Hidden City [Revealing Richmond]: Paradise Park

A Slice of Paradise in the Heart of RVA

By Josephine Stone
QuailBellMagazine.com

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In a city boasting plenty of parks--over 100 when counting public pools--there is one Richmond park that truly combines the concrete jungle with its residents' love for art.

Paradise Park, or what I've always known to be called Geometry Park, is nestled between brick alleyways in the heart of the Fan near the 1700 block of Grove Avenue. Towering over the painted cement structures are old homes--Paradise like a colorful knife cutting through the quiet still of the neighborhood.

My first visit to Paradise Park was sometime last winter and I can easily remember the awe I felt at the existence of such a unique spot, built with no real purpose but to be. The large shapes that almost look haphazardly stacked provide places to hide and climb (or attempt to!), but when it comes to parks in the general sense--Paradise stands alone.

Lack of trees, lack of children play things...but no lack of creativity and incomparable qualities. With a recent (within the last couple of years) paint job, Paradise adds a small splash of color to a hidden corner of Virginia's river city.

For more information on Richmond's many parks, visit Richmond Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities website.