The site of Bennett Park, originally called Bennett Place, was once the home of Philander Bennett (1795-1863). He was one of Buffalo’s earliest attorneys, and the first judge of the Erie County Court of Common Pleas. He served as a city alderman in 1833-1834 and again in 1840-1841. He was a president of the Buffalo City Bank, and a vice president of the Buffalo and Attica railroad, and held a number of real estate investments. He was the father of Edward Bennett, also an attorney in Buffalo and for 18 years a member of the Buffalo Board of Park Commissioners, and a daughter, Mary H. Bennett Germain.
The Bennett home was built in 1831, and was located on a large tract of land originally 15 acres in size, running from Eagle street to William street, and from Pine street to Cedar street. In its earliest days, the property lay just outside of the city limits of Buffalo. It was an imposing square stone structure, with a unique octagonal cupola. It was located at the corner of the property, at the intersection of Pine and Clinton streets. Several sources noted that it was one of the first buildings in Buffalo with a marble mantlepiece (apparently a “big deal” for the time); the mantel was still in family hands in the 1930s. It had extensive gardens and orchards, and was a particularly well regarded homestead, often favorable compared with the famous Fargo mansion on the city’s west side as one of Buffalo’s most beautiful properties.
After Judge Bennett passed away, his wife remained in the home until her own passing in 1885. Her son and other heirs then offered about 2-1/2 acres of the property for sale, inclusive of the buildings, to the city for purpose of creating a new park. After a commission of appraisers had set a value on the property, the city executed the purchase. The Park Commission had Frederick Law Olmsted draw plans for the park, named Bennett Park in honor of the late judge, in 1887. In the course of the park’s construction, the house and its barn demolished to make room for the new use.
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