Summary

Delaware Park is often defined as the "heart" of the community, blending culture in a melting pot of human activity. Thousands of people visit the park daily to enjoy and participate in the many quiet and active features offered.

Designated Area

Encompassing 350 acres, bounded by Nottingham Terrace to the north, Parkside and Delaware Avenues to the east, Lincoln Parkway and Elmwood Avenue to the west, and Rumsey Road as well as the Scajaquada Expressway to the South.

Planning Excellence

Delaware Park is often defined as the "heart" of the community, blending culture in a melting pot of human activity. Thousands of people visit the park daily to enjoy and participate in the many quiet and active features offered.

The park was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, best known for his design of New York's Central Park. Using the existing rolling meadow punctuated by groves of mature trees, Olmsted formed his design to reflect the image of pastoral parklands he admired during visits to England. He wanted the visitor to feel immersed in the landscape, escaping from the stresses of urban life. Even today, once inside Delaware Park, many users claim they do not sense the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city.

Delaware Park was the site of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. The latest technological advancements were showcased, most notably electricity, and many of the fair buildings were covered in light bulbs that drew power from a hydroelectric dam at Niagara Falls. Unfortunately, the exposition is most remembered as the location of the assassination of President William McKinley.

One of the many prominent features in the park is the Marcy Casino Building, built for the 1901 fair. The building underwent an extensive restoration in 1990, refurbishing the original features of the 1901 design by architect E.B. Green. The Casino remains a popular place for holding events and gatherings. The original boat house was designed by Olmsted's partner, Calvert Vaux. Construction was completed in 1875, but the boat house was destroyed by a fire in 1900.

After years of neglect, aging infrastructure, and underfunding, the residents of Buffalo demanded a dramatic improvement in park conditions throughout the city, particularly in Delaware Park. The park's condition was dramatically improved when the Olmsted Parks Conservancy took over funding and maintenance of the park system in 2004. Over the past decade, the park had been restored to its former glory, and a previous commissioner of parks for New York City stated that the Buffalo Olmsted Parks are "the best maintained parks in the nation."

Defining Characteristics, Features

History

Frederick Law Olmsted and partner Calvert Vaux submitted the first plan for Delaware Park (1870)

The Pan-American Exposition of 1901 attracted thousands of people to the park with its ornate, multicolored buildings and gothic statutes; some remain today

In 1962, the Scajaquada Expressway was constructed through the park, separating it into two halves

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1982)

Amenities and Features

The Buffalo Zoo has been part of the park since 1875 and has expanded greatly from the deer and buffalo paddock of Olmsted's design into a major wildlife attraction for the city

Parkside Lodge (1915) now houses a golf shop and conservancy headquarters

Hoyt Lake, originally known as Gala Water, is the focal point of the southern portion of the park

The Rose Garden, located south of Hoyt Lake, is a formal garden and popular destination for photographers and birders

Ivy Bridge is one of the most scenic and photographed features in the park

The northern half of the park serves as the active recreation space with baseball and softball fields, an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, playgrounds, croquet lawns, and ring road popular with runners, walkers, and cyclists

Events

Shakespeare in Delaware Park, a summer tradition since 1976, is a nonprofit theater company that hosts free performances in Delaware Park

Flurrious! is an annual family-oriented winter festival with a snowman-making challenge, fun run, and cross country ski tour of the park

An annual event for the last 34 years, the Corporate Challenge attracts over 12,000 runners for a 3.5-mile road race through Delaware Park, raising money for the National Academy Foundation.

Restoration