As the young city of Buffalo grew in the 1860s, Niagara Street was extended, and the new open space was known as the Prospect Hill parks, plural because Niagara Street allowed for two neighboring rectangles of greenery. By the time Olmsted arrived in Buffalo, Prospect Hill parks was surrounded by a residential community as well as a nearby reservoir. Buffalo transferred the parks to the Board of Park Commissioners, tasked with implementing Olmsted’s plan.
By then, the grounds of Prospect Hill parks were populated with many mature trees and the grounds were surrounded by a fence, but no paths or other improvements had begun. Olmsted laid out walks allowing visitors to diagonally traverse the grounds without damaging them. The fences were also removed so that visitors were free to enter at any time.
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service