The Allentown district is a neighborhood in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. The neighborhood is home to the Allentown Historic District.

History

Allentown is named after Lewis F. Allen (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 and Forest Lawn Cemetery, where he is buried. Allen was married to Margaret Cleveland Allen, who was the paternal aunt of future president

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

. Allen introduced him 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 consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

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

Geography

Allentown is the first neighborhood north of the Downtown Buffalo 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, hipster and gay 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 historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

that was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980, and expanded in 2012. It includes the Kleinhans Music Hall which is separately listed on the NRHP and is further designated as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. Also listed on the NRHP is the Birge-Horton House 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, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

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

while he worked in Buffalo. The new boundaries added about 320 properties to the list.

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 * Kleinhans Music Hall - home to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra * 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), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

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