A BRO reader has come up with a fantastic idea, and one that we don’t believe we’ve heard before. All great cities have stunning sculptures and fountains. At one point, Buffalo had some of the most impressive monuments in the land. That was during the time of the Pan American Exposition. Unfortunately, when the Pan Am closed, everything was demolished, leaving very few remnants that we still see today. But at the time, the might and the power of Buffalo was exhibited in the form of tremendous sculptures and fountains. We’ve all see the images, but have we thought about the loss? Have we thought about what it might take to bring some of these historic works of art back to life?
Many of us know about the missing lions on the Delaware Park Bridge by the Albright-Knox. A few more know about EB Green’s Arc D’Triumph designed to commemorate the civil war. Few are aware of the lost sculptural masterpieces and fountains from the Pan Am. These are all tourism magnets that elevate our city and its neighborhoods. I cannot help but think about the traffic calming (Olmsted Style) Parkway in Larkinville or the traffic calming rotary as the Kensington distributes traffic to downtown. Imagine for a minute if we could add some of these statues/fountains to our city neighborhoods. Would love to see EB Green’s Arc D’Triumph in Larkinville or Life Sciences Campus. Would love to see more of these classic sculptures/fountains in branding Buffalo as well as for the benefit of Buffalo neighborhoods.
Lead image: panam1901.org – click on this link to see a treasure trove of examples that Buffalo should be recreating. There is also a fascinating story about how the original works of art came to pass. Pan-Am postcard: Rewriting Wicks history.