The first "casino/boathouse" constructed at Delaware Park was designed by Calvert Vaux in 1874, and enlarged in
1885, as shown above. The mostly-wooden structure burned in 1899.
The 1895 Buffalo Atlas shows the location of the "boathouse" at The Park.
A 1901 map shows the new Casino/Boathouse constructed farther south along the
shore of the Park Lake.
The Casino/Boathouse in 1901, in use by the Pan-American Exposition.
The City of Buffalo spent $50,000 ($
1,107,780.23 in 2005 dollars) ) for the construction of a new limestone and white brick
Casino/Boathouse in 1900. Designed by the Buffalo firm of Green & Wicks, it was
3 stories high, with an apartment and office for
the
caretaker on the third floor. It featured
a loggia, a restaurant, lounging room, amusement halls, and a boat storage place.
Finished in time for the Pan-American Exposition in 1901, its rooms were promptly put to use and the location used as a boat
landing for the
gondolas and electric launches that plied The Gala Waters of what is now Hoyt Lake.
The Casino in its heyday 1900 - 1930.
The Delaware Park Casino, extensively used until the Depression, later suffered from neglect and unusual renovations. The
third story was removed with its semiglazed Spanish tiles in 1961 during the most extensive 'modernization.'
The same view in 2006
In the early 1990's, the city made an investment of $700,000 to remove earlier renovations and restore the casino
to its Green & Wicks design, less the third story. The tile roof was replaced by a gabled brass roof. In 2006, it is possible
to rent one or both banquet-style spaces within the casino for private events.