Behind the Buffalo History museum, there is a Japanese garden with a good number of cherry trees. Both the museum and the trees have an interesting history. The Buffalo History Museum was built in 1901. It was then called the New York State Building, and it was part of the 1901 Pan American Exposition, which was created to celebrate technology and, most especially, electricity. Buffalo was one of the first cities in the United States to be fully electrified. At the time, Buffalo was the eighth most populous city in the United States. Thanks to the Erie Canal, Buffalo was an important port city. Many temporary buildings were constructed for the exposition, but the building now housing the Buffalo History Museum was the only one that was intended to be a permanent structure.
The Japanese Garden behind the Buffalo History Museum, which include the cherry trees, was a gift from Buffalo’s sister city, Kanazawa, Japan. The garden was constructed in 1970. According to the Buffalo Olmsted Conservancy’s website, the garden was designed to look like a Japanese strolling garden, which incorporates elements of islands, water, and pathways. The garden has been renovated several times since it was first constructed, and the cherry trees planted. It is a peaceful and meditative space. I am hoping to go there this spring or summer to paint outside (plein air painting).
The pathway that takes you up and downhill is made of stone and is a bit uneven so walking it can be a challenge.
Doesn’t this feel like a wonderfully peaceful place to sit and relax or sit and paint? This is one of my favorite places in Buffalo.
You know that it’s spring when the cherry blossoms at the Japanese Garden begin to pop open. There’s a cherry blossom festival annually that is scheduled for the last weekend of April. Sometimes, the cherry blossoms are at their peak in time for the festival. There have been years when the festival did not coincide with the cherry blossoms. Sometimes, they are well past their peak; othertimes, the blossoms are still firmly closed. I remember in the spring of 2020 that the blossoms were very delayed. The weather had been wintry through April, and the cherry blossoms didn’t open until mid-May. But it didn’t matter because the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival this year is scheduled for this coming weekend, and it looks as if the guess may be accurate.
The flowers are so beautiful with the subtle pastel colors.
Here is another set of blossoms from another tree in the garden.
Here’s another view of the pathway near the lake.
Here is an historic marker that gives more information about the Pan American Exposition and about the shooting of President William McKinley outside of the Temple of Music in 1901.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed your tour of Buffalo’s Japanese Garden. I really don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
