With address numbers indignantly sprayed on its walls it bears the tell tail insignia of a house which will be demolished in short order. David Torke recently featured this house on Fix Buffalo. This proud building stood for over 100 years soaking in the passing of time. Long passed craftsmen climbed its walls and sculpted its form gloriously displaying their skills and sensibilities. It housed generations of families with all their joys and misery. They tucked in their children each night, they argued and laughed and went about their lives for over 100 years touching this inanimate building with their souls. Then, they moved on. They no longer found value or worth in this magnificent structure. But can and should we we toss off such history with such ease? Don't we owe these generations the dignity of caring for their legacy? Are we wasting our own opportunities when we callously dispose of truly beautiful and valuable pieces of our heritage?
I recently asked the question on two other internet forums ' Why is Buffalo not one of America's most beloved cities? ' I accompanied the post with many spectacular examples of Buffalo's architecture. The responses included some snide and sarcastic comments as well as comments expressing astonishment at the beauty of Buffalo's buildings combined with a sadness for the city's plight. Others sighted Buffalo's poor economy and lack of jobs and population decline as an answer to my question. Of course the snide comments are a result of Buffalo's poor national reputation. The lack of jobs and population growth is a result, not cause of Buffalo not being among the most beloved cities.
So why is Buffalo not among the elite and most loved American cities such as Boston, San Francisco, or New Orleans? I believe that part of the reason is that Buffalo does not and has not loved and respected itself. It has not cherished and cared for the infrastructure and unique urban environment it inherited. It eliminated its canal district, it plowed highways through its beautiful parks. It fled to the bland and sterile suburbs instead of investing in its irreplaceable historic core. Of course all of America's cities have participated in these kinds of destructive acts but the greatest of our American cities recognize the power of their unique history and heritage. Buffalo eliminated its own "French Quarter" in favor of parking and highways. Boston and San Francisco build on their history yet in Buffalo a small minority still has to fight a tough battle to save what buildings they can, buildings that can never be brought back. Move this house 4 blocks west and it would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet here on Buffalo's ravaged east side it has no value. It will soon be replaced by a soulless cookie cutter house wrapped in plastic siding, a house that can be found in anyplace USA, a house that will add short term value but, will ultimately amount to nothing more than a sad reminder of what Buffalo no longer has.
Buffalo is at a tipping point. It can no longer afford to wantonly destroy its past. It can no longer afford to eliminate the things that have the potential to propel it into the ranks of the elite and most loved cities in this country. Why not invest in this house instead of a new plastic house? Why spend $15,000 to demolish this building and then spend another $200,000 for a lack luster replacement? This is where Buffalo has to start respecting itself. Of course all is not lost in Buffalo. There are many small but growing groups of residents that do understand that the urban fabric of Buffalo is important , that it is worth saving, and that its unique urban heritage will be the source of its future growth. These groups such as the West Village Renaissance Group, The Kleinhans Community Association Block Club and even David Torke fighting his lonely East Side battle as well as many others are beginning to make a difference in long suffering neighborhoods. If successful their efforts will most likely be taken for granted but, I am sure that the members of these groups will not mind that they are not remembered. They will have the amazing fruit of their efforts, A new and beloved Buffalo as payment.
images courtesy of David Torke