Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens |
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| Type | Botanical garden |
| Location | 2655 South Park Avenue Buffalo, New York |
| Nearest city | Buffalo, New York |
| Area | 11.57 acres (0.0468 km2) |
| Created | 1900 |
| Operated by | Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society, Inc. |
| Open | All year |
| Website | www.buffalogardens.com |
The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens are amazing botanical gardens found inside South Park in Buffalo, New York, United States. These beautiful gardens were created thanks to the ideas of famous people. These include landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, greenhouse designers Lord & Burnham, and plant explorer John F. Cowell.
Contents
History of the Gardens
How the Gardens Started
The idea for the Botanical Gardens began a long time ago, in 1868. The Buffalo Parks Commission met with a famous landscape architect named Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. and his team.
In the late 1880s, they asked Olmsted to design a new park for South Buffalo. His plan included two new parks: Cazenovia Park and South Park. South Park was built between 1894 and 1900, using about 156 acres (0.63 km2) of old farm land.
South Park Conservatory
South Park became the home of today's botanical gardens. It was first known as the "South Park Conservatory." Olmsted's plan was for the conservatory to show off tropical plants.
The rest of the park was designed for plants that could handle the local weather. This included an arboretum (a place for trees), a pinetum (for pine trees), a shrub garden, and a bog garden. Formal gardens near the conservatory led visitors to more natural areas with walking paths.
South Park was also supposed to have a large pond for boating, a road for horse carriages, and a big meadow. However, some parts of the plan, like certain walking paths, a boat house, and a bandstand, were never finished.
The Amazing Glass Building
The main building of the conservatory has three glass domes. It was designed by Lord & Burnham, who were top experts in building conservatories at that time. They used building methods similar to the famous Crystal Palace and Kew Gardens Palm House in England.
When it was built between 1897 and 1899, it cost $130,000. It was one of the largest public greenhouses in the country. Today, there are fewer than a dozen large Victorian conservatories left in America. The Buffalo Botanical Gardens is one of only two with this special three-dome design. The other is at the New York Botanical Garden.
First Director and Plant Explorer
The first director of the gardens was Professor John F. Cowell. He was in charge of growing plants for the park. He also personally found and brought in many unusual trees.
Professor Cowell spent many years exploring places like the Americas and the Caribbean. He would send back seeds and small plants for the conservatory. Soon after the gardens opened, thousands of people visited them during the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. This quickly made the gardens famous across the country.
See also
In Spanish: Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens para niños
