The Root River Parks (Island, Riverside, Cedar Bend, and Washington Parks) are significant as they demonstrate the Racine Board of Park Commissioners’ initiation of a citywide park system in the early twentieth century, which was a milestone in local planning and the foundation of what is now a much larger system of parks and green spaces. The Commission raised private funding over seven years to establish a cohesive group of four parks that are connected along both sides of the Root River, designed for the public to take advantage of the scenic vistas from the existing natural waterway. Additionally, the park facilities, including athletic fields, playgrounds, and a golf course, demonstrate the evolving history of recreation in Racine.

The Parks are also significant as a good representative example of the Prairie style of landscape architecture as designed by Jens Jensen, a nationally recognized Midwestern landscape architect. The Parks include characteristic features of the Prairie style of landscape architecture, including native vegetation, a central water feature, gently curving circulation pattern, and long open meadows. The city-wide park system continues to link park units, pedestrian and vehicular paths, and a golf course, including the associated Island Park, Riverside Park, Cedar Bend Park, Washington Park, Horlick Drive, Root River Pathway, and Washington Park Golf Course.