Buffalo Rising | Your Guide to Buffalo NY News, Arts, Events & Buffalo Restaurants

City February 9, 2010 7:11 AM

My Favorite Buildings: Bird Feathers STEEL February 9, 2010 7:11 AM Comments: 1

After a long hiatus, I thought I should get back into my "favorite building" series. I started this series back in the day, when I first started writing for BRO, as a means to highlight the very large collection of wonderful Buffalo buildings that most people tend to take for granted and which the mainstream media probably don't even know about. (Whoa I sound like Limbaugh saying that.) Not that I am some super, all knowing guru of architectural knowledge. Anyone who walks down a great Buffalo street and just takes a small portion of their life energy to notice what they are walking past will be rewarded by some great unheralded buildings (I guess walking is the operative word there). I just get tired of the fact that so many people think that Buffalo's architectural heritage starts and ends with the Martin House, City Hall, a few mansions, and...

City February 8, 2010 6:52 PM

Sign Up And Suit Up For Some Powder Keg Games queenseyes February 8, 2010 6:52 PM Comments: 3

By now you may have heard of the Buffalo Powder Keg Festival's attempt to build the World's Largest Arctic Glacier Ice Maze, or tubing down a closed-to-traffic Skyway exit ramp... but there's a lot more going on and this post kicks off a series that will keep festival-goers up to date with myriad activities and events.

Chris Catanzaro (photo) is happily heading up the All-Pro Competitions that will be scattered throughout the weekend of February 27th and 28th. This guy is doing a bang up job in wrangling participants who will be going head to head in all sorts of winter games, some of which you can enter and all of which you can cheer on. So sign up and suit up for some of the best snow action this side of the equator. Here's the line-up so far:

Street Broomball: Using corn or whiskbrooms,...

City February 8, 2010 1:20 PM

The Entertainers and Writers of Forest Lawn Buffalo Rising February 8, 2010 1:20 PM Comments: 0

What do Red Jacket, author Taylor Caldwell, artist Tony Sisti, and rock star Rick James have in common? All have an artistic connection to the Western New York community, and all are buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery. And on February 14th at 2PM, you can learn about them and many other WNY artists at Forest Lawn's second Sunday in the Cemetery concert and lecture program.

Approximately 40 talented people will be featured in this unique concert and lecture event.

The program begins with a 30 minute concert by two of Buffalo's favorite local musicians - Billy McEwen and Joe Head. Billy and Joe have a long-standing connection with Forest Lawn, having portrayed characters in the ever-popular summer history tour programs. They both were thrilled to have a chance to entertain in other ways at the Cemetery - McEwen portrays George Norman Pierce, and Joe has had several roles, including...

City February 8, 2010 12:57 PM

The Hydraulics: The Demolition of St. Patrick's Buffalo Rising February 8, 2010 12:57 PM Comments: 20

The talk of moving St. Gerard Church generated a lot of controversy on BR over the weekend. In addition, it prompted local preservationist, blogger and board member of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo Chris Hawley to recall another lost parish on his site, The Hydraulics.

See Hawley's story about the removal by demolition of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church that took place in 1982 at the corners of Emslie and Seymore Streets. In his blog, Hawley calls the demolition of the church "an act of vandalism against the public memory of the Hydraulics as Buffalo's first Irish neighborhood - later, a largely German and Polish neighborhood."

Likewise, Hawley says,"The demolition of St. Gerard's, regardless of the future use of materials salvaged from the site, would permanently remove hope from the Delavan/Bailey neighborhood. The structure is a cultural marker that establishes a neighborhood identity and potentially represents an economic...

Entertainment February 8, 2010 12:38 PM

Super Bowl Commercials Buffalo Rising February 8, 2010 12:38 PM Comments: 8

Tom Merrick, Partner and Creative Director at Eric Mower and Associates, shared some of his thoughts on yesterday's Super Bowl commercials with us. Merrick has more than 20 years experience creating attention-getting, result-generating, award-winning work for both consumer and business-to-business clients, so he knows whereof he speaks when it comes to ads. His take on the spots follows:

Well, another Super Bowl is in the history books, and with it, millions and millions of dollars in CBS's pockets. Thirty seconds on last night's broadcast went for almost three million bucks a pop, and in this ad guy's opinion, some of them actually got their money's worth. If you watched the game, here are the spots that are worth a second or third look. If you didn't, here's your chance to do your God-given duty as a consumer and watch commercials. Go to youtube.com and search:

"Snickers Betty White." According...

City February 8, 2010 12:06 PM

BRO on BFO: Jordan Levy and Bass Pro Elena Cala Buscarino February 8, 2010 12:06 PM Comments: 5

The Buffalo Rising Roundtable welcomed Erie County Harbor Development Corporation Board Chairman Jordan Levy for our podcast discussion this week. Newell was off doing Powder Keg Festival press, which you can read about in this Donn Esmonde Buffalo News column. Note that Levy says in the podcast that we can use a thousand more Newells, and Esmonde writes that Newell "makes Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm look like a chronic whiner," and it would be hard to disagree with either of those assessments.

We invite you to read the Esmonde article, but please don't miss the conversation with Levy in this full 26-minute podcast. In it, Levy candidly discusses the developments at Canal Side, as well as the great possibility that Bass Pro will be an anchor there "if we don't do anything to screw it up."

Of the skeptics, Levy says, "We're working feverishly toward development of this...

City February 8, 2010 11:59 AM

Winds of Change? The Growing Interest in Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Great Lakes United February 8, 2010 11:59 AM Comments: 10

GLU post by Nate Drag:

Anyone who lives on the shores of the Great Lakes knows that the waves are not the only powerful force in these ecosystems. From the days of shipping grain and coal on sailing vessels like schooners to the wind driven waves of Great Lakes surfers today, the wind is an undeniable feature of Great Lakes ecosystems and communities.

The challenges of global climate change and an energy system based on unsustainable and polluting fossil fuels, however, have recently lead many individuals across the Great Lakes basin to consider how else this immense force could be used to the power our bi-national region in a more sustainable way. The latest wave of interest in Great Lakes wind is coming in the form of offshore wind turbines. While this technology has been used by several European nations, there are currently no offshore wind energy...

City February 8, 2010 8:40 AM

Premium Child Care at Vincennes Academy Justine Smith February 8, 2010 8:40 AM Comments: 0

For working parents, child care is a necessity. Vincennes Academy at 90 Pearl Street, in the Webb Building, is a special daycare center. It provides a comfortable learning environment and unique experiences for children, plus the secure and centrally located setting that parents need.

Located in the Webb Building, which was renovated by Rocco Termini in 2007, children have ample space to play, learn and develop. The daycare center includes eight rooms, all of which possess a universal design so that each child can utilize their classroom to the fullest extent.

The interior of Vincennes boasts brightly colored walls, whimsical decorations and a fun space, which is conducive to learning. The center features a gross motor room, where children can ride tricycles, practice crawling and walking, etc.

The daycare...

City February 8, 2010 8:00 AM

Frosty February Tours Amanda Gabryszak February 8, 2010 8:00 AM Comments: 1

In Buffalo, New York, most of the February days fall below 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather like that may cut down on outdoor activity that doesn't involve sport, but in the Queen City, there's always something to do.

In the chilly days of the month, Buffalo Tours offers their Queen City Downtown Walking Tours, with a sliding fee based on the temperature. For each degree above 25 the cost goes up $1 to a maximum of $10 per adult ($5 for students). The price is determined through the Weather Channel Website using the 14203 zip code, fifteen minutes prior to the tour. Groups meet in the Buffalo Visitor Center at 617 Main Street, with tours beginning at 2PM.

The tour spans from M&T's Gold Dome bank to the Gothic St. Paul's Cathedral. "Maybe...

Real Estate February 8, 2010 12:00 AM

Cathedral Place Upgrades Planned WCPerspective February 8, 2010 12:00 AM Comments: 6

With six floors of office space to fill, Kissling Interests is planning a multi-million dollar upgrade at Cathedral Place, 298 Main Street. Kissling, primarily a residential property developer, owner and manager, purchased the 11-story, multi-tenant downtown office building in 2001 for $2.6 million. The firm also owns nearby 268 Main Street.

The circa-1917 building was thoroughly renovated in the late 1980's by Uniland Development and law firm Damon & Morey. It was acquired by the partnership when then building owner and occupant Blue Cross moved to the Uniland-renovated former Sears store at Main and Delevan. Damon & Morey relocated its offices to Cathedral Place from Empire Tower.

Kissling was left with a large hole to fill when Damon and Morey moved to Avant last year. The firm had occupied the building's top six floors, or 60,000 sq.ft. of space. A $2 million renovation is planned to help lure new tenants to the...