Cazenovia Park-South Park System
Encyclopedia
Cazenovia Park-South Park System is a historic park
system located in the South Buffalo
neighborhood at Buffalo
in Erie County, New York
. The interconnected set of parkways and parks was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
as part of his parks plan for the city of Buffalo.
The system consists of the following elements:
The park system was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
system located in the South Buffalo
South Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
South Buffalo is a neigborhood that makes up the southern third of the City of Buffalo, New York, USA. Traditionally known for its large Irish-American community, this once heavily industrialized district was home to many steel mills, automotive parts manufacturers, petroleum refineries, foundries,...
neighborhood at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
in Erie County, New York
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
. The interconnected set of parkways and parks was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
as part of his parks plan for the city of Buffalo.
The system consists of the following elements:
- 1) Heacock Place: A three-acre park site that forms the beginning of the Cazenovia Park-South Park System.
- 2) McKinley Parkway (formerly Southside Parkway): Connects Heacock Place to South Park. Named for President William McKinleyWilliam McKinleyWilliam McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
.
- 3) McClellan Circle (formerly Woodside Circle): A 500-foot right-of-way at the juncture of McKinley Parkway, Red Jacket Parkway, Choate Avenue, and Whitfield Avenue. Named for General George B. McClellanGeorge B. McClellanGeorge Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
.
- 4) Red Jacket Parkway: Connects McClellan Circle to Cazenovia Park. Named for Red JacketRed JacketRed Jacket was a Native American Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan...
.
- 5) Cazenovia Park: An irregularly shaped rectangular parkland plot bisected by Cazenovia CreekCazenovia CreekCazenovia Creek is a small stream in Western New York, United States. The creek is named after Theophilus Cazenove, an agent of the Holland Land Company. Cazenovia Creek is a tributary of the Buffalo River, which empties into Lake Erie...
. The park features a branch of the Buffalo & Erie County Public LibraryBuffalo & Erie County Public LibraryThe Buffalo & Erie County Public Library is located on Lafayette Square, Buffalo, New York. The current facility, built in 1963, replaced the original Cyrus Eidlitz Buffalo Public Library Building dedicated in February 1887. The first Buffalo Public Library, in turn, replaced the Erie County, New...
, swimming pool, golf course, and baseball fields. Contributing structures are the Cazenovia Park Casino (1912) and Shelter House (1902).
- 6) McKinley Circle (formerly South Parkway Circle): Traversed by McKinley Parkway and Dorrance Avenue; connects McKinley Parkway to South Park.
- 7) South Park: An irregularly shaped square parkland plot of 155 acres. The main entrance is at the intersection of McKinley Parkway and South Park AvenueU.S. Route 62 in New YorkU.S. Route 62 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from the United States – Mexico border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York. In the U.S. state of New York, US 62 extends from the New York – Pennsylvania border south of Jamestown to an intersection with...
. The park is home to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical GardensBuffalo and Erie County Botanical GardensThe Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens are botanical gardens located at 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, New York, USA in South Park. These gardens are the product of landscaping architect Frederick Law Olmsted, glass-house architects Lord & Burnham, and botanist and plant-explorer John F...
. Recreational development of the park began in 1915 with the golf course. Contributing structures are the South Park Botanical Gardens Conservatory (1889, rebuilt 1930) and Golf Shelter (ca. 1927).
The park system was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982.
External links
- Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy - Buffalo, NY, Western New York, WNY, Olmsted, Frederick Law
- Buffalo as an Architectural Museum, South Buffalo and South Park
- Buffalo as an Architectural Museum, "Municipal Parks and City Planning: Frederick Law Olmsted's Buffalo Park and Parkway System," by Francis R. Kowsky, Reprinted with permission from the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, March 1987.
- Cazenovia Park history
- South Park Golf Club, Buffalo, New York website