Buffalo: Up Close

In a USA Today article titled "Buffalo charges ahead into past," the first line states: "This onetime "Queen City of the Lakes," now known mostly for the snowy "lake effect," wants to use its fine old buildings to improve its image. Problem is, it has old buildings in two different conditions."

We wonder if Buffalonians, particularly those who have been paying attention to the good press we've gotten in the national media of late, will immediately take issue with the reference to snow.  Haven't we gone beyond that?  And as for snow, which has been late and mild this fall, it seems the movement to acknowledge and celebrate it has stepped up recently. 

Point two: fine old buildings.  We're not sure a contrast works here in terms of setting The Central Terminal against The Darwin Martin House.  Most Buffalonians would see the terminal as being in the starting (and sometimes struggling) phase of what The Martin House has already achieved--one serving as inspiration for the other. 

"Buffalo is known mostly for physical deterioration."  Wait. We thought they said we were known mostly for the snowy lake effect.  But in an article that points out our wealth of architectural gems and their design pedigrees, along with the healthy presence of advocates like Preservation Buffalo Niagara, be assured that the deterioration is being met head-on and addressed. 

The article poses the question, "Can an aging cityscape, often a public relations liability, be an asset?" The answer is yes, of course, but the real asset here in Buffalo are the individuals and groups that take on the enormous task of righting the wrongs of the past where these buildings are concerned.  And though the end product of favorable public relations is enjoyed in terms of tourism and capital to preserve the buildings in question, those on the ground working hard to keep beloved buildings on the landscape generally work with one thought in mind: save the building.

With this in mind, Mark Lewandowski, Executive Director of The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation (CTRC), felt a slight pinch at the way the terminal was presented in the article.  The best he could say about it was in the form of a question Lewandowski asked, but with a clear sense of disquiet: "Any publicity is good publicity...right?"

Derek Punaro, CTRC treasurer states, "In contrast to some of the tone of the article, the Buffalo Central Terminal is frequently named as one of Buffalo's favorite landmarks by area residents. We host a variety of events that draw tens of thousands of people each year and will certainly be a focal point when the National Trust conference comes in 2011."

And then this from the article: Anthony Armstrong, who works for a non-profit agency that promotes urban revitalization, calls the terminal "one of the ruins of Buffalo" that "are holding us back" by competing in the public imagination with images of progress.  Armstrong, program officer with LISC Buffalo, says the quote doesn't represent his opinion of the building, the enormous efforts of the volunteers of the CTRC, or the irreplaceable place in Buffalo's history and collective consciousness that the Terminal holds. 

Married at the terminal, Armstrong has long been one of its major proponents.  Of the article, he said, "Maybe in the course of a day's visit, it's easy to look at challenged neighborhoods and more vital neighborhoods and create an 'us vs. them' story line.  But what we know from living in Buffalo is that it's not 'us vs. them' -- it's work together or get nowhere.  'Images of progress' may be nice, but if we ignore the realities of the whole city, well, then we've missed the point about what it means to live in and love the City of Good Neighbors."

Punaro agrees.  He says, "Most people do not see the Central Terminal as a ruin holding the city back (including Mr. Armstrong, who is supportive of our efforts and advises us on grant opportunities) but as an example of what a dedicated group of volunteers can accomplish with extremely little funding and in spite of conditions not always favorable to preservation."

Armstrong adds, "The article was right that the building will not be easily revived, but none of these folks have dedicated themselves to this project because they thought it would be easy."

There's a lot about Buffalo that can't be seen from far away, which is reflected in the "surprise factor" we continually hear about from neo-Buffalonians.  Still, if the perception is that we're all snow and ruins, someone clearly hasn't been paying attention.

Images: Armstrong wedding by Joe Cascio