User:AndreCarrotflower/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
EDIT AS NEEDED

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
EDIT AS NEEDED

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).

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.



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:


 * — 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)

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
 * The

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



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



Parks





 * 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, }, 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.
 * 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, }, 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.
 * 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, }, 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.
 * 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, }, 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.
 * 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, }, 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.
 * 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, }, 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.
 * 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, }, 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.

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

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



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)



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



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)

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.

Go next
elmwood village, allentown, north buffalo