Buffalo's Delaware Park (9/19/2017)

Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Still sunny and in the 80s, so taking a break from clearing out the attic to explore the main park in Frederick Law Olmsted's park system of Buffalo.
Delaware Park was the centerpiece of Olmsted's plan with 368 acres of meadow, forest, and lake. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and developed between 1870 and 1876. The western edge of the park was used for the 1901 Pan American Exposition (remembered as the location of the assassination of President William McKinley). Two buildings left from the Exposition are the former New York State Building that is now home to the Buffalo History Museum (visited on 8/5/2017), and the Fine Arts Pavilion (which was not completed for the Exposition) is now home to the Albright Knox Art Gallery.

Ivy Bridge (1887) was a feature in the park that Olmsted
envisioned as an oasis of nature for city dwellers

There is a bit of Englsh ivy on the far east (left) side of the bridge

Originally Gala Water, then Mirror Lake, and now Hoyt Lake

View across the lake of the Buffalo History Museum

Hoyt Lake from Marcy Casino

Marcy Casino (1901, designed by E B Green) replaced the original
boathouse that was destroyed by fire in 1900

Bridge of Three Americas (1901, designed by Green & Wicks)
with three keystone heads; the two outer ones represent
Native Americans and the center one is a buffalo

Replica of Michelangelo's David was
purchased at the 1900 Paris Exposition and
gifted to Buffalo in 1903 by Andrew Langdon

McMillan Fountain (1905); the now defunct fountain was dedicated to
William McMillan, first Superintendent of Buffalo Parks (1870-1898)

Spirit of Womanhood (1962, by Larry W Griffis, Jr),
a gift of James G. Forsyth

In 1962, the Scajaquada Expressway was built, cutting Delaware Park
into two sections, requiring the use of this pedestrian bridge

Fine Arts Building/Albright Knox Art Gallery
(1905, designed by E B Green in Greek Revival style)

Underlife (2012-2013, by Jason Middlebrook)

Albright Knox Art Gallery with original building and extension (1962, designed by Gordon Bunshaft)

Art Gallery sign and Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Monochrome I,
Built to Live Anywhere, at Home Here (2010-2011, by Nancy Rubins)

Young Lincoln (1935, by Bryant Baker),
apparently the intent was to portray Lincoln as he
discarded the ax of manual labor and took up
the book of statesmanship

The Rose Garden with Arts & Crafts style entrance gate

Pergola (1912) and fountain

Indian Hunter (1866 by John Quincy Adams Ward)
was dedicated in 1926

The Mighty Oak in the Park Meadow

The Park Meadow has been overtaken by many sport venues including basketball and tennis courts, and a golf course.

The first tee of the Meadows Golf Course

Looking down the fairway from the first tee

The green of the first hole, backed by a fence

The Buffalo Croquet Club courts

Parkside Lodge (1914, in Arts & Crafts style)

The site of the former Quarry Garden, which had two stone bridges;
the garden was filled in when the Scajaquada Expressway was excavated
and built, and now the bridges are level with the ground

Quarry Garden Bridge

 From 1969 to 1973, we lived mere blocks from Delaware Park.

199 Crescent Avenue (1940), constructed with yellow brick
(just green trim when we lived here)