Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation gifts $100M for parks, trails in Detroit

In one of the largest gifts of its kind ever, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation is donating $200 million to create new parks and recreational trails in Detroit and in the Buffalo, New York, area.

The gift will be split equally between the two regions. In the biggest Detroit piece, the foundation is donating $50 million to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy to build the planned 22-acre west riverfront park.

In a ceremony Wednesday at the west riverfront site on what would have been Wilson's 100th birthday, the conservancy will announce that the new park will be named the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park in honor of Wilson, a longtime metro Detroit resident whose business achievements included his ownership of the Buffalo Bills pro football team.

“We are proud and honored to celebrate Ralph’s birthday today with a lasting gift that matches in scale the passion and pride he had for his hometown of Detroit and ‘adopted’ hometown of Buffalo, where he founded and owned the Buffalo Bills,” Mary Wilson, widow of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. and a life trustee, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, said in a prepared statement.

“Ralph was committed to exercise, staying active and enjoying life," she said. "It would make Ralph so happy to see people of all ages enjoying these enhanced parks and trails for years to come.”

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The gift will go a long way to pay for building the west riverfront park, which is in the design phase. The foundation's gift includes $40 million for construction and $10 million for an endowment to support the park's long-term sustainability, said David Egner, president and CEO of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

“Through the years, there have been many organizations and funders who’ve worked hard to develop these parks, trails and waterfronts in both southeast Michigan and western New York," Egner said. "We’re honored to join with them in the continuation and acceleration of that work.”

The $200-million gift will create a similar waterfront park in Buffalo, also to be named for Wilson. And in both communities, the foundation will donate $50 million to build out a network of recreational trails and maintain them for decades.

Civic leaders praised the donation.

"With this incredibly generous gift, the Wilson Foundation will help us create a spectacular riverfront park and recreational opportunity that will be enjoyed by Detroiters for the next 100 years," said Mayor Mike Duggan.

“The commitment that the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation is making to the city of Detroit and southeast Michigan is profound and marks another step forward for the region,” Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement. 

The 22-acre west riverfront was the focus of a major design competition earlier this year, also funded by the foundation, in which Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, a New York-based landscape architecture firm, won the commission to design the new park.

The Van Valkenburgh vision for the west riverfront parcel — currently just a flat grassy expanse of ground — would reshape the site in significant ways. The water's edge would be opened up to allow for swimming in a dramatic new inlet called "The Cove." The inlet will encourage swimming in warm weather and skating during the winter.

A new small island would be built immediately offshore of the park to help control the flow of water to lessen erosion. The flat topography of the site would be molded to create more slopes and visual interest. And there will be significant new attractions for all ages, from basketball courts to water slides and concert areas.

The new park is expected to open in about four years.

The new park is part of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s overall vision to develop 5½ miles of riverfront from the Ambassador Bridge on the west to Gabriel Richard Park, just east of the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle. And the RiverWalk eventually will tie into the city's evolving network of recreation trails including the Joe Louis Greenway, a planned 26-mile trail through the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park and Dearborn.

"Equally important is making sure that residents in our neighborhoods have easier access to their city's riverfront through projects like the Joe Louis Greenway," Duggan said. "The Wilson Foundation was an early supporter of this effort and we are thrilled that the other half of the foundation's gift will go toward filling gaps in regional trails connecting the city and region."  

The late Ralph Wilson grew up in Detroit and was a longtime resident of Grosse Pointe Shores. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, and went on to achieve business success in several fields. He was the founder and longtime owner of the Buffalo Bills.

Prior to his death in 2014, Wilson established his foundation with an endowment of $1.2 billion, to be used in the Detroit and Buffalo areas to meet the needs of children and families and to create livable communities.

Because Wilson wanted those who knew him best to oversee how the funds are spent, the foundation is required to donate the entire endowment over 20 years, going out of business in early 2035.

Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep.