25. Lafayette Square
Between Main and Washington Streets
 Lafayette Square is the handiwork of Buffalo’s original developer, Joseph Ellicott. It is one one of two central squares, the other being Niagara Square seen down Court Street to the west, included in Ellicott’s original plan of Buffalo. Originally called Courthouse Square, the name was changed to Lafayette Square to honor Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Buffalo in 1825. Lafayatte was a French aristocrat and hero of the American Revolution who helped leads the Americans to victory against the British. Dominating the Square is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument which dates from 1882 and was built in honor of Civil War veterans. Grover Cleveland, then governor of the state of New York, was in attendance at the dedication, which took place in 1884.
The 85 foot sculpture rests on a base surrounded by four sculptures representing the four divisions of the military: infantry, cavalry, artillery and the navy. At the top, a female figure represents the city of Buffalo. Military messages predominate. Along the Main Street side of the monument’s base, one reads: “grateful remembrance to the soldiers and sailors who laid down their lives in the war to maintain the Union, for the cause of their country, and of mankind.” The back of the monument carries the closing of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Of course, Lafayette Square has achieved modern fame, as the source of the summertime concert series called Thursday at the Square.
Photo courtesy of Chuck LaChiusa.
Credits
Scripts: Denise Prince and Jane Kwiatkowski
Voice: Christopher Jamele of Jamele Freelance Services
Audio production: John Davis of Eclectic Electric
This project was made possible in part with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts.
Tour content courtesy of Buffalo Tours.
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