Buffalo's Olmsted park system was built and administered by a commission of citizens operating as a part of the city government. The Buffalo Board of Park Commissioners was established by an act of the New York State legislature passed April 14, 1869. It consisted of up to 12 members, who served for specified terms of office upon appointment by the mayor, who was also served as an ex-officio member of the board. The members served without salary, and were free to choose their own presiding officer and establish a committee structure to assist in their work. William Rogers, then Mayor of Buffalo, appointed as the first Buffalo park commissioners William Dorsheimer, Richard Flach, Sherman S. Jewett, James Mooney, D. P. Rumsey, John Cronyn, M.D., Joseph Warren, John Greiner, Dennis Bowen, E. T. Evans, and Pascal Pratt. They selected Pascal Pratt to serve as their first President.
One of the park board's first activities was the appointment of Olmsted, Vaux & Company as landscape architects. To oversee the daily administration of the parks, the board initially employed a Park Engineer and a Superintendent of Planting. Once the initial surveys of the grounds for were completed, the position of Superintendent was created to oversee the administration and maintenance of the parks. As the first Park Superintendent they selected William McMillan, a professional horticulturist who had come to Buffalo from on Olmsted's recommendation to serve as the Director of Planting for the Buffalo parks.
The Board of Park Commissioners guided the creation and development of Buffalo's park and parkway system for 47 years. During that time, they oversaw the expenditure of very significant amounts of City funds and had their responsibilities increased several times, eventually becoming responsible for all city parks, squares and public grounds, the city zoo, a botanic garden and a sizeable amount of public roadways. In an era which regarded charity as a private responsibilitiy, the parks provided a means of providing for the able bodied poor and jobless. At times so many men applied for work that the available park construction jobs were rotated daily to spread the benefit among as many families as possible. Despite their level of responsibility, the Board of Park Commisioners proved unique among the governing bodies of the city, for not one scandal ever blotted the administration of the parks and the public funds appropriated for them! The Board was renowned well beyond the boundaries of the city for its honesty and incorruptability.
A complete revision in the City Charter which took effect on January 1, 1916 eliminated the bicameral legislative bodies of the city government and all of the many commissions responsible for governmental administration, including the Park Commission. The end of the Park Board also marked the conclusion of the period of continued expansion and improvment of the Buffalo park and parkway system. It was replaced by the Department of Public Buildings and Parks, and under its administration the parks were subordinated to other municipal activities. The nearly 50 year old association of the City of Buffalo with Frederick Law Olmsted and his firm and successors ended with the demise of the Park Board. Sadly, after less than one year of the new form of administration, a scandal struck the Parks Department and highlighted what Buffalo lost when the Park Commission was disbanded.
Copyright 1996-2007 Stanton M. Broderick