Delaware District

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The Forman-Cabana House, built in 1893 from a design by prominent local architect E. B. Green for oil company magnate George V. Forman, is representative of the breathtaking mansions of "Millionaire's Row" in the Delaware District.

blah blah blah

(The Delaware District is a quiet upscale residential area of stately homes, many of which are of great architectural distinction)

Understand

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The Delaware District follows Delaware Avenue and its adjacent streets from the northern border of Allentown to Delaware Park. Though there is little here in the way of entertainment, especially compared to Allentown, the area is of interest to visitors due to the lavish mansions that line its main thoroughfare. Once one of the most prestigious addresses in America, the breathtaking residences along Delaware Avenue are an architecture lover's dream come true: elegant palaces from the Gilded Age that were once home to aristocratic Buffalo families like the Curtisses, the Rumseys, and the Knoxes. The portion of Delaware Avenue between North and Bryant Streets, where the densest concentration of original mansions can be found, is known as Millionaire's Row and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places; however, huge mansions of this type can periodically be found as far north as Gates Circle.

The Delaware District, such as it is defined in this article, includes a number of peripheral areas that purists might argue to be separate neighborhoods. These include Linwood Avenue, a Local Historic District located a block east of Delaware Avenue that is densely lined with ample wood-frame houses only slightly newer and less luxurious than those on Delaware Avenue, as well as Oxford, a more middle-class, mixed-race neighborhood situated southwest of the corner of Main Street and West Delavan Avenue, adjacent to Canisius College

History

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Located relatively further from downtown than Allentown, began to urbanize in the late 1860s, when Buffalo's northern border was extended from North Street to Ferry Street. Fortuitously for the neighborhood, the following decades saw probably the most rapid growth of population and economy in Buffalo's history. The explosive growth of commerce and industry made millionaires out of many of Buffalo's citizens, and among the newly urbanizing outskirts of the city, the Delaware District was the most popular place for these newly minted aristocrats to build their homes: "Millionaire's Row" was well away from the congestion and bustle of downtown, yet directly connected to it via the broad, straight Delaware Avenue. The development by Frederick Law Olmsted of an extensive system of parks and parkways in Buffalo, with Delaware Park as its centerpiece, brought rapid urbanization to the northern part of the Delaware District, with still more lavish residences constructed along Chapin Parkway and on the streets immediately adjacent to Delaware Park beginning in the 1890s.

The Delaware District's shining hour was around the turn of the century. In 1901, Delaware Park played host to the Pan-American Exposition (blah blah blah). However, the area, along with the rest of Buffalo, eventually began to stagnate and decline: the period of deindustrialization and suburbanization that began after World War II, along with the mass exodus of Americans from the often cold and snowy Northeast to the sunnier climates of the West and South, saw Millionaire's Row abandoned by many of its titular residents for the suburbs or (more likely) other cities.

(Depression and wartime austerity had caused a lot of Millionaire Row mansions to deteriorate due to deferred maintenance, and a general shift in the mindset of Americans postwar toward houses that were simpler and cost less to maintain - old-style mansions seen as examples of unnecessary excess, abandoned)

(segue)

(decline not as bad as elsewhere in Buffalo)

...Remarkably, with the exception of the noisy, intrusive Scajaquada Expressway which was routed through Olmsted's Delaware Park in 1961, the urban renewal that permanently scarred or altered other areas of the city barely touched the Delaware District.

(that's not for a lack of trying by some)

...IBM's proposal to demolish three of the most sumptuous mansions on Delaware Avenue — the Forman-Cabana House, the George B. Matthews House, and the Richmond-Lockwood House — to make way for corporate offices was stymied and finally cancelled by the Delaware Avenue Historic District's nomination in 1974, and official addition in 1980, to the National Register of Historic Places.

...(Millionaire's Row mansions) have been converted to the well-cared-for headquarters of local corporations and not-for-profit groups (which saved them; meanwhile most of) the stately homes on Oakland Place, Linwood Avenue, Chapin Parkway, and other streets in the Delaware District (are still privately owned).

Get in and around

By car

The Scajaquada Expressway (NY 198) is a short highway that closely parallels the northern border of the Delaware District (largely through Delaware Park), connecting the Kensington Expressway with Interstate 190. Delaware Avenue — the main thoroughfare of the Delaware District and also an important route through Allentown — is the site of one of the Scajaquada's busiest interchanges; those headed for these areas via the Scajaquada should exit via the southbound ramp, proceeding past Delaware Park and Forest Lawn Cemetery toward Gates Circle.

The Kensington Expressway (NY 33) is located on the East Side, but the Delaware District is easily accessible via its Best Street and Humboldt Parkway exits (the latter providing access to Ferry and Utica Streets, among others). Travelers using these interchanges to access the Delaware District should be prepared to traverse some sketchy neighborhoods while heading westward; this changes almost immediately after crossing Main Street, Buffalo's traditional and enduring dividing line between have and have-not.

As mentioned before, Delaware Avenue (NY 384) is the area's main thoroughfare, running north-and-south through the length of the district. (a block east is Linwood Avenue, which has a different feel - describe).

(these streets are traversed by a number of east-west thoroughfares that generally speaking, begin on the West Side and pass through most of the width of the city): North Street, Summer Street, West Utica Street, West Ferry Street, Lafayette Avenue, and West Delavan Avenue

On-street parking is prohibited along Delaware Avenue between North Street and Gates Circle, but is generally free and easily available elsewhere.

By public transportation

Public transit in Buffalo and the surrounding area is provided by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA). The NFTA Metro system encompasses a single-line light-rail rapid transit (LRRT) system and an extensive network of buses. The fare for a single trip on a bus or train is $2.00 regardless of length. No transfers are provided between buses or trains; travelers who will need to make multiple trips per day on public transit should consider purchasing an all-day pass for $5.00.

By bus

The Delaware District is traversed by a number of NFTA Metro bus routes:

To and from downtown

NFTA Metro Bus #8 — Main. Beginning at the University Metro Rail Station, Bus #8 proceeds down Main Street through both the Delaware District and Allentown (with service to the Delavan-Canisius College Metro Rail Station) and ends downtown.

11 and 25 share a bullet point

Crosstown routes

NFTA Metro Bus #12 — Utica. Beginning on the West Side, Bus #12 proceeds along West Utica Street and ends at the University Metro Rail Station.

NFTA Metro Bus #13 — Kensington. Beginning at the Utica Metro Rail Station, Bus #13 proceeds along Main Street through the Delaware District as far as Ferry Street, where it turns eastward and enters the East Side. It ends at the University Metro Rail Station.

NFTA Metro Bus #22 — Porter-Best. Beginning on the West Side, Bus #22 proceeds along Summer Street and ends at the Thruway Mall Transit Center in Cheektowaga.

NFTA Metro Bus #26 — Delavan. Beginning on the West Side, Bus #26 proceeds along West Delavan Avenue through the Delaware District, with service to the Delavan-Canisius College Metro Rail Station, and ends at the Thruway Mall Transit Center in Cheektowaga.

The construction of the cycle track on either side of Linwood Avenue was facilitated by the "Complete Streets" program ratified by the Buffalo Common Council in 2008, which mandated that equal consideration be given to bicyclists, pedestrians, and users of public transportation when resurfacing city streets.

By Metro Rail

The Metro Rail is an LRRT line that extends along Main Street from the University at Buffalo's South Campus in North Buffalo southward to downtown, just past the eastern border of Allentown and the Delaware District. The Metro Rail serves as the backbone of Buffalo's public transit system, accessed directly by many bus routes. Like the buses, the fare for the Metro Rail is $2.00 ($4.00 round-trip); the $5.00 all-day passes available on Metro buses are also valid for the Metro Rail.

There are three Metro Rail stations located in the Delaware District, and one in Allentown. From north to south, they are:

• 1 Delavan-Canisius College Station — Main Street at West Delavan Avenue (Delaware District).

(insert some variation of the Elmwood Village article's Metro Rail station about how the line runs just east of the district border w easy access by bus... actually on foot works too)

By bike

Buffalo has been making great strides in recent years in accommodating bicycling as a mode of transportation, with recognition from the League of American Bicyclists as a Bronze-Level "Bicycle-Friendly Community" to show for its efforts. Allentown and the Delaware District are among the most common places in the city to see residents commuting by bike or just enjoying a leisurely ride on a warm day.

In the Delaware District, Linwood Avenue boasts a bike lane on either side of the street for its entire length, as do the "S-curves" of Delaware Avenue between Nottingham Terrace and Forest Avenue.

Away from the city streets, the 1.1-mile (1.8 km) multi-use trail that circumnavigates Delaware Park's Hoyt Lake is especially popular among cyclists.

On foot

(the more spread-out nature of the Delaware District by comparison with Allentown and Elmwood Village makes it relatively less amenable to pedestrians - Delaware Avenue is a wide and heavily trafficked thoroughfare - you'll have better luck on the side streets)

See

History

• 1 Benjamin and Dr. Edgar R. Cofeld Judaic Museum, 805 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 11, 22 or 25; Metro Rail: Summer-Best), ☏ +1 716 886-7150. Open whenever the building is open, or by appointment. Located inside Temple Beth Zion, one of the oldest and largest Reform synagogues in the country, the Cofeld Judaic Museum encompasses a collection of artifacts and information relevant to Jewish history in Europe and the United States that is impressive given the small size of the facility. Many of these informative exihibits have been bequeathed to the museum by members of the congregation. Free. 

Architecture

More and more, Buffalo's exquisite and well-preserved architecture has grabbed the attention of locals and tourists alike. As of March 2020, there are 12 historic neighborhoods in Buffalo listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as 11 additional ones that have been granted landmark status by the Buffalo Preservation Board. Of those districts, there are three in Allentown and the Delaware District that will be of especial interest to architecture buffs:

• The 2 Delaware Avenue Historic District. Though there's period architecture to be found along the whole length of Delaware Avenue, the listed district consists of the stretch between North and Bryant Streets, dubbed "Millionaire's Row". The opulence of Millionaire's Row testifies to the fact that Buffalo once had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the U.S. Most of the mansions have since been converted to office space for local corporations and not-for-profit groups. Among the many mansions along this stretch of Delaware Avenue are the Butler Mansion (at #672), the Clement Mansion (at #786, now the local chapter of the American Red Cross), the Richmond-Lockwood House (at #844), and the Charles W. Goodyear House (at #888). (updated Sep 2017)

In the Delaware Avenue Historic District can be found a large and well-preserved collection of palatial residences, built by Buffalo's aristocratic élite at a time when the city was at the peak of its economic importance. Seen here are, from right to left, the Charles W. Goodyear House, the Harlow C. Curtiss House, and the Richmond-Lockwood House.

• The 3 Linwood Local Historic District. This district consists of the blocks bounded by Linwood Avenue, North Street, Delaware Avenue, and West Ferry Street, as well as the corresponding properties on the opposite sides of Linwood and West Ferry, and the properties on the opposite side of Delaware north of Bryant Street. Like the adjacent Millionaire's Row, Linwood Avenue rose to prominence after the Civil War as a playground of Buffalo's rapidly growing aristocracy, who built mansions there in a setting that was and is bucolic yet distinctly urban; unlike Millionaire's Row, the majority of the old houses in the Linwood Historic District are still used as private residences. Substantial wood-frame houses in the Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Shingle, and other turn-of-the-century styles are the rule here; these include the Charles R. Huntley House (#440 Linwood Avenue), the unusual Henry Crane House (#420), and the Albert J. Wright House (#242). (updated Sep 2017)

Forest Lawn Cemetery is also the site of a mausoleum designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright:

• 4 Blue-Sky Mausoleum, 1411 Delaware Ave. (Located in Section 15 of Forest Lawn Cemetery, accessible from Delaware Avenue or Main Street entrance; Metro Bus 11, 18, 25, 26 or 29; Metro Rail: Delavan-Canisius College), ☏ +1 716 885-1600. Daily 8AM-5PM, summer until 7PM. Forest Lawn Cemetery, whose vast, manicured green space full of sprawling shade trees and songbirds was one of his favorite places in Buffalo, is the site of the mausoleum Frank Lloyd Wright planned some time between 1925 and 1928 as the final resting place of his friend and benefactor, Darwin D. Martin. Though Martin's fortune was obliterated by the great stock market crash of 1929, the Blue-Sky Mausoleum was completed in 2004 to the original blueprints, and supervised by Anthony Puttnam, an architect trained by Wright himself. An exemplary adaptation of Wright's "organic" Prairie-style architecture, the mausoleum consists of twenty-four double-tier crypts contained in sprawling, horizontal slabs of white Vermont granite embedded into a gently sloping lawn next to Crystal Lake, with a stout monolith crowning its summit. The architect described his design as "a burial facing the open sky — a dignified great headstone commune to all." For exceptionally dedicated admirers of Wright, crypts are available for purchase (call for pricing and other details). As for Martin himself, he died penniless in 1935 and was buried quietly in a different grave in Forest Lawn that was long left unmarked, but was finally adorned with a headstone in 2007 courtesy of the Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation.  

Art

(Delawarre District has a few galleries spilling over from Allentown) (also see Buy sec)

• 5 Artists' Group Gallery, 1 Linwood Ave. (Metro Bus 7, 11 or 25; Metro Rail: Summer-Best), ☏ +1 716 885-2251. W-Th 11AM-5PM, F 11AM-4PM, Sa 11AM-2PM. The Artists' Group Gallery is named for and operated by the Western New York Artists' Group, a not-for-profit organization that promotes both well-known and emerging artists from Buffalo and the surrounding region. These works come in all media, but paintings — especially watercolors — are particularly overrepresented on the walls of this modest-sized gallery space. The Artists' Group philosophy holds that the whole community should have access to a range of artistic voices that speak to them on a personal level; to that end, the gallery puts on about a dozen exhibitions a year (including a series of juried members' exhibitions that is a springtime tradition at the Artists' Group Gallery) and also offers lectures, watercolor classes, workshops, concerts and other programming that's open to the public. 
• 6 ScenoArt Studio & Gallery, 293 Linwood Ave. (Metro Bus 12; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 882-0890. By appointment. In an ample old Queen Anne-style house on historic Linwood Avenue can be found the studio and gallery of Romanian-born artist Ella Joseph, whose works have been displayed at the Museum-Kunst-Palast in Düsseldorf and locally at Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, as well as at the Buffalo Infringement Festival. In fact, the Infringement Festival is your best bet for access to Ms. Joseph's truly avant-garde installations of video and theatrical performance art which seem to celebrate the ephemerality or transience inherent in the genre; however, interested visitors can contact the artist directly for private showings. 
• Unity Gallery, 1243 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 11, 25 or 26), ☏ +1 716 882-0391. M-Th 9:30AM-5:30PM, Su 10AM-12:30PM. This unassuming midcentury building on Delaware Avenue is not only home to the Unity Church of Practical Christianity, but also a gallery that, since 2002, has hosted a neverending series of two-month temporary exhibits featuring local artists displaying their work in solo and group shows, in a multiplicity of different media. If the "crafty" side of art is what you're into, check out the schedule: exhibits of handmade jewelry, enamels, quilting, and needlework are popular admixtures among the usual retinue of painting and photography. (updated Jul 2018)

Outdoors

• 7 Forest Lawn Cemetery, 1411 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 11, 18, 25, 26 or 29; Metro Rail: Delavan-Canisius College), ☏ +1 716 885-1600. Daily 8AM-5PM, summer until 7PM. It may seem strange to place a cemetery on a list of tourist attractions, but Forest Lawn is more than just a burial ground. Located immediately south of Delaware Park, Forest Lawn was founded in 1849 as a rural-style cemetery on what was then the outskirts of town, and serves today as an arboretum, nature preserve, and celebration of Buffalo's rich history. "Sundays in the Cemetery" tours are offered seasonally; conducted variously on foot (sensible shoes are recommended) and on trolleys, each of these themed excursions explores a different aspect of local history through an exploration of the lives of individuals buried at Forest Lawn. Famous people who have been laid to rest here include President Millard Fillmore, Prince Kyril Scherbatow of Imperial Russia, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, aviation pioneer Lawrence Bell, Seneca Indian chief Red Jacket, singer Rick James, and many mayors and other prominent citizens of Buffalo. Deer, birds and other native wildlife are commonly seen strolling these 269 acres (108 ha) of impeccably landscaped greenery, and architecture buffs will love the mausoleums and memorials designed by such Buffalo architecture luminaries as Richard Waite and George Cary, and especially the Blue Sky Mausoleum, completed in 2004 from a design by Frank Lloyd Wright. Cemetery grounds free, guided walking tours $15, guided trolley tours $25.  

• Blue-Sky Mausoleum (Located in Section 15 of Forest Lawn Cemetery, accessible from Delaware Avenue or Main Street entrance; Metro Bus 11, 18, 25, 26 or 29; Metro Rail: Delavan-Canisius College). See "Architecture" subsection above.  
• 8 Margaret L. Wendt Archive & Resource Center, 1990 Main St. (Metro Bus 8, 13, 18, 26 or 29; Metro Rail: Humboldt-Hospital), ☏ +1 716 332-2233. Daily 9AM-5PM and by appointment. If researching your family history is a priority for your visit to Buffalo, Forest Lawn's Margaret Wendt Archive & Resource Center may be the place for you. Here you'll find a collection of over 1.2 million archived family records and other historical documents tracing all aspects and periods of local history, pertaining equally to those buried at Forest Lawn and elsewhere. The Margaret Wendt Center also employs a staff of professional genealogy experts who can provide personalized assistance and service. (updated Dec 2016)
• 9 Serenity Falls (Located in Section 20 of Forest Lawn Cemetery, best accessed from Main Street entrance; Metro Bus 8, 13, 18, 26 or 29; Metro Rail: Delavan-Canisius College). Located on the grounds of Forest Lawn Cemetery, where Scajaquada Creek meets the Onondaga Escarpment, Serenity Falls may not have the majesty of other waterfalls in the area like Glen Falls in Williamsville or Akron Falls in Akron — let alone of the mighty Niagara Falls — but this charmingly understated hidden gem is one of only two natural waterfalls within Buffalo's city limits. Located in Section 20 of the cemetery, visitors can park along the side of the road, from which point they'll already be able to hear the rushing water, and walk a short distance upstream along the bank of the creek to the series of rapids and a flight of seven small cascades, 12 feet (3.6m) in total height, that makes up Serenity Falls. The falls are best visited in spring and late autumn, when the leaves on the trees don't block the view — the banks of Scajaquada Creek are very steep, and there are no trails or other methods of approach that lead directly to the falls. 

Parks

Nearly 150 years after it was constructed, Delaware Park continues to fulfill the intent of its designer, allowing citizens of Buffalo to escape into nature without leaving the city limits.

• 10 Delaware Park, North end of Lincoln Pkwy., behind Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Metro Bus 8, 11, 20, 25, or 32; Metro Rail: Humboldt-Hospital), ☏ +1 716 838-1429. Dawn to dusk. With an area of 234 acres (93 ha), Delaware Park is the central node in Buffalo's park system, by far the largest park in Buffalo, and one of the largest and best-preserved examples of Frederick Law Olmsted's landscape architecture anywhere. All the classic Olmsted features are present here: a large, grassy Meadow that is now the site of the Delaware Park Golf Course, thick stands of trees, and Hoyt Lake, the 46-acre (18.5ha) pond in the southwest corner of the park that Olmsted originally named "Gala Water". An essay by Charles Beveridge on the Olmsted park system in Buffalo describes how well Delaware Park continues to fulfill its intended role as a place for Buffalonians to experience nature and greenery without leaving the city limits; Delaware Park, as per his essay, is "the only public space designed by Olmsted in Buffalo that met his definition of the term 'park' — a setting of pastoral scenery extensive enough to provide complete escape from the artificiality and noise of the city." Delaware Park is popular year-round, but is most often enjoyed during the warm months, when walking, bicycling, jogging, tennis, golf, and basketball are popular activities, and the renowned Shakespeare in Delaware Park outdoor festival, which takes place here each summer and which is described more thoroughly in the Festivals and Events section below. Hoyt Lake is surrounded by a lovely walking/biking trail and features rowboats and paddleboats for rent at the Marcy Casino during the summer months. Delaware Park is also the site of the Buffalo Zoo.  

• 11 Delaware Park Rose Garden (Metro Bus 20 or 32). Delaware Park's beautiful Rose Garden is located directly off Lincoln Parkway behind the Marcy Casino, and blooms in season with thirty-three beds of beautiful red, purple, yellow and white roses, many varieties of which have been honored in the past as All-America Rose Selections. The rose garden was not part of Olmsted's original design for the park, but was instead added to the park in 1912. Although its formality contrasts incongruously with the quiet, curvilinear naturalism of the park's original features, the Rose Garden is nonetheless lovely and renowned, and was recently subjected to a thorough restoration at the hands of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. The impeccably manicured garden also includes a working fountain and pyramidal trellises, and a grand pergola at its rear. The garden, and Delaware Park in general, is immensely popular with bridal parties during rose season; don't be surprised if you have to dodge gaggles of bridesmaids posing for endless pictures! 
• 12 Japanese Garden (Metro Bus 20 or 32). Inaugurated in 1974 as a gesture of friendship between Buffalo and its sister city of Kanazawa, Japan, Delaware Park's Japanese Garden is located on six acres (2.4ha) on Hoyt Lake, behind the Buffalo History Museum. This beautifully manicured oasis of greenery slopes gently down from Nottingham Terrace to the shore of the lake, also encompassing three small islands in the lake connected to the mainland by a lovely ornamental footbridge. Over the past years, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy has been hard at work restoring and maintaining the more than 1,000 plantings of ornamental trees, shrubs and plants in the garden, including a large stand of Japanese cherry trees, and also have added or will soon add a stone garden and an authentic karesansui waterfall. Amid it all there are many benches and other sitting areas perfect for serene contemplation of one's peaceful natural surroundings. 

Cast in 1900, this replica of Michaelangelo's David is one of several works of public art displayed in Buffalo's Delaware Park.

• Public art. There are a number of installations of public art peppered around the grounds of Delaware Park. These include: 

• 13 David (Adjacent to Scajaquada Expressway and Lincoln Parkway, accessible from Hoyt Lake bike trail; Metro Bus 20 or 32). This bronze replica of Michaelangelo's iconic sculpture David is the work of the firm of Sabatino de Angelis and Sons, based in Naples, Italy. In 1903, three years after seeing it on display at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, Buffalo businessman Andrew Langdon purchased the statue from the firm, with the stipulation that no casts of the sculpture would be sold to any other American clients. Langdon donated the statue to the Buffalo Historical Society, and it has been on display near Hoyt Lake ever since. 
• 14 The Indian Hunter (Located next to first tee of Delaware Park Golf Course, adjacent to Meadow Drive; Metro Bus 8 or 32; Metro Rail: Humboldt-Hospital). A bronze figure of a boy in American Indian garb crouching over next to his dog, bow and arrow in hand, The Indian Hunter is a replica of the statue of the same name that's on display in New York City's Central Park. According to the plaque on its pink granite pedestal, Buffalo's Indian Hunter was donated to the city in 1926 by Ella Spencer Darr in memory of her husband Marcus. The original sculpture is the work of artist John Quincy Adams Ward, and was cast in 1866. 
• 15 Spirit of Womanhood (Located along eastbound lane of Scajaquada Expressway near Delaware Avenue interchange, accessible from Hoyt Lake bike trail; Metro Bus 11 or 25). A work of renowned local sculptor Larry Griffis, this 15-foot-tall (4.5m tall) bronze statue is a modernist, stylized rendering of a nude woman holding over her head a metal hoop six feet (1.8m) in diameter. The vertical orientation of the sculpture, and the upward gaze of the figure's head, are symbolic of optimism and hope, and the hoop represents the world, eternity, and the cycle of life. Griffis cast this sculpture in December 1962 in honor of Marian de Forest, the founder of Zonta International, a service organization dedicated to the advancement of women that traces its roots to Buffalo. 
• 16 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Located adjacent to Hoyt Lake and Scajaquada Creekside Trail near Buffalo History Museum; Metro Bus 20 or 32). The first installation of public art to be placed in Delaware Park and one of the first in the entire city, this 4-foot (1.2m) bronze bust of the most prolific, prodigious and influential composer of the Classical era was sculpted by Olin H. Warner for the Buffalo Liedertafel — a fact that bears testament to the profound importance of the German-American community in Buffalo's history, who made up more than half of the city's population when the statue was dedicated in 1894. The statue's pink granite base contains a number of bronze plaques inscribed with biographical facts about Mozart's life, the titles of some of his important works, and honorifics. Today, Mozart serenely overlooks Hoyt Lake from a spot near the Buffalo History Museum. 
• 17 Young Lincoln (At the front of the Rose Garden, facing the Albright-Knox Art Gallery; Metro Bus 20 and 32). Located (appropriately enough) adjacent to Lincoln Parkway, this bronze statue depicts Abraham Lincoln seated on an oak log with an axe at his feet and a book on his right knee, symbolizing his transition in life from humble farm labor to the highest achievement of American statesmanship. The work of sculptor Bryant Baker, Young Lincoln was cast in bronze in 1935; on its pink granite base is inscribed a quote from poet James Russell Lowell: "For him her old world moulds aside she threw, and choosing sweet clay from the breast of the unexhausted west, with stuff untainted shaped a hero new." 

• Delaware Park is far from the only Frederick Law Olmsted park in the city — on the contrary, all of Buffalo is crisscrossed by Olmsted's park and parkway system, designed by him in stages beginning in 1868, and part of which is found in the Delaware District. Olmsted's "parkways" are wide, verdant avenues modeled after the grand boulevards of Paris, and lined with multiple rows of large shade trees. They serve as approaches to the parks, or extend from one park to another, and were intended to enable visitors to travel between parks without ever leaving a green and natural environment (for a long time, automobile traffic was prohibited on the parkways). Running south from the entrance to Delaware Park are three parkways, one of which, Chapin Parkway, is located in the Delaware District. Chapin Parkway's southeastern terminus, 18 Gates Circle}, was also originally laid out by Olmsted, but was later redesigned in the Beaux-Arts style by eminent local architect E. B. Green. Early on, the Olmsted parkways became popular places for Buffalo's moneyed aristocracy to build their homes; much like Millionaire's Row and Linwood Avenue, the parkways near Delaware Park are the site of some of Buffalo's most palatial mansions.

Do

Festivals and events

Delaware Park serves as one of the busiest venues for Buffalo's huge and growing slate of annual festivals, with a wide range of activities taking place there year-round.

EDIT AS NEC

Spring

• Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival. Buffalo's Cherry Blossom Festival serves as both a tribute to the city's sister-city relationship with Kanazawa, Japan, as well as a fundraiser for the continuing upkeep of Delaware Park's Japanese Garden. This weeklong festival usually takes place about three weeks after its much more famous counterpart in Washington, D.C., with peak bloom in early to mid-May. In between admiring the lovely trees, you can also catch live music, take a boat ride on Mirror Lake, and — especially — take a taste of Japanese culture with bunraku puppet theater performances and a traditional tea ceremony on the portico of the Buffalo History Museum. Expanding their scope far beyond the Japanese Garden, the Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival's organizers also sponsor cherry tree plantings all over the city, and will even sell you one to plant in your own yard. (updated May 2015)

Summer

• Buffalo Greek Fest. The Buffalo Greek Fest serves as the traditional start of the summer festival season in the Buffalo area, and, since 1978, has been held each year at the beginning of June at the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation on historic Delaware Avenue. Aside from showcasing the cuisine, traditional music and folk dances of Greece, enlightening exhibits are displayed that encompass aspects of Greek culture, and architectural tours are conducted of this beautiful church which has been inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places. 
• Shakespeare in Delaware Park. Delaware Park's 1 Shakespeare Hill has since 1976 been the setting of Shakespeare in Delaware Park. With a goal of enriching, inspiring and entertaining diverse audiences through performance and educational programming with a focus on the works of William Shakespeare, this not-for-profit professional theatre company performs two selected Shakespeare plays annually from June until August at their striking Tudor-style outdoor stage adjacent to Hoyt Lake, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and the Delaware Park Rose Garden. Performances are free of charge at this longstanding summertime tradition, though donations are greatly appreciated.  

Autumn

• Music Is Art Festival. The brainchild of Robby Takac, longtime bass guitarist for Buffalo-based rock band The Goo Goo Dolls, the Music Is Art Festival was founded in 2004 and originally was held in Allentown in June to coincide with the Allentown Art Festival before moving to Delaware Park in 2008, where it now takes place in mid-September. The Music Is Art Festival "celebrates all that is weird and wonderful about [the] arts scene in Western New York" (in the words of a recent feature article in the Buffalo News) by presenting a constant stream of creative performances of live music of all genres by artists of local provenance, on several stages. 

Golf

• 2 Delaware Park Golf Course, 84 Parkside Ave. (Metro Bus 8, 11, 25 or 32; Metro Rail: Humboldt-Hospital), ☏ +1 716 838-1249. Opened in 1930 on the site of Delaware Park's Meadow, the Delaware Park Golf Course is arguably the most popular golf course in the city. Golfers can enjoy playing a full 18-hole game in a beautifully landscaped environment; the course is par 68 and its longest tees have a yardage of 5,359 yards. The Parkside Lodge is a lovely 1914 Craftsman-style building that houses a snack bar and the course's pro shop. An interesting historical feature of the Delaware Park Golf Course can be found near the fourth hole; a monument there pays tribute to two or three hundred War of 1812 soldiers, who succumbed to disease and were buried on the site in 1812-13, while stationed for the winter on what was then the rural farmstead of Dr. Daniel Chapin. Weekend green fees $15.00. 

Buy

(lots to see in the Delaware District but few places to shop, eat, drink, sleep)

• 1 Art Dialogue Gallery, 5 Linwood Ave. (Metro Bus 7, 11 or 25; Metro Rail: Summer-Best), ☏ +1 716 885-2251. Tu-F 11AM-5PM, Sa 11AM-3PM. Curated by Donald J. Siuta, a noted artist, educator and consultant who also serves on the Board of Directors of the Buffalo Arts Commission and as head of the Western New York Artists Group, the Art Dialogue Gallery exhibits a small but magnificent collection of paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and works in other media by local artists. In addition, there are antique prints for sale, and Siuta puts his nearly forty years of experience to good use in offering the most comprehensive selection of custom framing in Western New York, with hundreds of mouldings to choose from. 
• 2 Chatham Pottery, 190 Bryant St. (Metro Bus 11, 20 or 25), ☏ +1 716 881-2199. Open by appointment or chance. Catherine Gillespie has always been big on art that is beautiful as well as functional — things that serve a purpose more useful than to be idly hung on a wall and then barely noticed — and functional art is the name of the game at Chatham Pottery. Choose from a selection of unique, handmade stoneware pottery and dinnerware — plates and bowls, tea sets, coffee mugs and urns, vessel basins (custom-designed to mount in your kitchen or bathroom!) — designed by Gillespie herself, or commission your own if you prefer. And if you're looking for a less expensive but no less unique gift, Chatham has you covered with decorative kitchen tiles that run from $10 to $20. (updated Jul 2018)

Eat

• 1 Hutch's, 1375 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 11, 25 or 26), ☏ +1 716 885-0074. M-Th 5PM-10PM, F-Sa 5PM-midnight, Su 4PM-9PM. In the shadow of Olmsted's magnificent Gates Circle, the cuisine served at Hutch's is wide-ranging and of unrelentingly high quality. Appetizers are dominated by seafood selections as diverse as "Thai-high" calamari, Moroccan spiced shrimp salad, and mussels Scampi; these are accompanied by more typically Buffalo fare such as the stuffed poblano pepper that is a beloved regular on the specials list. Mains include a respectable stable of steaks and chops, chicken dishes, and seafood entrees, as well as the jambalaya pasta that is another favorite. Sandwiches and salads are also featured, and don't forget to save room for the delectable desserts including Hutch's homemade gelato and sorbet. $30-120. (updated Aug 2018)
• 2 The Terrace at Delaware Park, 199 Lincoln Pkwy. (At Marcy Casino; Metro Bus 20 or 32), ☏ +1 716 886-0089. Tu-F 4PM-10PM, Sa-Su 11AM-10PM. Delaware Park's Marcy Casino has played host to a restaurant throughout most of its history — records date all the way back to 1875 — and nowadays it serves an upscale menu described as "contemporary global cuisine", an understatement if there ever was one. Aficionados of cuisines the world over will probably find something to their liking, whether it be the Cantonese baozi on the small-plate menu, Argentinian skirt steak with chimichurri sauce and fried patatas bravas on the side, or Belgian-style duck frites. All this is served in a swanky supper-club ambience that really brings the rich history of the building into focus, but on summer days you can also enjoy one of the loveliest settings in the city on the namesake terrace overlooking Hoyt Lake. $35-60. (updated Aug 2018)

Drink

The Delaware District is quiet and residential, and does not have nearly the same level of nightlife as Allentown of the Elmwood Village.

(de-listingify to a brief mention & add Hutch's too)

• The Terrace at Delaware Park, 199 Lincoln Pkwy. (At Marcy Casino; Metro Bus 20 or 32), ☏ +1 716 886-0089. Another Mike Shatzel operation, and if you're familiar with that name, you likely have a good idea of what to expect — a selection of beers that's almost inarguably Buffalo's most creative and well-curated. The bar features sixteen brews on tap at any given time, the selection hewing closely to Shatzel's trademark combination of American microbrews and sometimes hard-to-find European imports, plus well-prepared classic craft cocktails that befit the bar's 1920s speakeasy getup. (updated Aug 2018)

Sleep

Historic Linwood Avenue has a superlative B&B where the themes of local history and culture come out in full force.

• 1 Oscar's Bed & Breakfast, 288 Linwood Ave. (Metro Bus 8, 11, 12, 13 or 25; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 381-8605. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Buffalo architecture is the theme at this bed & breakfast, and you get an eclectic smorgasbord of it: while the exterior is textbook Second Empire, the three guest suites are individually styled and named for historic luminaries of the Buffalo design world: the Wade Room honors the designer of Buffalo's City Hall with Art Deco-inspired fixtures and artwork, the Beebe Suite is a Victorian dreamscape of two adjoining rooms with an antique brass bed, French armoire and Eastlake-style marbletop table, and the decor in the top-of-the-line Wright Suite (as in Frank Lloyd) is inspired by his work in Japan. All rooms come with air conditioning, WiFi, flat-screen cable TV, coffeemaker, private bath, parking for one vehicle, and (on request) an iron and ironing board. $139-160/night. (updated Aug 2018)

Connect

post offices? (West Side, I guess)

Stay safe

The Delaware District boasts an extremely low crime rate. Visitors should not experience problems of any kind there.

(no panhandlers either)

Cope

Hospitals

The nearest hospitals are Buffalo General Hospital, at 100 High St. in the Medical Corridor, Erie County Medical Center at 462 Grider St. on the East Side, and Sisters of Charity Hospital at 2157 Main St.

Places of worship

This is one of the few remaining areas of Buffalo where white, mainline Protestant churches still predominate.

Roman Catholic

• 1 Blessed Sacrament RC Church, 1029 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 11, 12 or 25; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 884-0053. Mass Su 9AM & 11AM, Sa 8AM & 4:30PM, M-F 8AM. At the current site of the Timon Towers apartments just next door stood from 1915 to 1978 the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, the so-called St. Joseph's New Cathedral. Though chronic problems stemming from shoddy construction eventually forced the demolition of the palatial church, whereupon the old cathedral downtown reverted to its former role, Blessed Sacrament Church — whose parish predated the cathedral by about a dozen years, and whose building had served as the Cathedral's chapel — is still an active congregation in the Delaware District. 

Protestant

• 2 Delaware Avenue Baptist Church, 965 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 11, 12 or 25; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 884-0070. Services Su 11AM. This beautiful Richardsonian Romanesque church in red sandstone, the most significant remaining work of local architect John Coxhead, now houses a large, active, friendly, and ethnically diverse congregation affiliated with the American Baptist Convention. 

The Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, at the corner of Delaware Avenue and West Utica Street, took ownership of the former North Presbyterian Church very quickly after that congregation's move to the suburb of Williamsville — in fact, the first Greek Orthodox Mass in the building took place on Sunday, December 28th, 1952, just after the conclusion of the final Presbyterian service there!

• 3 Religious Society of Friends Buffalo Meeting, 1272 Delaware Ave (Metro Bus 11, 25 or 26), ☏ +1 716 892-8645. Meetings Su 10:30AM. Established in 1939, Buffalo's Quaker congregation meets at the Network of Religious Communities building on Delaware Avenue for about an hour every Sunday morning "to seek an inner light and peace". There's no pastor or pulpit — just silent prayer and meditation, interrupted every once in a while by testimonies and other impromptu messages spoken out by congregants whenever the inspiration catches them. Meetings end with a potluck lunch at noon. The Society of Friends is also active in community programs, especially those that foster nonviolence. 
• 4 Westminster Presbyterian Church, 724 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 7, 11, 22 or 25; Metro Rail: Summer-Best), ☏ +1 716 884-9437. Services Su 8:45AM & 11AM. Westminster Presbyterian Church was founded in 1854; many members of Buffalo's élite aristocracy of the 19th and early 20th Centuries, including Jewett Richmond and Jesse Ketchum, have worshiped in this massive Gothic edifice that still boasts a number of Tiffany stained-glass windows. Today, Westminster Presbyterian's commitment to inclusion has led it to affiliation with the "More Light" movement, as well as to interfaith collaborations with Temple Beth Zion, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and other congregations and groups. 

Nondenominational

• 5 Unity Church of Practical Christianity, 1243 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 11, 25 or 26), ☏ +1 716 882-0391. Services Su 10AM. One of the most open-minded and welcoming spiritual communities in Buffalo, at Unity the artificial boundaries between faiths and denominations are rejected in favor of what its website describes as "a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus Christ" that "honors the universal truths in all religions and respects each individual's right to choose their own spiritual path". Services are held in an unassuming midcentury building on Delaware Avenue just south of Gates Circle, and Unity also hosts a wide variety of study groups, courses, and even an art gallery. (updated Jul 2018)
• 6 Word of Life Church, 181 W. Utica St. (Metro Bus 11, 12, 20 or 25), ☏ +1 716 868-7997. Services Su 11AM. At this friendly non-denominational evangelical church, pastor William Tobin preaches the gospel to a diverse congregation in services that respond to the spiritual needs of all types of people in today's world. Since 1968, Word of Life Church has occupied the wood-frame building on West Utica Street that was formerly home to the Church of the Divine Humanity, Buffalo's first and only Swedenborgian congregation built in 1900 to a design by architect Sidney Woodruff. (updated May 2016)

Black churches

• 7 Midtown Bible Church, 1722 Main St. (Metro Bus 8; Metro Rail: Delavan-Canisius College), ☏ +1 716 884-5203. A nondenominational Christian church founded in 1994 and located on Main Street in Oxford, near Canisius College. 

Eastern Orthodox

• 8 Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, 146 W. Utica St. (Metro Bus 11, 12 or 25; Metro Rail: Utica), ☏ +1 716 882-9485. Su-F Orthros 9AM, Divine Liturgy 10AM. Located since 1952 in a beautiful English Gothic edifice listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation is not only the place of worship for the Buffalo metro area's Greek Orthodox population, but is also well-known as the site of the Buffalo Greek Fest, where Buffalonians kick off the summer festival season each June.  

Jewish

• 9 Temple Beth Zion, 805 Delaware Ave. (Metro Bus 11, 22 or 25; Metro Rail: Summer-Best), ☏ +1 716 836-6565. Services F 6PM & Sa 10:30AM, check website for additional. Soon after its foundation in 1850, Temple Beth Zion became one of the first shuls in America to embrace the new movement of Reform Judaism, and it is still one of the largest Reform synagogues in the nation. The current Temple Beth Zion, built in 1961 after a fire claimed its old building, is a breathtaking work of modern architecture that stands out among its neighbors on Delaware Avenue. A truly magnificent place to worship, Temple Beth Zion's interior is lit naturally with skylights as well as magnificent stained-glass windows by noted artist Ben Shahn.  

Go next

elmwood village, allentown, north buffalo