| The
tri-domed five-house facade of the Buffalo and Erie County Gardens rises like
a diamond crown set upon a green velvet cushion. Its history spans 90 years of
showing, growing and serving the community. In
1868, Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of modern landscape architecture, was
hired by the city of Buffalo to design its parks. In 1888, Olmsted submitted plans
for South Park. In
1891, the City of Buffalo purchased 156 acres for the park, 11.4 acres of which
became the conservatory site. In 1894, a proposed botanical gardens and arboretum
were approved by the Buffalo Parks Commissioners. The firm of Olmsted and Eliot
was chosen for the design and Professor John F. Cowell, considered a genius in
horticulture and botany, was hired to select and oversee the plantings. Between
1897 and 1899, the conservatory was built by Lord and Burnham Co., at a cost of
$130,000. In
the spring of 1900 the South Park Conservatory opened its doors to the public
- a prime example of Victorian architecture, it was the third largest public greenhouse
under glass in the U.S. and the ninth largest in the world. The Conservatory was
completely rebuilt and streamlined in 1930 and became the largest municipally
owned conservatory in the nation. In
1981, the South Park Conservatory was sold to Erie County and it's name changed
to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens was placed
on the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of
Historic Places in 1982. General
admission:
Members Free!
Admission Adults - $6.00
Seniors(55+)
& Students(with school ID)- $5.00
Children(6-13) - $3.00
Children
under 6 are free Gardens
are fully wheelchair accessible. | 
