Lafayette Square, Buffalo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lafayette Square | |
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| Type | Public park/Town Square |
| Location | Buffalo, New York |
| Size | 1 city block |
| Opened | early 1800s |
| Operated by | City of Buffalo |
| Status | Open all year |
Lafayette Square (formerly Court House Park or Courthouse Square)[1] is a block in the center of downtown Buffalo, Erie County, New York, United States. The block, which was once square, is surrounded by many of the city's tallest buildings. The square was named after General Lafayette.[2]
The square was part of the original urban plan for the city as laid out by Joseph Ellicott.[3] The square formerly hosted the original Erie County Courthouse, the original Erie County Jail, and the original Buffalo Public Library, which was designed by Cyrus Eidlitz.[1][2] The site was the location where former United States President Martin Van Buren received the Free Soil Party Presidential nomination for the 1848 election.[2]
Today, the square continues to have a largely unobstructed view from and of Buffalo City Hall, which is five blocks to the west. The square houses a Civil War monument, titled Soldiers and Sailors, that was dedicated with military pomp by Grover Cleveland and conceived by Mrs. Horatio Seymour.[4] Its dedication was attended by numerous high profile individuals including two state governors and two Brigadier Generals. The square is the current host of the annual Thursday at the Square summer concert series.[5] Occasionally, the square hosts various rallies and demonstrations.
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[edit] Location
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Left: (L to R) Liberty Building, Buffalo City Hall, Main Court Building, 10 Lafayette Square, & Rand Building Center: Niagara Square to Lafayette Square from Buffalo City Hall on a blustery day Right: Original city plan with Niagara and Lafayette squares
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Lafayette Square is a block that is located three blocks east of Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo, New York. The block is surrounded by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's Metro Rail light rail rapid transit to the west, which runs above ground along Main Street downtown in what is called the Free Fare Zone,[6] Washington Street to the east, Lafayette Square to the north (a one-way westbound continuation of Broadway Street) and Lafayette Square to the south (a one-way eastbound connection to Clinton Street).[7]
Buildings located on the square include the Liberty Building,[8] the Main Court Building,[9] 10 Lafayette Square,[10] the Rand Building (14 Lafayette Square),[11] and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (One Lafayette Square). Lafayette Square is serviced by the Lafayette Square rapid transit rail station of Buffalo's Metro Rail and several Metro Bus routes.[7] In 2003, Lafayette Square was the site of the first municipal free wifi hotspot in the city.[12]
[edit] History
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Eastward (L to R):Original Erie County Court House (1818-1876), the original Buffalo Public Library (1887-1960s), the current Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (1960s-present)
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The square was once known as Court House Park and was the site of the original Erie County court house, which was built in 1818. Buffalo was the county seat of Niagara County until 1821 when Erie County was created. In 1833 an adjacent County jailhouse was added.[2] A Cyrus Eidlitz Buffalo Public Library building was first erected on the Court House's location and dedicated on February 7, 1887, and the current Buffalo & Erie County Public Library building replaced this building in the 1960s.[1] In 1912, the Buffalo Common Council authorized the extension of Broadway Avenue to Main Street through Lafayette Square, which reduced the size of the square "to devote to street purposes all that part of the Square except for a small circle around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument."[13] The change also altered the square shape of the block.
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Lt. General Lafayette Commander French National Guard, 1792 ~35yrs
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Plaque at corner of Washington and Clinton/Lafayette Square designating the original courthouse site
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In 1848, the Free Soil Party, which was absorbed into the Republican Party in 1854, held its national nominating convention in Buffalo and selected former New York Governor and former United States President Martin Van Buren and Charles Francis Adams as their nominees for United States President and United States Vice President for the 1848 election.[2] In 1873, the square was named for American Revolutionary War veteran and French General Lafayette, who had given a speech at the square in 1825.[2]
The first meeting regarding the erection of a Civil War monument was held on April 14, 1866. However, Mrs. Horatio Seymour organized the Ladies Union Monument Association on July 2, 1874, which raised $12,000 and approved a design by George Keller. Following this proactive effort, the city of Buffalo approved an additional $45,000 for the project.[4]
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Joseph Ellicott planned Lafayette Square, and both Gov. Grover Cleveland and Gov. John Hartranft attended the square's Soldiers and Sailors dedication.
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Then Mayor of Buffalo Grover Cleveland laid the cornerstone of Keller's 85-foot (25.9 m) granite-shaft Soldiers and Sailors monument in the center of the square on July 4, 1882 and returned as New York Governor to dedicate the monument.[3] In addition, Brigadier General Stewart Woodford made remarks at the first ceremony.[4] General Woodford, Pennsylvania Governor John Hartranft and Brigadier General William Findlay Rogers were among the notable persons who attended the dedication.[4]
The monument's shaft supports a 10-foot-6-inch (3.2 m) female figure, and four 8-foot (2.4 m) bronze statues, representing the infantry, artillery, cavalry and navy, sculpted by Caspar Buberl are near the base. Bronze bas-reliefs encircled the column above the statues.[3] The square once the original county court house and jail whose buildings have been replaced by the Main branch of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. The south side of the square continues to host two historic buildings: the 300-room Lafayette Hotel designed by Bethune, Bethune and Fuchs in 1904 and the Brisbane building designed by Milton E. Beebe and erected by James Mooney and James Brisbane in 1894–5, which formerly hosted The Kleinhans Company in its 32,000-square-foot (2,972.9 m²) first floor.[3]
The monument has a dedication on the front (Main Street) side to those who laid down their lives "in the war to maintain the union for the cause of their country and of mankind." Half of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is on the back of the monument. The monument has several bas-relief scenes such as Lincoln original cabinet: Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase, Secretary of State William H. Seward, Attorney General Edward Bates, Postmaster General Montgomery Blair, Secretary of the Interior, Caleb Smith, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, Major General Winfield Scott, and Secretary of War Simon Cameron.[4]
The monument has had two significant tribulations. First, in 1889, it was determined that the foundation had settled unevenly causing a tilt similar to the Tower of Pisa. The monument was dismantled and rebuilt with a new 15-foot (4.6 m) base. Then in 1973 a motorist ran into the monument with his vehicle.[4]
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Lafayette Square hosts Left: Liberty Building; Center: Main Court Building; Right: 10 Lafayette Square, Rand Building and Soldiers and Sailors.
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[edit] Today
The square has been the cite of various modern rallies. After Scott Norwood missed a field goal in Super Bowl XXV, Buffalo Bills fans held a rally at the square to show their continuing support of him and the team.[14] On January 16, 1981, there were a set of demonstrations and counter-demonstrations on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Lafayette Square, Niagara Square and nearby areas by the Neo-Nazi National Socialist Party of America and opposing groups.[15][16]
Every summer since 1986, Buffalo Place, Inc. has hosted a concert series, called Thursday at the Square on Thursdays in Lafayette Square starting in May and running until September.[5] A typical schedule includes a wide variety of musical acts.[17] The 2008 schedule will be released in mid-May.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c 1887 Buffalo Public Library. History of Buffalo. Chuck LaChiusa. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ a b c d e f Old Court House. History of Buffalo. Chuck LaChiusa. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
- ^ a b c d 39-A Lafayette Square. www.ci.buffalo.ny.us. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ a b c d e f The Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Lafayette Square Buffalo, New York. Lancaster Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ a b c Summer Concert Series. Buffalo Place Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ The Free Fare Zone. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ a b Overview. www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Liberty Building. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Main Court Building. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ 10 Lafayette Square. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Rand Building. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Welcome to BuffaloWifi.org. BuffaloWiFi.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ The History of Buffalo: A Chronology Buffalo, New York: 1901-1913. History of Buffalo. Chuck LaChiusa.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (1992-01-12). Sports of The Times; Blue Collars, Blue Wigs, Spicy Wings. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ THE REGION; Judge Won't Enjoin Nazi Rally in Buffalo. The New York Times. The New York Times Company (1981-01-14). Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ Rule, Sheila (1981-01-16). 1,000 MEET IN BUFFALO IN TRIBUTE TO DR. KING AS COUNTER RALLY FAILS. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ Announcement: Schedule for 2007 Thursday at the Square. Buffalo Rising Online. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
[edit] External links
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