Born in Duannesburg, New York in 1833, Bennett moved
to Fultonville in 1849 to work as a toll collector on the Erie Canal. He later settled
in Buffalo in 1866 to work as a repairman on the canal.
In 1877, he purchased land in north Buffalo with the intentions of extracting
the Onondaga limestone from it for use in the preparation of cement. He started the
Buffalo Cement Company located on Main Street on what is now the site of Bennett
High School.
Central Park
Located adjacent to Parkside, Lewis J. Bennett developed
the area north of the Belt Line Railroad known as Central Park.
On 200 acres west of Main Street and north of the Belt Line, Bennett began to
develop a neighborhood in 1889.
Two principal conditions for the development of the area were the proximity of
Olmsted & Vaux-designed Delaware
Park and the completion of the 1860-1882 Belt
Line Railroad, which enabled Buffalo to boast more train track than any city
in world! The only remaining station of the original 19 is at Starin & Amherst
(photo above).
The boundaries of Central Park were Main, Woodbridge, Parkside, Linden, Starin,
and Amherst streets. Working with Charles Besch, he plotted the location of the streets.
Along the planned streets, they dug holes, blasted into the bedrock and planted elm
trees. This initial preparation took four years and cost $300,000 to complete. Originally,
nineteen stone markers delineated the boundaries of the neighborhood.
On 20 May, 1892, Bennett formally signed the zoning ordinances which would shape
the neighborhood. Deed restrictions more stringent than Buffalo's, e.g., no commercial
R3 businesses allowed, and only one dwelling and one barn per lot (with eleven exceptions)
were allowed.
Zoning ordinances called for only single family homes being at least two stories
in height with barns to be placed in the rear of all residences. He also outlined
the minimum costs for all residences and zoned them according to what streets they
would be located on. Homes on Depew were to cost a minimum of $4,000, those on Main
$3,500 and those on Linden $2,500. To insure that large houses would be built, he
provided free (large) foundations on corner lots.
Otowega Club: An integral part of the social life of the neighborhood was
the Otowega Club. Located on Starin at Linden (now a vacant triangle) the building
contained a bowling alley, billiard hall, card room, dance hall and dining room.
Prior to its destruction in the 1940s, it served as the meeting place for residents
and for religious bodies organizing congregations in the community. For more information,
see Bassett House
Many of the streets in Central park were named after Bennett's family and friends.
Bennett built the first house in Central Park for himself . He hired prominent
Buffalo architect Milton Beebe
to design a 24-room house at 354 Depew, located just north of what is now named Burke's
Green.
Burke's Green: This originally unnamed triangular
piece of land with a fountain (original fountain dismantled in 1920's -new one
installed 2002) was deeded to the City by L. J. Bennett to be used as a park.
It was officially named Burke's Green in memory of F. Brendan Burke, a civic minded
Central Parker in the 1960's. Although it is a City owned Park, the Central Park
Association has maintained it since the 1960's.
Bennett's house was demolished in 1935 and replaced by 12 lots. Mrs. Bennett then
moved to the Campanile Apartments
Bennett High School is named after Lewis J. Bennett, who donated the land for
the school and for All High Stadium, as well as the land for three churches in Central
Park.
For additional history, see the Bassett
House, 278 Depew Avenue
Text sources:
- Paul O'Donnell, consultant
- Barbara O. Townsend, consultant
- Houses of Worship: A Guide to the Religious Architecture
of Buffalo, New York, by James Napora. Master of Architecture Thesis. Pp. 173-174.
Found at Buffalo Central Library NA5235 B8 N37 1995
