BYP Happy Hour Tomorrow at the Hotel Lafayette

The people that go to the BYP happy hours are the same people that succesfully put pressure on the BNMC to prevent the demolition of the entire TRICO complex.

The same people that are pushing hard in the media for ECC to locate its medical building downtown.

They are also the people that have been fighting and petitioning in Lackawanna for months to save Old North.

In addition to that most all of us have demanding full time jobs.

Further more, many of us are either bringing back our personal residences from the dead or rehabbing multiple houses at any one time.

Sure, there may be some who are new to the cause or are not into it that deep but what better place for them to be than a SOCIAL event?

I brought up the topic (of obstructionism, in light of preservation) because it seems to have become the mantra of many, particularly since the Freight House developments (it has been said on these forums repeatedly). The sentiment(s) that preservationists need to "focus on what is salvageable", "get proactive", and/or "shut up, and get out of the way of progress" seem to be more pervasive.

Everyone seems to have an idea of what preservationists "should" be doing, and how we "could do it better". To those I say, in retort: "don't like what we are doing? Then, roll up your sleeves--you have as much to gain/lose as I do." I don't personally gain from being a preservationist, nor do any of the members of this group; however, we view the salvage/restoration of our historic built environment as true progress and as Buffalo's future, of which we now have countless examples: Trico I, Shea's, Babeville, Webb, Martin House, etc. etc. etc. (which will hopefully be complemented by tasteful, inspiring modern infill.........)

I do, in fact, see it as scapegoating, and I sense there is a perception of elitism (ie--that preservation is an "elitist sport"). The venom spewed at preservationists (disclaimer: I don't care what people think about preservationists) seems disproportionately venomous. The battle cry is so often that we are impeding progress, and that we don't want Buffalo to move forward. Again, I turn this on its head and ask people to point to any better examples of progress in Buffalo than the Larkin District, the Lafayette and Canal Side....all of which were greatly informed/participated by preservationists (ie those who want to leverage our historic built environment for the city's future).