Delaware Park-Front Park System
About this property
Delaware Park–Front Park System is a historic park system and national historic district in the northern and western sections of Buffalo in Erie County, New York. The park system was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and developed between 1868 and 1876. The park system was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The centerpiece of the Buffalo, New York parks system and located in the North Buffalo neighborhood. The 376-acre (152 ha) park was named simply The Park by Olmsted; it was later renamed Delaware Park because of its proximity to Delaware Avenue, Buffalo's mansion row. It is divided into two areas: the 243-acre (98 ha) "Meadow Park" on the east and the 133-acre (54 ha) "Water Park", with what was originally a 43-acre (17 ha) lake, on the west. The 12-acre (4.9 ha) ravine and picnic grove on the south side of the lake comprise a subdivision of the latter. Olmsted dammed Scajaquada Creek to create the lake, originally called Gala Water, then Delaware Park Lake, and now known as Hoyt Lake. The lake was a feature during the Pan-American Exposition. The Scajaquada Expressway bisects the park west to east. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery occupies the park's western edge, overlooking Hoyt Lake, and the Buffalo History Museum is situated on its northern edge, overlooking Scajaquada Creek. The park is home to Shakespeare in Delaware Park, a summer tradition since the mid-1970s, and the second largest free outdoor Shakespeare festival in the United States (after New York City's). It is also the location of the Buffalo Zoo on the east side of Meadow Park. The park has a golf course, two baseball diamonds, a softball diamond, cross country running, tennis courts, and soccer fields. Contributing structures are: Caretakers Cottage (1889); Lincoln Parkway Bridge (1900), designed by Green and Wicks; Rose Garden Pergola (1912); Stone Bridge (ca. 1887), the only remaining structure from the original Olmsted plan; Parkside Lodge (1914); Rumsey Shelter (1900); Main Zoo Building (1935–1940); Shelter House (ca. 1900); and Elephant House (ca. 1912). Located north of the park are the Parkside East Historic District and Parkside West Historic District and to the south are the Elmwood Historic District–East and Elmwood Historic District–West, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is home to an exact replica of Michelangelo's David. It is 18 feet tall and weighs 3000 pounds. The statue was dedicated in 1903, one of only three bronze replicas made of the original sculpture. At one time it included a fig leaf, which was not present in the original; this was later removed so David can be viewed in all his glory. When the statue was rededicated in 2013, it was given a new plaque which corrected the spelling of the artist's name from Michael Angelo to Michelangelo.
Location
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Delaware Park-Front Park System listed on the National Register?
Delaware Park-Front Park System was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 29, 1982.
What type of historic resource is Delaware Park-Front Park System?
Delaware Park-Front Park System is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Delaware Park-Front Park System?
The period of significance for Delaware Park-Front Park System is recorded as the listed era.
Can I research the history near Delaware Park-Front Park System?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Delaware Park-Front Park System will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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