Project Details Page

synopsis

The short history of Masten Place is steeped in controversy. Built upon Potter’s Field, a burial ground for paupers, the Buffalo Board of Commissioners called for the human remains to be removed from the site and transferred to a mass grave in 1887. The same year, Frederick Law Olmsted drew plans for the site named after Supreme Court Judge, Joseph G Masten.

The short history of Masten Place is steeped in controversy. Built upon Potter’s Field, a burial ground for paupers, the Buffalo Board of Commissioners called for the human remains to be removed from the site and transferred to a mass grave in 1887. The same year, Frederick Law Olmsted drew plans for the site named after Supreme Court Judge, Joseph G Masten. The drawings show dense plantings on the north and south ends of the park, meandering 6-foot wide paths, and an open circular clearing in the center. Olmsted’s integral design was diminished in 1895, when Masten Place was chosen as the site for a new high school. The school was built in the center of the green space, and the remaining landscape has been developed over the years to serve the needs of the students and occupants.

more