The Allentown district is a neighborhood in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. The neighborhood is home to the Allentown Historic District.

History

Allentown is named after

Lewis F. Allen Lewis Falley Allen (January 1, 1800 – May 2, 1890) was an American farmer, businessman, politician and prominent Buffalonian. Allen was the uncle-in-law of President Grover Cleveland and is credited with introducing Cleveland to the practice of ...

(1800-1890) who came to Buffalo in April 1827 to serve as Corporate Secretary and financial manager of an insurance company. Allen was also a farmer and when looking for space to let his cattle graze, purportedly his neighbor, Thomas Day, suggested some of his land, which sat between the cities of Buffalo and Black Rock. Allen's cattle path became known as Allen Street. Notably, Allen was one of the founders of the

Buffalo Historical Society The Buffalo History Museum (founded as the Buffalo Historical Society, and later named the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) is located at 1 Museum Court (formerly 25 Nottingham Court) in Buffalo, New York, just east of Elmwood Avenue and ...

and Forest Lawn, where he is buried. Allen was married to Margaret ''Cleveland'' Allen and was the uncle of president

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

. Allen introduced his nephew to many influential people, including the partners in the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

of Rogers, Bowen, and Rogers where Cleveland later took a clerkship which led him to practice law and enter into politics.Graff, 14

Geography

Allentown is the first neighborhood north of the

Downtown Buffalo ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

core. It borders the downtown theater and entertainment district to its south, and runs north to North Street at its northern edge, Normal Avenue on the west, and Main street on the east. The neighborhood is generally centered on Allen Street and Elmwood Avenue. Allentown is known for its community of artists, for its embrace of

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

, hipster and

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

culture, and for the civic commitment of residents to the historic and aesthetic sensibilities of the neighborhood. Allentown is one of Buffalo's premier areas for nightlife, dining, and antique shopping.

Historic district

The Allentown Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

that was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980, and expanded in 2012. It includes the

Kleinhans Music Hall Kleinhans Music Hall is a concert venue located on Symphony Circle in Buffalo, New York. The hall "is renowned for its acoustical excellence and graceful architecture." Kleinhans is currently the home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, a regu ...

which is separately listed on the NRHP and is further designated as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. Also listed on the NRHP is the

Birge-Horton House Birge-Horton House is a historic home located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It was designed in 1895 by the Buffalo architectural firm of Green and Wicks and is a Georgian Revival style row house in "The Midway" section of Delaware Avenu ...

on Delaware Avenue. The original 1980 boundaries include approximately 733 buildings, not including secondary structures. Of these, 6 are Gothic Revival, 125 Italianate, 24 Second Empire, 92 Shingle style, 106 Queen Anne, 15 Stick, 5 Shingle, 56 Colonial and 196 are plain framed buildings. ''Note:'' This includes
''Accompanying photographs''
an
''Accompanying captions''
/ref> Three park areas are included in the area, two redesigned by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

and one circle, Symphony Circle, designed by him as part of his master plan for the city's park areas. After he completed the master plan, Olmsted returned to redesign and landscape Day's Park (named after Allen's neighbor Thomas Day who donated his land to the City of Buffalo) and Arlington Park; two existing city parks. In Day's Park he added a circular walkway in front of the school so the students would not trample the grass. The circular sandstone planting area that was in the center of the walkway is still in existence. Arlington Park was home to

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

while he worked in Buffalo. The new boundaries added about 320 properties to the list. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying photographs''
/ref>

Notable places

*Allendale Theater - home of the Theater of Youth *Arlington Park - redesigned by

; home to

while he worked in Buffalo *Butler Mansion - currently UB's Jacobs Executive Development Center *Day's Park - redesigned by Frederick Law Olmsted *

- home to the

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Faletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it p ...

* Symphony Circle - Part of the extensive parks and parkways system designed for Buffalo by Frederick Law Olmsted * Wilcox Mansion -

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

Inaugural Site *The Nickel City Housing Cooperative, Buffalo's first single-family housing cooperative, located in

Edward Brodhead Green Edward Brodhead Green (May 10, 1855 – February 2, 1950), very often referred to as E. B. Green, was a major American architect from New York State. Early life Green was born in Utica, New York on May 10, 1855. He attended Cornell Universi ...

's historic Granger Mansion. * Trinity Episcopal Church- Noted for its stained glass architecture.

Allentown Art Festival

The Allentown Art Festival, originally known as the Buffalo Art Festival, is an event started by Jason Natowitz in 1958, beginning as a small town meeting to stimulate business in the neighborhood. The meeting triggered the foundation of the Allentown Village Society, and, by August, plans were in the works for an outdoor art show in the town, which occurred the following month in September 1958. With only 50 artists, the event quickly became very successful. Louis Cherenzia, another one of the founders, noted "It was rated as the most colorful cultural event in Buffalo since the Pan-American Exposition." Following the event, the town recognized its success, and announced plans for a second annual. "The Buffalo Art Festival" quickly came to be identified with its more precise location, Allentown, and eventually its name became "Allentown Art Festival". The Allentown Art Festival has grown since its beginnings 50 years ago. Support of the Allentown Village Society, Inc. and its number of volunteers has essentially stayed the same. According to the official website, "Their labors have borne fruit beyond the annual Allentown Art Festival weekend and beyond the boundaries of the Allentown neighborhood of Buffalo."

Gallery

File:Allendale Theatre, Buffalo, New York, August 2013.jpg, 1913 Allendale Theatre File:ArlingtonPark.jpg, Arlington Park File:AllenStreetNightlife.jpg, Allen Street bars File:GabrielsGate-TifftsRow.jpg, Tiffts Row File:WilcoxMansion.jpg, Wilcox Mansion File:AllentownBuffalo1.jpg, Allen at Elmwood File:AllentownBuffalo2.jpg, A view of Allen Street from the west end

References

Sources

* Graff, Henry F. ''Grover Cleveland'' (2002). , short biography by scholar

External links

* * * http://www.allentown.org/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20080731043517/http://library.buffalo.edu/maps/buffalo-wnymaps/buffalo_neighborhoods.php#allentown {{authority control Entertainment districts in New York (state) Gay villages in New York (state) Neighborhoods in Buffalo, New York Restaurant districts and streets in the United States Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Historic districts in Buffalo, New York National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York