View in Lincoln Parkway, about 1905.
The unique feature of the original Olmsted park system plan implemented in Buffalo was the extension of the park experience well beyond the confines of the acreage set aside for park grounds through a system of connecting parkways. The so-called Park Approaches of the original system consisted of four "parkways", which were 200 feet in width and totaled 3 miles in length, three "avenues", 100 feet wide and totalling 4 miles in length. The parkways (Chapin, Bidwell, Lincoln and Humboldt, each were designed with 2 drives, wide greensward spaces and several rows of trees. The trees were chosen so as to provide uniformity of species and age, and were planted equidistantly along each row. Unfortunately the most grand of the parkways, Humboldt Parkway, was sacrificed to the construction of the Kensington Expressway. It had extended for over 3 miles, linking the Park (Delaware Park) and the Parade (Martin Luther King, Jr. Park) with a magnificent swath of greenspace. The avenues, (Porter Avenue, Richmond Avenue - originally called simply "The Avenue" - and Fillmore Avenue) had a single drive each, lined by uniformly planted trees on each side.
Colonial Circle, about 1915.
Along the Park Approaches, several important junctions were specially laid out and landscaped. Symphony Circle (originally, simply "The Circle", is at the junction of Porter and Richmond Avenues. Agassiz Place, now greatly modified, is at the junction of former Humboldt Parkway and the Park's carriage concourse, at Parkside Avenue. Soldier's Place at the junction of Lincoln, Chapin and Bidwell Parkways; Colonial Circle (originally, Bidwell Place), at Bidwell Parkway and Richmond Avenue; and Gates Circle (originally Chapin Place; it was redesigned in the Beaux Arts fashion and re-named in 1902) at the southern terminus of Chapin Parkway, where it joins Delaware Avenue (originally Delaware Street.) Delaware Avenue, it should be noted, was not an Olmsted design and has never been part of the city's park and parkway system. Despite its prominent residences, it has always carried commercial traffic. The smallest of the Olmsted circles, Ferry Street Circle, is at the junction of Ferry Street and Richmond Avenue.
All of these circles had center planting spaces, which added greenspace to the vista down the roadway, breaking the appearance of unending roadway. They also provided extra setbacks for the houses built along their periphery, with sweeping walkways nestled amidst trees.
Ferry Street Circle, about 1910, looking East in Ferry Street.
The park approaches both served as a means for a visitor to travel from one point in the parks to another without ever leaving the park setting, as well as an extension of the park system to a large portion of the city, in that a resident who might have had to travel a considerable distance to visit one of the three major park grounds could rather easily walk to one of the parkways to partake of a portion of the experience or reach them by a streetcar ride which cost only a nickel.
Soldiers' Circle, about 1903.
As the park system was expanded, additional park approaches were added. In the south, McKinley Parkway (originally, the South Side Parkway) links South Park and a non-Olmsted park, Heacock Park. McKinley Circle is located at the point where this parkway leaves Buffalo and enters the City of Lackawanna (it is interesting that the Board was able to construct a thoroughfare outside the city boundaries). McClellan Circle is at the junction of McKinley Parkway and Red Jacket Parkway, which completes the southern portion of the Park Approaches and extends to Cazenovia Park. In the north part of the city, Scajaquada Parkway (lost to the construction of the Scajaquada Expressway) was built from Delaware Park westward along the bank of Scajaquada creek to Niagara Street. It was to extended thence north to Riverside Park, but the link was not completed. Similarly, a connection between Fillmore Avenue and the southern parks was sought, but a satisfactory route was never finalized due to the difficulties of crossing numerous railroad rights-of-way. On the west, the Board was granted control over existing city streets to link Front Park with the city's downtown. Niagara Square and Lafayette Square (formerly, Court House Park) were existing city public grounds, part of the city's original plan of radial streets laid out by Joseph Ellicott. Both sites were placed under the authority of the Board, and Olmsted prepared designs for the former (later altered by the construction of the McKinley Monument and closure of some of the streets radiating from it).
Bridle Path in Lincoln Parkway, about 1905.
The Buffalo park approaches were significant in that they were constructed and controlled by the Board of Park Commissioners, not the regular city authorities. The Board prohibited commercial traffic, and was also able to exert some control over where normal city streets could access the major parkways. Commercial businesses were also restricted along the approaches, with the Board able to regulate signs and similar non-residential aspects of these special parts of the Buffalo park system.
The center islands of Symphony, Ferry Street and Agassiz Circles were removed to enhance to traffic flow as automobile use increased. The center islands of both Symphony Circle and Ferry Circle were restored in 2002. The work included replacement of the center islands and replication of the central light standards.
The "Central Park Luminere" lighting of the northern parkways was extended to additional portions of the parkways: to Red Jacket Parkway, McClellan and McKinley circles, and also to the drives in Cazenovia Park. Center multi-lamp lunineres were installed in the center islands of both of the southside circles, and the landscaping and walkways of those spaces were completed in 2003.
While challenges still remain, particularly at Agassiz Circle due to the presence of the Scajaquada Expressway, these projects are very significant (and beautiful) restorations of long neglected portions of the park system.
Copyright 1997-2010 Stanton M. Broderick