Burchfield Park - West Seneca, New York
N 42° 51.231 W 078° 45.169
17T E 683601 N 4747034
A beautiful 29 acre park located in West Seneca, NY
Waymark Code: WM2E4G
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 10/18/2007
Views: 98
From the town's website, westseneca.net:
"In 1996, the West Seneca Town Board wanted to honor Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), an internationally recognized American artist who had lived in the Gardenville community of West Seneca. Charles Burchfield was generally " . . . recognized as one of the finest watercolorists of the 20th century."
Mr. Burchfield's residence was located across from Lot 94, and the beauty of the Lot was the inspiration for his painting, "Rain and Wind Through the Tree." In 1998, Lots 94 and 95 was selected as the site to honor the memory of Mr. Burchfield, and the Town of West Seneca purchased the property from the Kasprzyk Family. What had originated as a simple idea for a commemorative monument or plaque to honor the artist eventually was to become an art and nature center.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held late in 1999 and a 5,500 square foot building and a 29-acre passive park honoring Burchfield were opened in June of 2000. The Charles E. Burchfield Nature and Art Center includes an Interpretive Center, the Youth Center and Americorps offices, a gallery and an outdoor amphitheater for concerts, classes and plays. Walking trails wind throughout Lots 94 and 95, past the old Ebenezer dam and the old millraces, even passing by the Middle Ebenezer cemetery. Picnic benches dot the park, gardens are plentiful, and children have their own play area, as the Center serves as a living educational facility.
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