wife Mary Wilson.

Ralph C. Wilson Jr. 1918-2014

Ralph C. Wilson Jr. as born in Ohio in 1918. He was raised in the Detroit area and considered it his home. As a young man, he joined his father’s insurance business. Over time, he applied his dynamic personality and hard work to several fields including radio, television, and professional sports. He was best known as the founder and long time owner of Buffalo Bills NFL team, his most important business achievement.

Ralph Wilson was known his integrity and for putting people above material things. He put that conviction into action, caring about the people who worked for him, the Buffalo Bills team, and the residents of his two cities, Detroit and of Buffalo. He and Mary Wilson, his second wife, were loved by the Buffalo Bills’s fans.

He played by the rules, receiving and giving loyalty to those around him. Ralph Wilson's death at the age of 95 in 2014 gave rise to his ultimate act of generosity: Proceeds from the $1.4 billion sale of his beloved Buffalo Bills have been directed by him into the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, making it one of the largest in the nation.

Detroit's Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park was designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, other work includes the Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City, Detroit's Eastern Market Neighborhood Framework, and the Ralph C. Wilson Park Buffalo. Yes, our park has a sister park in Buffalo, New York. A long time resident of the Detroit area, Mr. Wilson was owner of the Buffalo Bills NFL Football franchise. His generosity has been extended to both Detroit and Buffalo.