Buffalo Southside Parks (9/23/2017)

Saturday, September 23, 2017
On my way back to Cleveland from Buffalo, I stopped for the landmarks south of the city.

Our Lady of Victory Infant Home (1906) was founded by
Father Norman Baker when he learned that the bones of babies
and small children were found when dredging the nearby Erie Canal

Our Lady of Victory Shrine and Basilica (1921-1926, designed
by Emile Ulrich), a dream come true for Father Nelson Baker

South Park (1894) was designed as an arboretum with a lagoon, and is said to retain the most "Olmstedean character" of any other of the Buffalo parks.

South Park Conservatory (1987-1900, designed by Lord & Burnham Co)
is home to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

South Park Lake is surrounded by the Botanical Gardens Golf Course (1915)

McClellan Circle is part of McKinley Parkway, which was meant
to connect with Fillmore Avenue that goes to Humboldt/MLK Jr Park;
to the right is Red Jacket Parkway leading to Cazenovia Park

Finally, 186-acre Cazenovia Park (1893) included the four major components that characterize Olmsted parks: a wooded perimeter, rolling meadows, a water feature (here, a lake, now gone as it was drained to build a road), and discreet circulation systems for pedestrians and vehicles. Now only Cazenovia Creek wanders through and the park is known for athletic fields.

Cazenovia Creek

Cazenovia Park Casino (1911-1912, designed by Esenwein & Johnson)

Shelter House (1902, designed by Green & Wicks)

Frank Callahan Memorial