Centennial Park/LaSalle Park

1932 image of what was called Centennial Park as it was being created. The former Buffalo Pitts factory complex is visible, center, as is the Erie Canal.
The Colonel Ward Pumping Plant is at upper right.

The Buffalo News described the area that would become LaSalle Park thus on August 21, 1931: " Waterfront lands
between Georgia and Jersey Streets, bought for $1,000,000 from the state for park purposes 20 years ago, but used for
dumping grounds instead, are now feeling the long-awaited touch of spade and rake as city workers level and grade
the land in preparation for landscaping this fall. Here most of the centennial program next summer will be held, an
event which the name of the park [Centennial Park] will serve to memorialize..."

The same view in 2004 of the area now called LaSalle Park. The Niagara Thruway occupies the bed of the Erie Canal. At the top right are the buildings
of the Colonel Francis G. Ward Pumping Station of the Buffalo Municipal Water Authority. Completed in 1915, the Esenwein & Johnson complex
was built on land created by excavations of water tunnels in the Niagara River.

The Buffalo Centennial dates were set as July 1 -10, 1932. The centennial committee stated the general theme in its
booklet published 7 months prior: "Through this celebration we should gain a better realization of the industry, courage
and sound constructive effort which have made Buffalo the city it is today."

View of Centennial Park closer to completion. At left is the sloping concrete ramp for the Marine Airport. The dredges at work in the river are making the
Bird Island Pier Extension. Note the 1060 foot bulkhead that has been installed along the river to form the boundary of the park. The area in between is
being backfilled to create solid land.

On July 18, 1931, plans were finalized for grading, seeding, and drainage at an estimated cost of $340,000. The city approved
the plans, having decided that a permanent park was needed in the area. Arthur Faul, chairman of the city planning board, said,
"This section is congested and there are many large families in it. The need of a breathing space on Buffalo's waterfront has been
apparent for a long time."

By November 24, 1931, 200 men were at work filling and grading the area. It was touted as a particularly useful investment
of city tax dollars during the Depression, providing work for "idle family men."

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