Author:

The new apartments at 1040 are nearly full and one of the partners behind the project is getting ready to start its next project downtown. James Swiezy of Greenleaf & Company and Paul Kolkmeyer of Priam Enterprises converted the former Lutheran Nursing Home on Delaware and converted it to 49 rental units and office space. The $5.5 million project officially opened last month. “We are over 90 percent leased at 1040 Delaware,” says Carrie Carney, head of marketing and leasing at Greenleaf. “We are now leasing our Garden Level apartments on the first floor. They are exactly like the other units except on…

Read More

December 26, 29, 30 and 31, 10 AM Till Noon Inside Downtown You don’t know Buffalo if you don’t know the landmarks by master architects Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, Richard Upjohn, and E. B. Green. St. Paul’s Cathedral (whose interior image graces this post), the Ellicott Square Building and the Old Post Office are as magnificent on the inside as on the outside. We’ll keep you indoors as much as possible as you trek between towers. The tour includes One M&T Plaza, Old County Hall, lower Pearl Street and more. Meet at the Market Arcade, 617 Main Street, $10 December…

Read More

Just a note to let you know that we will be starting up our Soul Jazz Matinees at the Sportsmen’s Tavern on Sat Nov 1. Every week from 3-6pm. Hosted by the Ronnie Davis Combo, consisting of Rob Lynch on drums, Doug Morgano on guitar and yours truly on organ/bass. Our special guest on Nov 1 will be Buffalo’s Mr. Soul, Billy McEwen. This is our third year of funky, friendly Saturday afternoon get-togethers with a great lineup of guests including Gretchen Schulz, Sue Kinkaid, Eric Crittendon and many more. Admission is free and if you wear a “60s-style skinny…

Read More

Back in December of last year I wrote a history of Our Lady of Lourdes Church; my brother Paul also provided additional photos which are on my website. Now that I’m in town preparing to relocate back to Buffalo one of my first stops was my old family church at Main and Best–and now I see the church is going to be sold at auction September 13. Some of the boards over the massive windows are gone and I see one of the roof dormers has been damaged (no doubt from last winters windstorms), but the exterior masonry still appears…

Read More

The 4th annual Black Rock-Riverside Tour of Gardens will take place this weekend, Saturday & Sunday, August 2 & 3rd from 10am to 4pm. Gardens of all shapes and sizes will be on display throughout the Black Rock and Riverside Neighborhoods. One can download a map here or pick one on the days of the walk at 416 Amherst Street or at St. Marks Church, 311 Ontario Street. This year there is also a free shuttle available to transport event participants around the neighborhoods. The 2nd annual Starry Night Garden Tour will take place on Saturday, August 2nd from 8pm…

Read More

Buffalo is #1 on National List of Top Arts Destinations. As I read the headline, I paused in disbelief. My city? Number 1? In something positive? Sure enough, AmericanStyle magazine ranked Buffalo number one on its list of Top 25 Arts Destinations. The report by WGRZ cited: AmericanStyle readers referring to Buffalo as ‘a hidden jewel’ and ‘a well-kept secret’. We agree. What makes our city a top art destination? Let us focus on just one element—artists who find their creative juices inspired and released here. The proof is Artspace Buffalo Lofts, 60 housing units with shared studio space that…

Read More

Generations of Buffalonians have grown up with Kleinhans Music Hall; they’ve attended Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra concerts and walked across its stage during high school and college graduations; they attended parties and weddings there. Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, it is easy to take Kleinhans Music Hall for granted. A national historic landmark, it is an international architectural treasure, renowned for its modern, organic design and acoustical excellence. It was 70 years ago this year that the hall was designed by Finnish American architect Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero. As marvelous as the hall is, there are…

Read More

Stanley Swisher is back, along with the beautiful garden he supervises at the Erie Basin Marina. Together with the Olmsted Conservancy-manned MLK greenhouses, Swisher is excited about the 350 varieties of annuals showing at the marina this year. These varieties are from all over the world, including Holland and Israel. The Olmsted Conservancy’s MLK Greenhouse is a trial garden that houses samples of next year’s up-and-coming plants. These flowers are new hybrid clones that are not currently available at your neighborhood garden center. The flowers have to prove their hardiness and popularity during rating events such as Garden Walk Buffalo,…

Read More

Buffalo is laden with a vast array of cultural and natural wonders. Western New York parks, art galleries, trees, wildlife sanctuaries, architectural sites, colorful personalities, water features and pastoral places of peace and quiet are found throughout the region. All of these favorites exist in one place called Forest Lawn. And it’s the perfect place to celebrate a life. Forest Lawn Cemetery is 269 acres of art, nature, history and beauty located in the very heart and soul of the City of Buffalo. With its winding roads, undulating topography and variety of magnificent monuments, one could spend weeks playing a…

Read More

For those of you who follow this column, we have not suddenly become restaurant reviewers for Buffalo Rising. As it turns out, Acts of Intentional Kindness are not limited to not for profits, but occur daily in lots of for profit (hopefully!) businesses in our city. Case in point – Risa of Risa’s Deli on Hertel Ave. As we enter Risa’s Deli, we are reminded of the lyrics to the “Cheers” theme song, specifically the part that goes… Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. You wanna be where you can…

Read More