Here is a park with some serious potential. On one side of this Olmsted designed park you can see the downtown cityscape. Turn 180 degrees and you will find yourself staring directly at the Peace Bridge. 90 degrees to the left of the bridge is Lake Erie, and if you spin another 180 degrees you will find yourself overlooking Busti Avenue with the Connecticut Street Armory in the distance.
Front Park is a terrific place to walk a dog, and when I paid a visit yesterday morning I ran into some regulars that love the park for that very reason. The park is home to four quality tennis courts located a stone’s throw from the Peace Bridge, a children’s playground, two war memorials, a regulation soccer field, a softball diamond, picnic shelters, and a parking lot that could potentially hold a hundred cars.
Why do I state that there is so much potential here when it clearly has so much going for it already? Well, it’s true that the park already beats out many parks as far as amenities go. Its proximity to downtown is fantastic… the park is two minutes from Lasalle Park, Columbus Park, D’Youville College, the Buffalo Yacht Club, the West Side Rowing Club, Morning Glory Cafe, and the Porter Avenue Pied A Terre. But it’s the fact that the Peace Bridge is adjacent to the park which is really amazing. Front Park is the first property that most people see as they exit the bridge.
Business First reported in January that one of the downfalls of the park, a derelict brick structure located near the entrance of the park is scheduled for demolition. The building is a complete eyesore and it will be nice to see it gone. Hopefully the old sledding hill located near the structure will once again be used as it once was a long time ago. With the constant uncertainty surrounding the future of the Peace Bridge, Front Park has been in a constant state of limbo. Many people would like to see the park restored to the original Olmsted design, which may or may not happen. In the meantime, monies to the tune of $4,000,000 (from the Peace Bridge Authority and the City of Buffalo) have been allocated to the park for improvements which will hopefully draw more people down to another one of Buffalo’s underutilized Olmsted designed parks.