The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-07-23
Joseph Ellicott.

1t is not to the credit of Buffalo that
she has as yet perpetuated by neither
statue nor memorial. save in the name
OF a single street. his fame who not
only first predicted her commercial
destiny, but what is almost unparal-
leled in the history of cities, selected
her exact site and laid out in the then
wilderness at the foot of Lake Erie a
city on a scale commensurate with his
inspired belief in her destiny. As
agent for the Holland Land Company,
Joseph Ellicott, in the year 1904. COM
pleted the survey of the broad streets,
diagonal avenues, and public squares,
some of which are to-day included in
her extensive park system, and all of
which form adequate approaches to the
newer suburbs of the Buffalo of 1885.
To her singularly open and attractive
topography it is to be regretted that
she does not add that next-to-godly at
tribute, cleanliness.
Joseph Ellicott was the brother of
Andrew Eliicott, then Surveyor Gener-
al of the United States. Fresh from
assisting his kinsman to lay out the
city OF Washington preparatory to its
becoming the seat of government, he
followed the same general plan in sur
Veying the streets of New Amster-
dam," as he proposed to call it, out of
respect to his Dutch employers, the
members of the so-called Holland Land
Company. The chief business thor
oughfare now bears the commonplace
name Of Main street-one which, to
all save the ears of towns-people ac-
customed to it, wonderfully becomes
its still semi-countrified air and the
non-imposing character of many of its
buildings; for everywhere in her bus
mess sections old and new Buffalo JOS
tie each other picturesquely. Had Jo-
seph Ellicott been allowed to complete
his design in the nomenclature and
laying out of the main thoroughfare of
trade, Main street would have been
Willink avenue below "the Churches
and Van Staphorst above, for what
was designed to be the site of the Cap
itol OF New Amsterdam forms now the
three blocks in Main street bounded to
the north and south by Eagle and
Swan streets. Here Mr. Ellicoit pro-
posed to erect his palace, with broad
vistas opening to view in all directions.
The eye of the prince of New Amster-
dam could have gazed at pleasure up
Van StaphorSt avenue to the rising
ground at the NORTH, down Willink
avenue to the harbor, and out Vollen-
hoven avenue (Erie street, to the lake
and Canada, along Stadnitski avenue
(Church streeD to the State reserya-
ton, and up Shimmelpennick avenue
( hn oil
ldences circling around Niagara Square,
which was to be the center of his city,
straight to the setting sun. The west
erly limit Of this manor, extending be-
yond the present west side of Main
street, suggested the title of .sElicott's
bowwindow" to the towns-folk SO
practical a man as President Fillmore
expressed just regret that the demo-
cratic spirit OF that time, jealous of so
baronial an establishment, cut the
beautiful semicircle by running Main
street through instead of around it.
dividing the tract of about one hun
dred acres by North and South D-
vision streets, since Mr.. Ellicott would
have left splendid building for the
display OF the fine arts and a beautiful
park in the midst OF the city. 1t is
curious circumstance that the site was
again selected by the visionary and
famous Rathbun for his proposed
magnificent Chamber OF Commerce.
Rathbun's dream, like Ellicott's, was
destined to be fulfilled in part in 1884,
when the commerce of the lakes and
canals joined hands with the manufac-
turing interests to erect, farther down
town, the Merchants Exchange. The
Buffalo Board of Trade, which sunk it's
identity in the Merchants Exchange,
was corporation with a noble record
To its unceasing energy and patriotism
is due the promotion of many enter
prises affecting deeply the commercial
interests OF the city and nation-Jane
~. IPclca, In HayYer's Nagazine for
}uiY.