Rear End or Real Opportunity?

Downtown has been in a Catch-22 for years now. In order for developers and businesses to come in and update it, people also have to come in and spend money, or at least time there.

Not many people from outside of the City want to ever go downtown for anything other than a sports game, or once and a while a conference or restaurant. Buffalo has had some historically stupid mistakes (subway on main street is a biggie). People won't be going downtown unless they need to or want to.

I love the architecture of the City, but no one has any need to go downtown. I just don't see it ending well. Maybe UB can get it rolling again with a larger city campus, but even that is going to be very hard.

So What you are saying is that no one will come downtown unless they need to or want to? Very insightful. Comment indeed :-)

It wild make you sick to your stomach if you ever see pictures of the buildings that once sat where this stupid useless plaza now is.

I see downtown as very vibrant during the weekdays, Saturdays when an event is happening and especially in the evening (party nights). I don't think ALL of those people live in the city. I do however, believe we need more reason to come downtown. I'm going to say it, I've said it for years on this site. We need an over-all development plan for downtown. With so many vacant storefronts and empty lots, we don't need to spend millions of tax payers money to start over in the Canal District. We have the buildings already available, just FILL THEM UP with national and local retailers and restaurants. If we can get two or three blocks of vacant space together at once, create an incentative of some kind, and bring in stores that are rare to this region (ZARA, H&M, DILLARS, LE CHATEAU, etc). People may actually come downtown to shop again. If done right, and local building owners and developers see the light, it can create a spin off effect. But, that's just my idea and dream for downtown.

To quote Mr. Daniel Burnham "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood...Make big plans, aim high in hope and work". What happened in Buffalo that this philosophy was lost? It was there in Burnham's time as can be seen in the Ellicott Square Bldg. he designed, etc. I say go for it and avoid cheapening the improvement by being cheap and cutting corners. In Buffalo cutting corners has led to many years of mistakes. I say for this and other projects throughout the city we need to make BIG plans! Shoot for the moon and go for the fountain and other amenities that will make the corner shine. Identify the improvements, and then plan for their implementation. "Where there's a will there's a way". Seek beautification funding via grants, etc. make it happen. I think one of Buffalo's biggest problems is that it has lost this willingness to go for the gold and make the big plans to result in something that is real and good. While Buffalo has cheapened its expectations to improve itself many other cities in this Country have benefited tremendously from making those BIG plans.

seating and a fountain? [stifles yawn] what is it with the knee-jerk 'turn it into a park!' response to every problematic space? we already have a fine, successful urban square one short block away.

it really needs to be a good corner-defining, well articulated, mixed-use building. but if we can't have that, it should be something we don't already have downtown: pushcart central, a low-capital entrepreneurial opportunity that could really boost and diversify the burgeoning local food scene. like this:

http://www.foodcartsportland.com/

As far as the convention center...its all just lipstick on a pig...I wish someone on BuffaloRising would put up some pictures of historically themed convention and conference centers in other cities. I think that would make a great and long over due discussion.

UB Amherst has a small conference center at the Marriott which I think should expand

I think that the closing Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital would make a really great residential, hotel and Conference Center for the Culturals, Buffalo State and Canisius. The added benefit is that A-K could get rid of their auditorium and add that space to their expansion.

The Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital would make a good BuffaloRising topic (how can it compliment an apartment building at Elmwood/Forest and the Richardson?)

By the way, one would not need a huge fountain. A large fountain for a residential home can be around $500. Just put it on a nice plinth (pedestal) and surround it by something very low maintenance like a little fish pond with water lilies or ground IVY. You might even get a duck downtown LOL!

As with much of downtown, the potential is enormous and it can be a very cheerful enjoyable place to be. The key is to get our civic pride working to polish up much of the dead space that we have...

Would it really kill someone to buy an urn and put an Alberta dwarf evergreen in it or a hanging basket at BJs for downtown?

Would it really kill someone to plant a tree downtown and make sure it lives?

Just little things...but the little things are everywhere LOL

I have a particular penchant for planting the H$## out of downtown...anywhere and everywhere. HUGE, bold pots with equally bold flower displays.

Downtown could really benefit by a green overhaul-would make it more inviting.

Some vines and some advertising space would do it some good.

t's one of the places that showcases our architecture and the hustle and bustle of our business district.

What hustle and bustle? Are you serious? That would not be a phrase that comes to mind when describing downtown Buffalo on 90% of the days. Just look at the photos used in this story!

fountains need to be at focal points, like the magnificent one we already have only 2 blocks away at niagara square. some urban design features work best in quantity. like, the more retail up to the sidewalk, the better. other urban design features work best in scarcity, like fountains and lawns.

50 years ago, bazillions of people came downtown in spite of the fact that, compared to today, it utterly lacked 'green space.' so 'green space' is pretty here and there but it isn't essential to a functioning urban center. jobs, restaurants, retail, entertainment, offices, services, and mass transit are essential.

if you parkify this space, you make it almost impossible to ever have a good corner building there.

Small fountain, planters and cafe tables with umbrellas gets my vote and I'd like to see at least one or two bike racks on Court so people do not have to chain their bikes to trees in elevated planters. Urban trees in planter boxes are not well known for their longevity; then add a rubbing chain on the bark and you have another dead tree.

Boston Ivy
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7b/Ivy_Cover.JPG/800px-Ivy_Cover.JPG

Why this tract of land hasn't been cultivated into an urban farm is way beyond me. It just goes to show you how shortsighted our elected officials and business community is when it comes to farming. There should rows of organic, local corn and free range chickens running around free.

I'm pretty sure I recall seeing an image of what this corner was supposed to look like in the late 70's which was to be an actual entrance to the convention center with a corner tower with a clock and trees, etc. Something was cut on the budget and those buildings were torn down for nothing. Now it's a very large, empty fire exit. What a shame.

Why not take advantage of our great culture of art and build/create a piece that can draw national tourist attraction.

Besides our buildings with great architecture, is there anything in our core downtown area that would have an out-of-towner say: "Hey let's go get a picture of us in front of the ____!"

We could definitely use something like that.

See Chicago bean:
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/1455202020_8614f8799e-thumb-500x375.jpg

See Philly Love Park
http://www.uwishunu.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/love_park_philadelphia.jpg