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that realized his philosophy about the essential role of recreational space within the
fabric of urban communities.
Olmsted believed that parks were needed to temper the alienation, pollution, and
pace of emerging American industrial cities. He saw green spaces as having a pos-
itive social and political impact on citizens who could use a common area to share
their common humanity. Buffalo would be his proving ground.
Olmsted's ambitious plans for Buffalo began in 1868 and were primarily imple-
mented over the next 30 years. The heart of design was three major parks that were
connected by broad streets. The parks were dispersed throughout the city so that all
citizenscouldhaveequalaccess.The200-foot-wideparkwaysthatjointheparksfea-
ture large grassy medians and are lined by trees providing a green oasis for a city
heated by coal and shrouded in smog.
The three original parks are now known as Delaware, Front, and Martin Luther
King,Jr.,Parks.Cazenovia,Riverside,andSouthParkwereaddedtothedesignover
the years. Olmsted's legacy is a vibrant system of green spaces that play an import-
ant role in the lives of everybody in the region. It is in these spaces that we relax,
play sports, exercise, congregate, fish, cross-country ski, see Shakespeare produc-
tions, and snap wedding photos. In short, Mr. Olmsted has created spaces for us to
commune.
Locals and visitors alike can enjoy these interconnected parks for free. The Buf-
falo Olmsted Parks Conservancy's website ( www.bfloparks.org ) is the best resource
to help you find the parks and learn what is going on at each park. Olmsted's contri-
butions have made Buffalo a much better city in which to live.
Cazenovia Park (25 Cazenovia St., 716/826-7820, www.bfloparks.org , dawn-dusk
daily)isa186-acreparknamedafterthecreekthatrunsthroughit.KnownasCaztolocals,
this pastoral strip of green is the heart of South Buffalo's working-class neighborhood. Ori-
ginally built in 1893 by Olmsted, the park has been expanded over the years and has some
of the most mature stands of trees in the entire city. Cazenovia Creek meanders through the
park, eventually joining up with the Buffalo River and Lake Erie. There is also a 9-hole
publicgolfcourse,swimmingpool,playground,joggingtrail,threesoccerfields,fourbase-
ball diamonds, and a public ice-skating rink (Sept. 1-Apr. 7).
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