friday may 9th 2008
A Dollar and a Dream Home
queenseyes
It didn’t take long to find an owner for the dollar house on Niagara Street. As a matter of fact, the dollar house now has three owners… three friends who are all about to graduate from the School of Architecture and Planning at the University at Buffalo. When they learned that there was a house for sale on Niagara Street for one dollar (see original post), they didn’t quite believe it. Joseph DiPerna thought it was a joke at first. But he told his buddy A.J. Hibsch about the house and the two of them decided to take Harvey Garrett up on his offer to see the house. After that initial visit they called a third friend of theirs, Daniel Jeffrey, who soon learned that the two had found a fixer-upper that could be picked up for a dollar… or 33.333 cents each.
It turns out that the three architecture students all have their own unique abilities to contribute to the rebirth of the structure. A couple of them hav…
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buffalorising
There's a 96-foot tall ship coming to port on Saturday, May 10 at noon. The ship, christened Challenge, and built to resemble an 1800’s era schooner, will dock in the Buffalo Harbor carrying a new craft brew into the United States.
Labatt company officials, who were at first keeping a lid on the name of the craft brew, have now disclosed that the ship will carry barrels of Alexander Keith’s Traditional Lager that will be distributed for the first time in the United States. Buffalo, the City of Good Neighbors, was chosen to be the first city in the nation to try the beer.
Marketing Director of Labatt USA Peter Bodenham said "This is a very, very fun brand from the original brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia," adding, " Alexander Keith is not new in Canada. Keith, who was also the mayor of Halifax at one point started this brewery in the 1800's, and we roll out about 240 mil…
West Coast Perspective
A sale of a vacant or under-utilized property offers hope. Hope that the new owner has the means and vision to bring the property back to life. Oftentimes properties are purchased by investors only looking to milk a property or to hold on to it for speculative purposes with minimal investment. With seven properties for sale on two blocks in the heart of downtown, the turn-over in ownership could mean changes for the better.
The seven properties are, or in two cases were, Hunt Commercial listings. Chris Malachowski, with six of the listings, says each of the buildings have been sold, are under contract, or should soon be under contract. Malachowski is excited that all of the buyers plan “significant changes” to each.
thursday may 8th 2008
Williams on His Way Out?
buffalorising
It's going to be an interesting evening tonight when Buffalo Superintendent of Schools comes before the school board to discuss his yearly performance evaluation along with the possibility that he may be leaving Buffalo for a similar job in Memphis Tennessee.
One of five finalists looking for the Memphis job, Williams would be awarded with a salary of $260K, a raise of nearly 20 percent over his current salary.
Williams announced the potential job at a BPS Board of Education committee meeting after his candidacy was announced by Memphis Board of Education on Tuesday, along with appearing in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. Williams said that he was approached by school officials in Memphis about the superintendent's job along with the four others, all from …
buffalorising
"Hello? We're here and open for business."
That's the message from Park Lane Catering (PLC), in the Statler Towers. Recent news coverage about Bashar Issa's redevelopment plans may have given the general public a different idea, but Park Lane Catering Executive Molly Ford wants everyone to know that PLC's involvement in the Stater's Golden Ballroom, Terrace Room and Rendezvous Room is not affected.
"It's unfortunate that the fate of our business is bundled up with what's happening with Mr. Issa's development plans. I can assure you that we are ready to host events that are planned and future events that require an historic and elegant setting," said Ford. She goes on to say that the improvements made to the building make PLC's efforts as an event planner all the better.
After news of Issa's halting wor…
queenseyes
Man, I thought that the last problem that Russ Maxwell and his FLW Davidson House would run into would be the neighborhood. I thought that maybe the cost to rehab would be prohibitive... or the historic codes would be tough... or the FLW Foundation wouldn’t give its blessing... or anything other than what Russ is actually facing. But it looks like Russ already has a battle on his hands if he wants to open up the house to FLW enthusiasts (see original post). "Believe me," Russ told me. "I don't want to do something that the neighbors don't want... but if they would just give it a chance I think that they would see that it's good for the neighborhood and the city. The people that would be staying there are not going to be ruffians... they are going to be people who appreciate architecture and culture.…
Eli George
NexxNow has made terrific strides since February to get Buffalo a basketball team. In February, they had purchased the franchise but were looking for a venue. Now, they have a venue and a name. The Dragons will be playing at the ECC downtown campus in the Premiere Basketball League (PBL).
According to Paul Riley, President and CEO of NexxNow, the company’s business plan is to deliver US Sports content to China. “Our intent with the Dragons is to broadcast the Dragons’ games back to China. We plan to have a roster of 5-6 national players from China. Hence the name “Dragons,” as it is inspired by our China initiative,” says Riley.
The team will open the doors to new sportsteam in the city and put Buffalo on the international map as well as serving to facilitate a local rivalry. A PBL team exists i…
queenseyes
If you've been wondering about the changes at The Washington Market, then you might want to stop in to see the first big change. Even though it is a work in progress, the cafe has moved up to the front of the building. This is only Phase 1 of the café move... the next step will be to move the entire check out site to the middle of the market. That vacant section will also be dedicated to café seating. When this move is complete, the front of the Washington Market will be a café, the middle section will be dedicated to check out, meats, deli, etc., and the rear will still be used as a grocery store/market with fridges and freezers.
When I stopped in yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to see that the front of the market was much more spacious. The market mural was very noticeable since the tables…
Sandra Williams Gordon
Sample Restaurant will be celebrating Theatre Of Youth's (TOY) production of If You Give a Pig a Party with their very own party!
What better way to begin the celebration of Mother's Day than to join the Party? Begin by stopping by Sample Restaurant for Dinner or Lunch, and then follow the celebration to TOY's production of If You Give a Pig a Party.
Often considered a restaurant to suit an adult contemporary palette, Sample is joining the celebration of family and friends, with a children’s menu designed specifically for this event. Sample will be in keeping with its all hors d’oeuvres concept, by offering a fun kids menu featuring Mac & Cheese, Peanut Butter and Jelly and Grilled Cheese Finger Sandwiches, Fruit Bowl, and of course, Pancakes with your “Favorite Maple Syrup”. For dessert, Ice Cream Sundae and a Mini Birthday Cake (for Pig’s Party).…
Steve Stipanovich
Hopefully Buffalo Rising readers are aware of the proposed rehabilitation for the current Ontario Street Boat Launch in the city of Buffalo; the project is known as Black Rock Canal Park (BRCP). The County-owned land, that is in desperate need of repair and enhancements, is getting planning assistance from the local community. The Black Rock-Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Alliance (BRRGNPA) Land Use, Zoning and Urban Design (LUZUD) committee, has spent thousands of community volunteer hours to develop a plan and present it to every level of government, various community groups, businesses and waterfront users. Their award winning plans have been deemed so visionary that last year there was a commitment of $100,000 from the County and $50,000 from the City to fund a full feasibility study.
On the promise of the money, a request for proposals was issued, bids were received and…
