North Buffalo

The northern quadrant of Buffalo, consisting of several neighborhoods including North Park and Parkside, was one of the last areas of the city to be developed.  In the early years of Buffalo’s history, the area was known for its thick woods and inaccessibility, though a few homes and a tavern were built in the early 1800’s.  Sometimes called the “Buffalo Plains” it was supposedly populated by “a band of stalwart men noted for their prowess and their proneness to assert it when the occasion offered[1].” Some of the first settlers were prominent people of the time who built large homes and maintained extensive property.  After the village of Buffalo burned 1812, many residents were said to have fled to the Buffalo Plains for refuge, some becoming permanent residents of the area.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the development of the area began in earnest. One of the first groups of people to arrive were people of Russian Jewish descent. They opened delicatessens and stores in the area along with several synagogues.   Many relocated from the East Side as increased industry and accompanying jobs spurred further growth of the city after World War II.  The development of Hertel Avenue and its accompanying side streets accommodated the growing population.

In the mid-twentieth century, urban renewal in the older parts of the city put even more members of the city’s most entrenched communities on the move.  Among the greatest numbers were Italians that decamped from the Lower West Side when the canal was infilled and tenement buildings torn down.  One of North Buffalo’s most well-known traditions, the Italian Festival, originated on the West Side and later moved to North Buffalo as Italian community groups began re-creating traditions of the past in their new neighborhoods.

In 1921 Saint Anthony of Padua on the Lower West Side held their first 12-day lawn fete “Festa di San Antonio” on the Church grounds, honoring St. Anthony.  The Lawn Fete/Carnival was filled with ethnic food, dancing, music and community fellowship.  There have been some gaps in the Festival over the years, with the 1945 Carnival being held to raise money to support St. Anthony School. At one time, the Carnival was held at Buffalo’s LaSalle Park as noted in the undated poster shown.

The Carnival moved to Buffalo’s Connecticut Street in the 1970’s where it remained for a number of years, before moving to Hertel Avenue in the 1980 along with many of the local Italians.  There it remained for a few decades, adding rides and games for the children, together with many ethnic events – grape stomping, puppet shows, the daily procession of the statue of St. Anthony, as well as a genealogy table to give festival-goers an opportunity to search for their ancestors.

The Galbani Italian Heritage Festival eventually outgrew the Hertel Avenue location and in 2017 and 2018 moved to Buffalo’s Outer Harbor.  In 2019 the Festival moved back a little closer to its original roots, Niagara Square, where it was once again in the shadow of St. Anthony of Padua Church.  Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the Festival for both 2020 and 2021. 

In 2022 the Festival returned to Hertel Avenue, a little smaller than in the past, but back to celebrate the many foods and traditions of Buffalo’s Italian community.

While North Buffalo retains many vestiges of the Jewish and Italian families that relocated there throughout the twentieth century, the neighborhood is also a vibrant and diverse place that reflects the community today. Bordering Delaware Park and the Buffalo Zoo, North Buffalo has long been a popular neighborhood among residents and continues to be so today with restaurants, bars and business that reflect the population of Buffalo as a whole.