Ouch: Buffalo Named The Lea

Buffalo is the least fashionable city in America, according to a new ranking from Bundle.com. How...

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Rendering vs Reality: 600 D

Darn close. Alliance Advisory Group, Inc. and 600 Delaware, LLC purchased and renovated 600 Delaware...

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Downtown Waterfront - it's

By Charles Gordon:Renewed interest in our Downtown waterfront has undeniably resulted in some improvement. Efforts...

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June 2009 Archives

Real Estate June 30, 2009 9:35 PM

Credit Union's Redesign Approved

WCPerspective 36

A nondescript building behind City Hall is in line for an expansion and makeover. The plans by Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union for its 62 S. Elmwood Avenue facility were approved by the City Planning Board Tuesday morning. The one-story building will receive a new 5,440 sq.ft. second floor, vastly updated facade, and an additional drive-thru lane.

Plans by architectural firm R.W. Lawson Associates show an exterior of brick veneer, precast concrete, manufactured concrete stone and aluminum windows with smoked glass. The expansion will result in the loss of two parking spaces.
"It's a vast improvement in appearance," said Board

Regional June 30, 2009 5:45 PM

Erie County Gets a New Historian

Matt Biddle 5

Doug Kohler, a middle school teacher in Clarence, has a passion for local history. He is the author of four books on the history of each of the four sections of Clarence, available for purchase at the Clarence Historical Society. Additionally, he has published several articles on topics like the Automobile Club of Buffalo and the War of 1812, which appeared in Western New York Heritage magazine. Now, Erie County is proud to call him their new historian.
As the new Erie County Historian, Kohler will work from an office near

City June 30, 2009 5:38 PM

Towers Down: Heritage Heights Coming Up

Dan Fisher 46 1

You ever see those movies that take place in a post-apocalyptic world? The buildings are vacant shells with broken windows, surrounded by dead trees and overgrown lawns. It's always creepy. That's Kensington Tower complex in the East Side of Buffalo. It looks like a scene straight out of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. But thanks to the hard work of HLM Holding and Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, the wasteland will be converted into Heritage Heights retirement community after a year-long demolition process and a two-year build.
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City June 30, 2009 5:17 PM

Exciting News About Avant's Newest Tenant

Julia Shanahan 7

Capello Salons, continuously voted Best in Buffalo and Best in Western New York, will be opening an expanded facility at Avant this August. The 1,500 square foot salon and spa will feature the area's top professionals at 11 styling stations and numerous treatment areas.

Regional June 30, 2009 11:35 AM

Erie County Bleeding Green: The Need to be Business-Friendly

Buffalo Rising 20

Commentary by Legislator Kathy Konst

Last Thursday was a sad day for Erie County. The Legislature failed to override the County Executive's veto of the Strategic Planning Act, a law I co-sponsored. This law would have enabled us to establish

Recent Photos[ BR Flickr ]

lifestyle June 30, 2009 11:00 AM

Bidwell Concert Series Begins Tonight

Buffalo Rising 2

It's summertime in the Elmwood Village tonight marks the start of the annual Summer Concerts at Bidwell Parkway. Each Tuesday from June 30th to August 11th the Elmwood Village Association will stage a free concert.

Summer

Regional June 30, 2009 10:08 AM

PeaceWeavers to Host Natural Building Colloquium in Bath, NY

Matt Biddle 5

The PeaceWeavers, a non-profit educational organization, will host its 6th Annual Natural Building Colloquium, called "Building With Spirit," from July 26th through August 1st at the Thunder Mountain Retreat Sanctuary in Bath, N.Y. The sanctuary, located at 8125 Crouse Road, will be the site of workshops, how-to demonstrations and presentations on topics pertaining to natural building, like alternative fuels, log cabin construction, living roofs, building with hemp and a host of other topics.
The event aims to better our environmental

City June 30, 2009 10:04 AM

Oddities #1

STEEL 18

Every so often you can find buildings with unusual details, compositions, or other distinctive elements. So, I thought I would start a new series, starting out with this beauty on Anderson Place, just a bit West of Elmwood. This one has a spectacular and very unusual round Juliet dormer-balcony. The shape and materials puts it in shingle style

Regional June 30, 2009 7:11 AM

WNY's Cultural Blueprints Blog

Jon Camhi 1

The Arts Council in Buffalo & Erie County and the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) have collaborated to update and revamp the WNY Cultural Blueprint blog on the NYSCA website. The blog is meant to give people involved in the arts in WNY the opportunity to share ideas and opinions on how to further local cultural and artistic projects. By getting more people involved in the blog, the blog will hopefully be able to garner support from the local community for some of the ideas presented by the folks operating the blog for the Arts Council in Buffalo and Erie County and the

lifestyle June 30, 2009 6:40 AM

Italian Heritage Festival Names Gran Ceremoniere

Kait Munro 0

By Kait Munro
The Sorrento Cheese Italian Heritage Festival committee named restauranteur and philanthropist Michael Militello as this year's Gran Ceremoniere. He will be the ceremonial head of the Festival, and will oversee all ceremonial events at Buffalo's Italian Fest this year.
Militello is President and CEO of the MRM Hospitality Group, which includes the Bijou Grille in Buffalo and the Sonoma Grille in Amherst. Also, he is well known throughout Western New York for his contributions to various local charities.
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City June 30, 2009 12:01 AM

The Real Transformers

queenseyes 11

As I passed the corner of Plymouth and Pennsylvania (over the weekend) I couldn't help but notice two houses in the process of being rehabbed. Both houses, virtually across the street from one another, were thankfully in the process of shedding their asphalt shingles. I couldn't wait to take a look to see what sort of shape the original wood was in. As I snapped a couple of photos, the owner of one of the houses was kind enough to point out the super wide boards that he found under the shingles. And also where the original window lines and details were hidden. He told me that the owners who had

City June 29, 2009 3:34 PM

Nest Interiors Has Lofty Goals

queenseyes 2

Does anyone remember when Knoll Office Interiors had a showroom on Delaware? Not since that company left has the city had a truly modern design center located in a hi-profile spot. I'm talking about the type of design work that you would see in Dwell Magazine or Metropolitan Home with modulars and built-ins. I've known about Nest Interiors ever since reading this article back in July, though I never made it over to the Buffalo Design Collaborative to see their operation. Fortunately all I really had to do was to wait since

lifestyle June 29, 2009 3:02 PM

BCFC's Latest Win Over Last Year's Champions

Dan Fisher 0

Been paying attention to sports at all lately? The United States defeated top-ranked Spain last week, and narrowly lost to Brazil on Sunday. American soccer is on the rise!

Keep that in mind as Buffalo City Football Club continues to defeat teams in the NPSL. On June 28th they faced National Champions Pennsylvania Stoners with fantastic results. By winning the game 4-1, their goal differential is up to an impressive +11, and they're only one point behind

City June 29, 2009 2:22 PM

The Barkyard's Expanded Location

Matt Biddle 2

After being opened in a temporary location since August 2007, Buffalo's Barkyard finally has its permanent home at the south end of D.A.R. Drive in LaSalle Park. Mayor Byron Brown formally cut the ribbon Friday for the off-leash park, which allows dogs of all sizes to run free.
Buffalo Off-Leash Areas, Inc. and Buffalo MicroParks first opened the temporary location in 2007 near the Colonel Ward Pumping Station and the site became a huge hit. More than 2,000 owners and their pooches visited the spot each week to allow the dogs to frolic as they wanted. "The Barkyard has

City June 29, 2009 11:30 AM

Get Your Hands Dirty in the Community Garden

Rachel Drogoszewski 1

Last year, Buffalo ReUse and Grassroots Garden were awarded with a collaborative grant to create community gardens throughout the city. After acquiring some of the necessities, the gardens are ready for action -- but they need your participation. That's why Buffalo ReUse is sending out an open invitation to help in growing the community gardens. Grab your gardening gloves and start planting!

One project Buffalo ReUse invites you to participate in is the Patchwork Garden located

City June 29, 2009 11:09 AM

Buffalo's Freeway Without a Future

Elena Cala Buscarino 70

Buffalo lands on a lot of lists these days, and happily, mostly for good things. Here is a list from a while back that points out one of Buffalo's failings; as characterized by the Congress for New Urbanism's John Norquist, our skyway is an albatross hanging from our collective neck.
In fact, Norquist believes all skyways are a scourge to the sort of communities CNU promotes and strives for in a society where people are key, and transportation concerns should never cut a community off from its amenities. This article from americancity.org,

City June 29, 2009 9:32 AM

Block Clubs and Change Makers

Francesca Maines 12

"I love my house, I love my neighborhood, I love my community," he says. As a result Scott Dunkle has tirelessly worked to maintain and improve his little piece of the Elmwood Village he calls home. Scott will sing the praises of the great restaurants that are literally outside his front door--Aroma, The Wine Thief, Toro and Mode, to name a few. He loves the

City June 29, 2009 8:27 AM

Poll of the Week: Yes, No, and Then Some...

Buffalo Rising 3

It's been suggested that the poll itself may not give BR readers a chance to really tell how they feel about any given topic that happens to be up for a vote.
Therefore, in conjunction with the weekly BR poll, we'll make a post that allows the voters to elaborate on their choice. Beyond that, it occurs to us that, in the interest of making change (which we sometimes do), comments form a record of opinion that interested parties might just heed - for example, the choice of colors for the Wingate in last week's poll as follows:
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City June 29, 2009 8:00 AM

Preservation Buffalo Niagara Names Director

Matt Biddle 14

Less than a year after it was created, Preservation Buffalo Niagara named its first executive director -- Michael Miller. He was unanimously selected by PBN's Board of Trustees from a national pool of more than 35 applicants. Miller, the current president of the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation, will start his new position on July 13th.
"He has the combination of skills we are looking for. He has a passion for historic preservation

lifestyle June 29, 2009 6:33 AM

Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray

Catherine Knauss 1

Most of us are already familiar with Frida Kahlo's self portraits, her long elegant neck, striking eyebrows and wise, watching eyes. However, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, in collaboration with the Nickolas Muray Archives, is giving us a different look at Kahlo, through the lens of Muray's camera.
Kahlo and Muray met in 1931 in Mexico. The exhibition contains 50 photographs from the Nickolas Muray Archives taken by the portrait photographer of the exotic Mexican painter during their ten-year love affair