City March 1, 2010 10:55 AM

Woman Architect: Louise Blanchard Bethune

Buffalo Rising 20

Louise Blanchard Bethune was a trailblazer in the world of architecture. She was the first woman to join the American Institute of Architects and she designed Buffalo's Hotel Lafayette, the 74th Regiment Armory on Virginia Street (later the Elmwood Music Hall, demolished), and many of the City of Buffalo's school buildings.

In honor of Women's History Month, Kelly Hayes McAlonie, AIA will share Bethune's story in a talk at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society's museum, located at 25 Nottingham Court at Elmwood Avenue. The event takes place Wednesday, March 3rd at 7PM.

Admission for "Louise Bethune: America's First Woman Architect" is $6. For more information, call 716.873.9644 or visit the Historical Society's website.

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bydesign

March 1, 2010 11:56 AM

Kelly has grown to be an expert on Louise Bethune. Look for this talk to be insightful.

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Chris

March 1, 2010 12:33 PM

Was the Elmwood Music hall on the southeast corner of Elmwood and Virginia where the Dollar General stands today? What a shame...

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RaChaCha

March 1, 2010 12:38 PM

Yes and yes.

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ReginaldQMerriweatherIV

March 1, 2010 12:54 PM

the southeast corner of virginia and elmwood is the St. Mary condos (formerly St. Mary's School for the Deaf)...I think this used to stand on the northwest corner, where the firehouse and elmwood playhouse are, but I'm not positive about that.

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ForestBird

March 1, 2010 1:39 PM

Well.. it's the north-east corner (400 Virginia St is the actual address) , and yes, now a Dollar General (was Rite Aid, before that a gas station) stands there.

Story goes that when Enrico Caruso sang there, he could hear the streetcars while he rehearsed, and demanded they be shut down while he performed. They were not, but he sang anyway.

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ForestBird

March 1, 2010 1:47 PM

oops. That was violinist Yehudi Menuhin, not Caruso !

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ReginaldQMerriweatherIV

March 1, 2010 2:31 PM

win some, lose some...thanks

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Blackrocklifer

March 1, 2010 8:27 PM

The old St. Marys School for the Deaf came real close to being demolished. I remember back around 1978 or 1979 the building was vacant and wide open to various vagrants, scrappers, and assorted characters. I took a self guided tour myself and remember thinking this old building is doomed. The crappy efficiency apartments were a mess and the building needed complete (and expensive) renovation.
Seeing that place brought back to life was a turning point, there was hope for old Buffalo.

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biniszkiewicz

March 1, 2010 7:22 PM

Well, a parking lot for the dollar store isn't as good as the music hall, but at least that's not why we lost the hall; Paladino knocked down a third rate gas station to build the former Rite Aid which the dollar store later occupied.

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Delawarian

March 2, 2010 2:26 PM

The Music Hall was condemned back in the 30's. It was far too costly to maintain during the Depression and became structurally unsafe. While it was a useful building, it was hardly comparable to Shea's or even the Connecticut St Armory. Around the same time, Edward Kleinhan decided to build a memorial to his wife and mother. The rest, as they say, is history!

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RaChaCha

March 1, 2010 12:37 PM

Don't miss the chance to hear Kelly speak about Louise Bethune! I got to hear her at the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester.

Kelly is also leading the campaign to have Louis Bethune inducted into the Womens Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls.

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Travelrrr

March 1, 2010 1:16 PM

wouldn't it be amazing if Buffalo could rebuild some of its lost architectural treasures (first we have to stop the continued bloodletting), albeit maybe with a modern twist?

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Black Rock Advocate

March 1, 2010 1:32 PM

The Elmwood music hall was located at the ' North East ' corner of Elmwood and Virginia st's now the parking lot for the present day ' Family Dollar '

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grad94

March 1, 2010 10:25 PM

definitely time for bethune to get the attention she deserves in buffalo and elsewhere. props to kelly for taking up her cause.

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ForestBird

March 2, 2010 12:41 PM

I hope the Lafayette won't be added to the "Demolished" list.

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onestarmartin

March 2, 2010 1:12 PM

saw that in the news, hope the credits come through. Shame to see that boarded up also.

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soupcan

March 2, 2010 1:22 PM

Agreed. I was very disappointed this morning when I read about the trouble the developer is having with Albany and that this beautiful landmark will probably be boarded. Such a shame.

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tommyJ

March 3, 2010 8:54 AM

It's sad that today the news broke that the Lafayette is being closed up and mothballed :(

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MrGreenJeans

March 3, 2010 6:07 PM

So, how many times has the Lafayette Tap Room been pushed here, and WHY is there NO mention of its closing, along with no news about the Hotel Lafayette itself? Could it be ... just maybe ... that Buffalo Rising is nothing more than a rah-rah cheerleading site which sticks its head firmly into sand every time something bad happens? Surely it isn't concerned only with collecting advertising money, no? No, of course not.

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GTB

March 3, 2010 10:26 PM

Death to another landmark

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