The past couple of months that I have spent learning about refugee resettlement in Buffalo have been an enlightening and somewhat life changing experience. I have talked to resettlement directors, filmmakers and teachers, all who agree that their involvement with refugees is something that they treasure dearly, and has made

The Painting for Preservation crew had scheduled a paint-in at St. Mary's on-the-Hill Church for this Saturday.  Upon receiving news that the endangered building's demolition had started, event organizers considered cancelling and picking another site from Buffalo's lengthy list of at-risk historic buildings for another day.  But the event will go on, with greater conviction for the need to keep painting and preserving.  Artists will gather at the property at the corner of Vermont and Niagara

The Olmsted Conservancy's 9th annual Party for the Parks fundraiser (Friday, September 16) looks like it's attracting quite an interesting line-up of characters. With the theme being British Invasion and all, the organizers are teaming up with a variety of Buffalo Brits, the likes that have never been assembled before. PfP is breaking out the buntings, the bangers and mash, the red white and blue Jello shots and the bubble guns. Guests include Buffalo's British Car Club, the Fashion Maniac team, the Starchildren Moped Club, the Buffalo Jugglers, Pyromancy and the Queen City Roller Girls. There

Since the first round public input sessions, consultants have been hard at work shaping the overall design for the Buffalo Green Code. The community input was a great success and produced over five-hundred sheets of notes, thousands of ideas for what the city should look like, and a close-up look at over ninety Buffalo neighborhoods. To see the results for each session check them out here.

The following comes from the Buffalo Green Code as they continue to update and shape their vision for a

A Prospect Heights neighborhood landmark is being demolished.  The remains of St. Mary's-on-the-Hill church is being torn down this week.  The church at Niagara and Vermont Streets has long been under the threat of demolition.  Neglectful owners were in and out of Housing Court in recent years.  A "therapeutic demolition" was performed on the circa-1903 church three years ago leaving just the church's masonry walls

There's a statistic floating around that says 23 percent of the population wants to be writers.   It stands to reason then, that at least that many people--whether or not they're actually writing--find something interesting about the midnight disease. So, beginning this month, four Western New York writers will share this space to talk about the trials and triumphs of their craft, and especially what it's like to ply it in the Queen City.

="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;

My street held a block party this past Sunday.  This is the third year for our daylong neighborhood fest. Each year it gets bigger and each year people on the street make new connections and get to know each other better.  Almost every house on the street rolls out a feast and a grill.  The savory smells wafting off our little block fill the surrounding streets (too bad for them).  One neighbor brings out a full stage full of amplifiers and lighting and puts on a mini

After a successful spring and summer season, the ECHDC would like to know what you would like to see at Canalside this fall and winter. I have my own list of amenities that I think would draw people down to the Inner Harbor (and keep them there), but I'm not going to list them in this lead post. The community was spot on with a lot of the suggestions for the warmer months, and many of those ideas came to fruition. 
What is it going to take to continue this successful trend? I'm not talking about million dollar ideas... smaller budgets please. I'm talking about the quick

We've all seen what a community garden can do for a neighborhood. We've all seen what a vacant parking lot can do for a neighborhood. So what happens when a community gets together and finds that there are no resources at hand to create an idyllic community park where a corner parking lot is located? The community makes due.
This time, the community I am referring to is the Oxford Square Block Club. Two weeks ago volunteers took this vacant parking lot and built a sandbox for neighborhood kids to play in, then added garden boxes and park benches. Along with curbside landscaping,

By Thea Hassan:

When PUSH (People United for Sustainable Housing) planned the community garden on Hampshire Street, they only had one requirement in mind: gardeners looking for a plot to sow.

/city/index.html

By Giovanni Centurione: Is it just me, or is one particular block of Main Street in downtown Buffalo looking more like 1980s NYC? With all the renovations and construction going on, one block seems

As work continues on McKinley High School's impressive renovations (seen here) on Elmwood, and the Olmsted Legacy Mural behind McKinley nears completion (see video), there is another project that is making waves on the high School campus. McKinley's greenhouse

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Kristi Klier:

If you like Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love and you're open-minded to the mystical possibility of the fae, you'll like this book. Pike's writing style is engaging as you travel with her on a journey

Mark your calendars:  Friday,  September 16 rings in the 30th Anniversary edition of Curtain Up!,  the gala opening of the theatre season. Presented by the Theatre District Association of Western New York and M&T Bank,  this celebration is a unique Buffalo creation and has expanded over

Every Saturday I will be featuring an obscure architectural element found in the city, to see if someone can figure out where it is.

We used to run this same sort of post every

Talk to Michael Quinniey for just a moment and the passion that explodes from every statement assures you that he is man who gets things done. Quinniey is currently leading the restoration of the Sattler Theatre at 512 Broadway through the Western New York Minority Media Professionals (WNYMMP). The plans for the building were announced in 2008, support and donations continue to increase as word spreads about the project.

"We've

Queen City Prints' Grand Opening Celebration and Charity Event (artforms) benefiting the American Cancer Society, will be held at one of the premier residences in Uniland's showcase Avant Building. During artforms, original artwork from Queen City Prints' collection of local artists will be on display amongst the breathtaking views from the 16th floor of Avant.

In addition to the art exhibit, the event will feature delectable appetizers and an exquisite chocolate experience from Oh Pour L'Amour Du Chocolat. All proceeds from both ticket and art sales will go to benefit the American Cancer

When I first heard that the bistro at the Naval and Servicemen's Museum was not moving forward (see story), I was completely disappointed. How had we gotten so far as to announce that it was coming, just to have the project pulled out from underneath us? After regrouping, we looked forward to the opening of Clinton's Dish, which was ultimately a good thing, but the broader missed opportunity - the bistro - was a disappointment that overshadowed many of the positive advancements. Since day one,

For years the future was uncertain for the stately house at 428 Porter Ave. It was in such a state of direpair that many thought it was destined for a landfill. The building went through its fair share of neglectful owners and finally landed in housing court. Thankfully the building not only stands today, but is restored and remodeled. Elmwood Village Contracting purchased it in December 2009 and revived

Last Friday I had a chance to grab lunch at the SoHo Burger Bar. I hadn't been inside the building since the midway through the renovations, and I must say that interior designer Paul LaMorticella did a bang-up job per usual. What I love about Paul's decorating is the thought that goes into both the look and functionality when it comes to the lighting and the furniture. Take, for example, the bistro tables that have been adhered to old-fashioned crank winches. During the day the table can be lower to accommodate two-tops for lunch, and in the evening