Lafayette Square (Buffalo, New York)

This article is about Buffalo, New York's Lafayette Square. For other uses, see Lafayette Square.

Lafayette Square
Soldiers and Sailors, the monument at Lafayette Square
Map
TypePublic park/Town Square
LocationBuffalo, New York
Coordinates42°53′09″N 78°52′26″W / 42.885702°N 78.873808°W / 42.885702; -78.873808
Area1 city block
Createdearly 1800s
Operated byCity of Buffalo
StatusOpen all year
Public transit accessLafayette Square (Metro Rail)

Lafayette Square (formerly Court House Park or Courthouse Square[1]) is a park in the center of downtown Buffalo, Erie County, New York, United States, that hosts a Civil War monument. The block, which was once square, is lined by many of the city's tallest buildings. The square was named for General Lafayette, who visited Buffalo in 1825.[1]

The square was part of the original urban plan for the city as laid out by Joseph Ellicott in 1804.[2] Its eastern edge has long been defined by important civic structures; first, the Erie County Courthouse, followed by the original Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Presidential history was made in Lafayette Square when former United States President Martin Van Buren received the Free Soil Party nomination for the 1848 election.[3] President-elect Abraham Lincoln also spoke at the square.[4]

Today, the square offers a clear view of Buffalo City Hall, an Art Deco building three blocks to the west. A granite Civil War monument, titled Soldiers and Sailors, gives a strong vertical and ceremonial definition to the space. Conceived by Mrs. Horatio Seymour, the monument's dedication ceremony was attended by Grover Cleveland and other prominent figures.[5] Until 2011, Lafayette Square hosted the annual Thursday at the Square summer concert series and is occasionally the site of rallies and demonstrations.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Lafayette Square". Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved March 25, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ Lalli, V. Roger (watercolor)/ Rote, David Mott (text) (1994). "Buffalo My City: Water Color Series". www.ci.buffalo.ny.us. GLK Enterprises. Retrieved March 7, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference OPotNFSC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FDAROL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "The Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Lafayette Square Buffalo, New York". Lancaster Historical Society. Archived from the original on November 22, 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference SCS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).