Construction Watch: One Canalside

"There's more than one way to skin a building."

--Vitruvius, Book III

It's a shame the fist building at Canalside was not built to the sidewalk.

I have been to the site recently, and like the Avant on Delaware, the renovated Donovan will detract from what could have been an active street life.

Now, similar to the Avant there will be a "no man's land" between the street and building. The first few floors of the Donovan could have been brought to the sidewalk. Dead space does not attract people.

Canalside should be about making a dense and exciting destination. This building detracts from this goal and compromises the success of Canalside.

Good morning, Buffalo! Let the complaining begin!

Oh, and I'll refrain from making the sarcastic shot at a fellow commenter that comes to mind.

Anyone know why all those lights are on at night and strung on every floor?

The HSBC building looks so ugly in those photos. Would love to see it with a modern glass facade.

Its not fair to liken the concept of all and any pedestrian space in such a broad brush way to the Main Street Pedestrian mall. Based on that logic we should discourage pedestrian space in all and any situation because of its negative effects on a community. Not all pedestrian space is created equal and in this case certainly two different birds. Even when comparing pedestrian malls to other pedestrian malls there are examples that are successful and those that are not. The Buffalo one not so successful, places like Charlottesville VA, pretty successful. Ithaca NY seems to have one that works. Its all about how its designed and location.

Am I the only one who thinks that this building fits in perfectly? It's going to have a brick and glass exterior which will work perfectly witht the existing F'in Center, The Atrium and the proposed development on the Webster Block. Also, the brick will compliment development across the street at Canalside. I think it's a perfect transition.

Pedestrian malls are so lame....they are another bad design from the eighties...just like those awful bubble awnings on storefronts that spang up in 90's (or more recently if you're Just pizza or Mister pizza)......the last three pedestrian malls I've been to ( Ithaca, boulder, Santa Monica).. are all awful....please stop building these generic eyesores

Beltway architecture.

Im not advocating for pedestrian malls at all but recognizing that the pedestrian space associated with this project is NOT a pedestrian mall. No roadways are being closed to vehicluar traffic here and the scale of this pedestrian space is nothing compared to the Buffalo pedestrian mall either. There are differences between good pedestrian spaces that work and bad ones. The building is all site plan and building lpabns at this point while just nuder construction. Do we truly know the entire picture about how pedestrian spaces will be utilized until constructed? I dont think so. William H Whyte had a good video called the social life of small urban spaces many years ago. Its still a good resource. I would have liked a stronger street wall along Washington St with this project myself with retail/ restaurant space but not going to lose sleep over this project. I agree with up and coming that its a good transitional building between HSBC tower, etc. and canalside.

I've had the pleasure of attending a presentation by the ECHDC president about the plans for Canalside and the surrounding space.

When it comes to the Donovon, the reason they are not "building to the sidewalk" is because that space was purposely set aside for public use. They are digging another canal in that space and are planning for it to be the welcoming east "entrance" to Canalside.

No one is talking about the extra space fronting scott street that is being held for new development. This will add a ton to the urban vibrancy of canalside once it is developed. With harbor center on the webster block to the south and 1 canal side with a simple plaza and water element to the north it would seem logical that space fronting scott will be the next area to be developed. Am I off base here? It seems like a perfect progression to me and if I had deep pockets i would be all over that.

Go to Chicago to see how many buildings are set back off the street. This building already existed off the street. Stop complaining. Canal side is emerging as a public space area NOT Wall Street.

Hi Buffalo expat here now living in Ithaca for 7 years. Lived on Trinity Place in Buffalo for 10 years before moving out here. I think that Hamp is being a little to fundamentalist with his remarks about street set backs and building to the curb. While this is a common tenant of good urban design it is not the be all and end all of urban design. This building was never really built to fit those guidelines as the state office building that it was for 30 years. But, it is a reuse of an older building and it will bring new people downtown to stay and to work.

Also, just because the Buffalo pedestrian mall sucks pretty badly doesn't mean that they all do. Ithaca's Commons has been very successful and popular place over the 40 years that it has been in existence. There are restaurants, clubs, banks, shopping and people. It is everything that Buffalo's isn't. It also serves as Ithaca's "square" and has regular music in the summer along with all the festival's that happen over the course of the year. It is the center of Ithaca and communal gathering place. The comment that it is the deadest part of downtown implies a deep misunderstanding of Ithaca. The ithaca commons and the immediate surround streets which border it ARE downtown. To say that other parts are busier is really misinformed.

Since it is 40 years old it has shown it's age and Ithaca is discussing having the Commons redone. There is no talk of turning it back into a street. None, in fact that would be sacrilege. The commons has the support of students, residents, business, Chamber of Commerce, etc the whole community supports the commons by frequenting the shops there and attending the concerts and festivals. So Hamp, trying to throw Ithaca's Commons in, to support your picky comment about the plaza isn't really gonna work. Take it from someone who has lived in both cities extensively and understands a thing or two about how urban design works. (ok, getting off of high horse now)

I strongly disagree with Hamp's assertion that M&T plaza, Key Plaza, the former Goldome plaza are 'wastelands'. People use those plazas. There are more people congregating at M&T during lunchtime concerts than anywhere else for blocks (although many use that nice tree lined street next to St. Paul's, which, thankfully, is also set back from the street enough to create public space).

And the Key Tower Plaza is another jam packed gathering place. Do you go downtown in the summer at lunchtime?

Those plazas are way more populated by office workers enjoying the outdoors than all those vacant sidewalks lining vacant storefronts all along Main, and any other buildings which once upon a time supported retail, along Chippewa, along Delaware, along Washington and Pearl and Franklin and Genesee. There are a ton of formerly thriving retail streets downtown, streets where traffic still drives relentlessly by, but which are not thriving for retail. And that will be the case for most of those streets, even after downtown residential builds up more critical mass.

I'm unclear about the 'bumpouts'. Are these just small additions here and there? or have these floors been significantly added to? It looks to me, from one of the photos, that perhaps a significant increase in the floorspace on each level has been added. Maybe I'm misinterpreting . . .

Have to go down and see what's new in person.

All this talk of urban planning, downtown revitalization, pedestrian malls that work and those that don't, building to the street, no plaza, yes plaza, sheesh!!!
What noboby on here gets is that any downtown area, mall, street, plaza is not utilized by Buffalonians and their suburban counterparts. On any night, even a nice one, check out what happens when Shea's lets out. Thousands of people leave the theatre at one time....they cross Main, get in their car and head home, whether that home is in the suburbs or in the City. I usually walk up Main a little and can count on one hand the amount of people that are walking. Yes, I know....why would they walk when there's nothing there to walk for. Well, now there's the egg and chicken scenario. But any event in our city lacks the ability to keep people downtown to patronize our city.
In NYC, those that don't live in the city and catch a show usually have dinner, the show and then dessert or another drink after....hence the saturation of people on the street. Our residents don't do that. Until they do, any street will be a dead zone whether the building is built to the street or not.

Agreed on the in the know comment; This is something we need to change.

Speaking of in the know, does anyone know what the plan for Main Street and cars is in this area? If cars are separate as they are by FNFG and under HSBC and past the Ellicott building and not sharing the tracks, that 20 ft may not really be 20'ft after the fact.