Question/comment from BRO reader Joe Z., regarding Cazenovia Park:
Restoring the Shea’s Seneca is great! I grew up in the area and watched many a movie there. What most don’t know or realize about the area is that in Caz Park (Cazenovia Park), where the casino is, that was a lake where people could paddle small boats and canoes. I ran across some pictures on Facebook about South Buffalo and never knew this.
Some brain decided to drain it and put in a road to connect Seneca St with Abbott Rd. We have Cazenovia Street, we didn’t need to ruin a beautiful park and drain a lake for a road. It would be interesting to see, with everything that they are doing by changing the 198 at Delaware Park, if someone wouldn’t consider restoring the Casino as it was years ago. I’ve lived in South Buffalo since 1957 and never knew that at one time there was a casino AND a lake there.
Answer/comment from Jim Mendola, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy (BOPC) volunteer archivist and historian:
As far as I can tell, that connecting road between Abbott and Seneca Streets was part of the original park plan of 1892. Over the years keeping the lake viable has always been a problem. The lake was created by damming Cazenovia Creek, creating a lake of between 4 to 6 feet deep for boating and ice skating.
Unfortunately the lake was prone to silting up and the dam would be compromised or destroyed by occasional flooding of Cazenovia Creek. Several attempts were made over the years to clean the lake bed of sediment and strengthen the dam with tougher materials and supporting levees and shoreline boulders.
By the late 40s and early 50s with the building of the ice rink and the athletic fields finding more use then the lake, the dam was removed and the lake drained and filled. The smaller boathouse in the picture was built in 1902 at a cost of $3600.00. It had the first restrooms in the park after almost 10 years. A matron was in attendance from 9AM to 8PM.
The Casino was built in 1912 with bathrooms, locker rooms and an ice cream parlor and enough lights to allow night skating in winter. Fortunately both buildings are still there.
Jim Mendola gives a 90 minute tour of Delaware park at 10am and 1pm the second Saturday in June, July and August. Participants meet at the park steps opposite the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. $5 for BOPC members otherwise $10 that goes to the parks.