Martin Luther King, Jr. Park
Encyclopedia
Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, originally "The Parade" and after 1896, Humboldt Park, is a historic park
located at Buffalo
in Erie County, New York
. Located in east Buffalo and bisected by Fillmore Avenue, it is an individual park designed in 1874 by Frederick Law Olmsted
and originally connected to Delaware Park via the Humboldt Parkway. That connection was lost in 1970-1971 with the construction of the Kensington Expressway. It is on a 56 acres (22.7 ha), slightly "L"-shaped site and originally conceived as a place for military displays and active children's sports. The park originally contained a large wooden refectory
, designed by Calvert Vaux
; it was destroyed by fire in 1877. The park contains four contributing structures: the brick Shelter House (1904); Buffalo Museum of Science
building (1926); Greenhouse (1907); and Humboldt Park Casino (ca. 1926). In July 2009, a neatly manicured, tree-and flower-filled pedestrian pathway was unveiled by the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
located at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
in Erie County, New York
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
. Located in east Buffalo and bisected by Fillmore Avenue, it is an individual park designed in 1874 by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
and originally connected to Delaware Park via the Humboldt Parkway. That connection was lost in 1970-1971 with the construction of the Kensington Expressway. It is on a 56 acres (22.7 ha), slightly "L"-shaped site and originally conceived as a place for military displays and active children's sports. The park originally contained a large wooden refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
, designed by Calvert Vaux
Calvert Vaux
Calvert Vaux , was an architect and landscape designer. He is best remembered as the co-designer , of New York's Central Park....
; it was destroyed by fire in 1877. The park contains four contributing structures: the brick Shelter House (1904); Buffalo Museum of Science
Buffalo Museum of Science
Buffalo Museum of Science is a science museum located at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Buffalo, New York USA, northeast of the downtown district, near the Kensington Expressway. The historic building was designed by August Esenwein and James A. Johnson and opened in 1929...
building (1926); Greenhouse (1907); and Humboldt Park Casino (ca. 1926). In July 2009, a neatly manicured, tree-and flower-filled pedestrian pathway was unveiled by the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982.
External links
- Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy - Buffalo, NY, Western New York, WNY, Olmsted, Frederick Law
- Buffalo as an Architectural Museum, Martin Luther King Jr. Park
- Buffalo as an Architectural Museum, "Municipal Parks and City Planning: Frederick Law Olmsted's Buffalo Park and Parkway System," by Francis R. Kowsky, Reprinted with permission from the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, March 1987.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Park - Buffalo, NY - Olmsted Designed Parks on Waymarking.com