Welcome to the Parkside Virtual Walking Tour
The Parkside area of Buffalo is rich in history. Scroll through this page and take a trip back in time!
An Erie County Bicentennial Event!
To book a walking tour for your group, contact us through this website
Stop #1 – The Former Medaille College
Medaille College can trace its roots back to 1875 when the Sisters of Saint Joseph founded an institute for the preparation of teachers. Originally a certification program, the school was restructured in 1937 and moved into the old Mount St. Joseph High School building (circa 1922) at 18 Agassiz Circle. It was here that Mount Saint Joseph Teachers College, as it was now known, began granting baccalaureate degrees to women. Thirty years later, Alice Huber, head of the Sisters of St. Joseph, initiated a change that would make the college co-educational and in 1968, Medaille College (named in honor of Father Jean Pierre Médaille, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph) was born.
Medaille College officially opened in the former Mt. St. Joseph High School for Boys (pictured circa 1923) at 18 Agassiz Circle in the Parkside region of Buffalo.
Click Here to Take a Virtual Tour of Medaille College!
After serving the Buffalo community for over 100 years, Medaille College closed its doors in the summer of 2023 after suffering a financial crisis. The property is currently for sale.
Stop #2 – Agassiz Circle
Designed in 1876 as the grand entryway to Delaware Park , only the eastern quadrant of Agassiz Circle remains in the wake of the Scajaquada Expressway expansion of the mid-1950s (see image below). Park of Fredrick Law Olmsted’s elaborate park system, Agassiz Circle was located at the terminus of Humboldt Parkway and connected the parkway with other park drives and residential streets.
This aerial view shows Agassiz Circle (looking north, circa 1950), just prior to the construction of the 198 Expressway. Medaille College, complete with baseball diamonds, can be seen on the left and Parkside Avenue and Delaware Park on the right.
Construction of the 198 Expressway as seen from Agassiz Circle – May 22, 1953
Agassiz Circle looking south circa 2018 and 1955 (Source: Buffalo Rising). The Humboldt Houses of Medaille College are pictured on the right with Main Street toward the top of the images.
To learn more about the homes on Agassiz Circle, click her to check out this blog from Hello Buffalo!
Stop #3 – Delaware Park
Across Agassiz Circle from Medaille College lies the Delaware Park Meadow, part of Fredrick Law Olmsted’s Park System. In total, the Buffalo Olmsted Park System is composed of six parks, seven parkways, eight landscaped circles and several smaller spaces. In this northern section of the park, visitors can walk the path around The Meadow, play a round of Golf or admire the Bison at the Buffalo Zoo. Visitors can also visit the area by the Parkside Lodge, which once served as a Quarry Garden. Having been filled in during the construction of the 198 Expressway, two stone bridges are all that remain of the Quarry and natural spring which once complimented the park.
Fredrick Law Olmsted: Designing America (PBS)
In 1876, Olmsted proclaimed “The City of Buffalo is the best planned city. as to its streets, public places and grounds in the United States, if not the world.” Click here to learn more about Buffalo – The Best Planned City in the World.
Interesting Fact: Fredrick Law Olmsted designed Delaware Park around this Oak Tree, now located in the center of the golf course. Known as The Mighty Oak in the Meadow, this tree is believed to be the oldest tree in Erie County.
Vintage Images – Delaware Park
Click here to enjoy vintage images courtesy of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy!
- Delaware Park
- Front Park
- Humboldt Park
- Riverside Park
- Bennett Park
- South Park
Virtual Tours – Delaware Park
- The Lake/South Side of Delaware Park
- The Meadow/North Side of Delaware Park
- Japanese Garden in Delaware Park
- MLK Jr. Park
- Olmsted’s West Side