Originally posted in February 2006-
 
I thought I would rub salt in the wounds to those seeing my latest "Then and Now" post featuring some lost buildings on Main Street.  This "Then and Now" repost first appeared in February 2006.  It shows the former Fisherman's Wharf building as contrasted with the architecturally...um,  mind numbing Soho Bar that now

Beginning on March 25, Blink Gallery will be hosting an exhibit featuring the work of local artist Richard Tomasello.
 
Tomasello is a Buffalo native who currently balances his work as an art educator with creating and promoting his own art.  He received his BFA in Illustration from University at Buffalo and a Masters in Art Education from Buffalo State College.  Tomasello has been teaching art for well over nine years, thus he has only had enough extra time to showcase a piece or two here and there. In the past year, he has

These two 19th century beauties used to sit on Main Street at Virginia across from a cluster of restored and pretty much fully occupied 19th century buildings now known as Granite Works.  Let that time period roll of you tongue - NINETEENTH CENTURY.  We, of course, now live in the twenty first century and can never get these buildings back now that they have been removed. 

These before pictures were taken some time in the mid 1980s as evidence of subway construction is apparent.  The lighter red building has a stone name plate below the cornice with the name Hutchinson

After the exciting deed signing event at the Statler, buyer and developer Mark Croce later outlined some of his plans for bringing the majestic building back to life.  Time is of the essence.  Croce is determined to have enough work done to host National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference events in the building in October. 

The first order of business is making immediate repairs to the building's roofs.  Attention will then turn

Spring is here and the snow has finally left our city.  It seems like perfect timing for the release of Avalon Design's next globe, featuring the Buffalo Botanical Gardens.
 
This water globe (no snow this time) features a detailed replica of the Botanical Gardens building, resting within a four-inch glass globe.  The globe is held by the petals of a water lily made out of hand-painted resin. The entire piece is a little over six inches tall. The globe also has an LED light that illuminates it from within.  Its colorful design and base bring springtime at the Gardens

Regarding this summer's Garden Walk, Boardmember and President Jim Charlier took the time to talk about the 2011 event and answer a few questions for us. Just how big is the Garden Walk, and what does it take be a part of this growing phenomenon? From Jim: 

This year's Garden Walk (Saturday and Sunday, July 30 & 31)  will be the biggest ever--we're slated to have a few gardens published in a MAJOR magazine in June that'll give us LOTS of exposure nation-wide.

About a quarter of Garden Walk visitors were

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has been very busy lately with three big announcements. They recently announced the re-signing of Music Director JoAnn Falletta to a new five year contract. The BPO also announced that they will be performing at Carnegie Hall in 2013. The 2011-12 Classics and Pops season lineup of performers has been released as well.

After renewing her contract in February, Falletta feels that she and the BPO can plan for a long term future now. They will now begin strategizing about repertoire, recordings, tours, guest artists, and artistic growth to come over the

Visionary artist Charles Burchfield once said, "I hereby dedicate my life and soul to the study and love of nature, with the purpose to bring it before the mass of uninterested public, that they may see and become familiar with the endless number of nature's beauties, wherein lies my greatest happiness. If I can bring only a few serious-minded people to see how vital nature is, besides being beautiful, I shall be content."

In hopes of promoting Burchfield's vision and continuing his legacy of appreciation for the natural world, the Western New

This summer promises to be a busy one at the Inner Harbor. Along with a multitude of lighter, quicker, cheaper advancements taking shape (see post), the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation has released a list of additional events and activities that visitors can look forward to this summer. Combined with programming from Buffalo Place, the overall summer hit list is turning out to be an impressive array attractions ranging from a German Fest to historic gondola making.

/city/index.html

Downstate, Buffalo had just been referred to as a place you would not want to go, but upstate, the city steeped in architectural history was celebrating a new era for one of its most historic structures. In a ceremony Wednesday afternoon, Statler City LLC, led by developer Mark Croce, officially took ownership of the Statler building. 

"For only having decided to put on a deed-signing event two days ago, there was a tremendous turn-out. So many people have taken an interest in the building. We

The WNY Girls' Schools Coalition will be hosting their annual fashion show and fundraiser on Saturday, March 19 at Harry's Harbour Place Grille.
 
The show will feature local designers and junior talents who will be showcasing their work in the name of a good cause: Project Educate.  This initiative seeks to promote girls' education in the Middle East by fundraising and promoting awareness in the Buffalo community.
 
The WNY Girls' Schools Coalition began in 2002 as an alliance of girls from Nardin Academy, Buffalo Seminary,

The University Heights Tool Library, a non-profit project of the University Heights Collaborative, has been set up to lend tools out to Buffalo residents to help them maintain and fix-up their homes and gardens.

The University Heights have been undergoing some neglect lately, mostly in the older urban neighborhoods. The idea of a tool library will offer a low cost program and opportunity to make substantial changes to the neighborhood, bringing back the beauty of these homes.

"Consider it a walk-in tool box," said Darren Cotton, a board member for the University Heights Collaborative.

George O'Donnell III has been selected as the 2011 Grand Marshall of the 18th Annual "Old Neighborhood" St. Patrick's Day Parade by the Valley Community Association.

The parade is scheduled for Saturday, March 19th, and will be led by O'Donnell as it travels through the streets of the Valley and Old First Ward neighborhoods.

Born in 1957, O'Donnell has lived his entire life in that neighborhood and currently lives on Albama St. with his sister Kathy. He was born with Downs Syndrome but has given to his community all of his life despite the many challenges he has dealt with.
/city/index.html

The University at Buffalo is working with new nanomaterials research in order to help figure out a way to separate bacteria from drinking water.

Bacteria in drinking water may not be seen by the naked eye, but at a closer inspection it is revealed that its size is immense compared to that of a water molecule.

The research team at UB has created a new kind of nanomembrane with the help of a polymer called a block copolymer. The nanomembrane is about 55 nanometers in diameter which is large enough for water molecules to slip through but not the bacteria.

"These materials

Incite a Riot will be celebrating their first year of successful business in events promotion and management by doing what they do best: bringing music and fashion together.
 
"A Year of Inciting The Riot Fashion and Music Mayhem" will kick off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at 136 Lofts.  The show will feature local talents from both the music and fashion worlds.  The Breathing Tree, An American Skyline, The Albrights and Sleep Atlantic will all be playing live music.  Models will be showing off the spring collections of Katie Gariepy, Eurostyle, Anatomy and Monster

Buffalo Seminary has been recommended to be added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places by the NYS Board for Historic Preservation. The application was prepared by Clinton Brown Company Architecture (CBCA) and will be reviewed at the National Register's quarterly review meeting March 9th.

The following comes from Clinton Brown Company Architecture:

Founded in Johnson Park in 1851 as the Buffalo Female Academy, the school was later renamed as Buffalo Seminary and relocated

A letter was recently sent to the U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood from Assemblyman Sam Hoyt and Senator Mark Grisanti pushing him to redirect $2.4 billion in high speed rail funding that was rejected by Florida to New York.

Receiving this money would be very beneficial for the development of New York's high speed rail corridor.

"New York has faced many challenges as of late: an upstate economy and population that are in serious decline as well as immense job loss," Hoyt and Grisanti said in the letter. "This funding presents New Yorkers with an opportunity to help

Controversial local art and music will be flowing through Club Diablo on Friday, March 25 as local artists Sean Madden and Brook D'Angelo host their "Satan for President" art show.
 
Madden, a Buffalo native and surrealist artist, has had his work published and exhibited all over the U.S. and in Europe.  He has contributed illustrations to sci-fi and horror magazines, underground comics and clothing.  He has also contributed art to major motion pictures, including "My First Mister" and the next "Scream" movie coming out in the

Mark Croce's bumpy pursuit of the Statler is coming to an end.  The tireless developer is finally closing on the property Wednesday.  Despite calls for abandonment and demolition, Croce always saw big potential in the Niagara Square landmark.  To celebrate the new ownership and stewardship of the property, Croce is hosting a reception at the Statler at 2 PM Wednesday.  The Buffalo Rising community is invited to watch as Trustee Morris L. Horwitz executes the Trustee's deed officially transferring the ownership.  Refeshments will be provided by Buffalo Chophouse.

Re-Tree WNY, an organization formed after the "October Storm" of 2006, is postponing plans for it's ninth seasonal planting event to just one fall planting on the storm's fifth anniversary later this year.   A better survival rate for trees planted in the fall as well a shortage of funding are among the reasons for the change. "We are confident that this is a positive move on many counts," stated Paul D. Maurer, Chairman of Re-Tree, who authored the e-mail message.  "We've been monitoring each of our plantings and the results show that spring plantings have