Belle Isle is primarily used as a recreation space. Belle Isle’s most prominent values to the community as defined by the Cultural Landscape Foundation (CLF) are its history and reservation for wildlife. The CLF classifies the park to be a designed landscape, which is a landscape that is consciously laid out by an architect. They also classify Belle Isle’s style to be modernistic in which prominent features are low maintenance, irregular forms, and asymmetric; and picturesque meaning natural. Belle Isle was also put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, the nomination form indicates that Belle Isle’s two main functions to be recreation/culture and landscape. Aside from the design of the park, the space does not host many events. One event that goes through Belle Isle is the Dominion Riverrock, which is an event that celebrates the riverfront of Richmond and part of that event is a 10k race that utilizes some of trails throughout Belle Isle.
Section of NRHP nomination form showing Belle Isle’s Function
http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Richmond/127-0455_Belle_Isle_1995_Final_Nomination.pdf