Landscape Information
This is one of eight circles developed from 1892 to 1896 by Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot during a second phase of design for the Buffalo Park and Parkway System. One of three major intersections within McKinley Parkway, the circle was planned and built concomitantly with the Cazenovia-South Park system. It was originally called Woodside Circle, but the name was soon changed to honor Civil War general George McClellan in keeping with the military theme of many Buffalo parks.
The 500-foot-diameter circle is outlined by two concentric rings of pathways that connect the intersecting roads. McKinley Parkway and Choate Avenue pass through the traffic circle, exiting at different angles than they enter. Swaths of lawn interspersed with shade trees fill the gaps between the intersecting roads. Originating within the circle, Red Jacket Parkway runs a short distance northeast to connect with nearby Cazenovia Park while McKinley Parkway runs directly south towards McKinley Circle. The interior of the roundabout contains a planting bed of shrubs and herbaceous flowering plants. Furnishings include regularly spaced ornamental lampposts, and metal benches lining the pedestrian paths. A small bronze statue of a buffalo overlooks the roundabout from the southeast. The circle, which is maintained and managed by the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, is a contributing feature of the Olmsted parks and parkways listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
