Buffalorising has been redesigned.

This is a great building and thank god someone had the forethought to remove the wood over the transom windows. Now the owner of the building needs to blow out the bottom window and the awful brick and replace them with the original type window which almost went to the ground. Then you would have quality store fronts which are very inviting.

With a little TLC this building would really shine and would have no trouble attracting tenants.

I have a feeling it had a larger cornice at one time.

I believe there is also a store front in the back corner on the Ashland side which is not in use, which also should be restored with new window glazing. Maybe the transoms are also just covered up there as well. Then the wall area between the back and the front should have some kind of mural.

Lexi District? Pshhht! Gimme a break... Must every steet in Buffalo that has actual mixed-use buildings be its own "district"?

I agree that building needs alot of work on the ground floor. The brick storefront furnishings sand cinderblock steps don't cut it.

Perhaps instead of just running this "piece" as a thiny-veiled real estate ad, you could have asked the owner what he plans to do to make these spaces actually palatable to potential tenants...

This all speaks volumes about Buffalo's very common half-assed landlordism...not doing jack shit to fix up property, while waiting for "dream tenants" to come in and pay some ridiculous jacked up rent.

I have never heard this term "Lexi District". I agree with qua's "Pshhht!". Kill the hype.(lexi district, supper club, canal warf, banana)

Just curious, why do terms like "lexi district" bother you so much?
I don't understand.

I prefer it when people give these extremely localized "district" and "neighborhood" names. I'm kinda tired of asking where someone lives and hearing "West Side" when they live between Ashland and Richmond south of Forest. When someone tells me they live near "EV" I at least kinda know what they're referring to.

Newell just raised property values by 5% by giving this hood a moniker. I am sure the residents thank him.

Here is another. "The Circles". It refers to the houses on Richmond's circle intersections...Bammmm 5%

The Lexi District is a great moniker. Bravo, Newell!

To the sketpics: name a single neighborhood that hasn't benefited from a great new name.

Lexi District? District? Do you mean a recognizable neighborhood with an identity that most people near and far know? A place where people find something somewhat out of the ordinary, and return to again and again, in preference to someplace else? A place that produces something unique or characteristic of the locale? Much as I love Buffalo, semantic stretches like this are laughable. Dream on. Too much like the current national administration and most of the media: just say it and it is true.

I believe the CPD (Chippewa Party District) gained a lot of momentum since it was adorned the moniker. I love this stuff. Maybe the stretch of Main Street from Utica to Lafayette could now officially be the Depressing District or Lil' Detroit?

Why does referring to a location by it's geography and or business use annoy some people? All successful places benefit with a name and identity. You need to identify a place before you can market it and help make it more successful.

Don't you just love the complainers? Perhaps they should be identified as NOP's...... negative opinion promoters. You can usually count on their lack of support and doomsday the sky is falling attitude.

That's one of the great aspects of identity-making: if the name catches, then yes, say it and it's true. A neighborhood can be rebranded as easy as it is to say "Lexi."

Anyone still calling us New Amsterdam? Or is there anyone out there who disdains that fronteir-esque, adventurous "Buffalo" that so irked the Holland Land Company?

Writing this from the hostel on Van Staphorst Avenue...

The building that housed the former Place restaurant was a mess, the food sucked, and there were to many old ladies. Sell the building, demo it, clear the site, and build a great corner infill building will storefornts on level one and two stories of apartments.

hamp, it doesn't really bother me, just sounds kinda stupid.

I have no problem with special, unique neighborhood names, but I don't think a single rectalinear corner with a few cool buildings should be considered its own neighborhood.

Steel, I doubt your "5% real estate boost" theory holds any water, especially in a city with a weak real estate market. If I was a landlord advertising one of my apartments in that general area in Artvoice, i'm sure i'd get a lot more calls if I listed the place as "Elmwood Village," "Elmwood Area," or "Ashland Ave," rather than a name like "Lexi District," something a hungover Queenie might churn out, desperate for a sleepy Sunday afternoon post. If your average person doesn't get the neighborhood name, then it's not a very effective marketing asset.

Does "Lexi District" work for anyone living nearby on say, Highland, West Utica, Anderson, Norwood, ect.? These streets are pretty much aesthetically on par with the rest of the Elmwood Village, wheras naming a neighborhood "Symphony Circle" would work because a number of crucial streets like Pennsylvania, Wadsworth, Richmond, North, and Porter all flow into one focal point. Same goes for the proposed "5 points" monkier, of which W. Utica, Rhode Island, and Brayton meet in an odd, jagged, yet very interesting manner. These sort of identities can and should define whole neighborhoods, not just individual streets. The Ash/Lex corner is neat and has tons of urban character by Buffalo standards, but that collection of a few vernacular buildings doesn't define the entire surrounding neighborhood.

This brings me to my final point...In forming neighborhood identities, it's crucial that these names help bring areas together rather than balkanize them into seperate parts that compete rather than collaborate.

This "Lexi" ("Lexi" sounds like a cheap hooker, "Lexington" is a classy name with tons of historical American heritage behind) area is really more like a "Lower Elmwood" with a "Midtown" kinda feel. The two defining features of this neighborhood are: the ultra-urban commercial strip along Elmwood between W. Utica and Bryant, and the presence of alot of mid-high rise buildings, like the Miami Vice towers on Delaware, Children's, the brown 12 story on the Elmwood/Utica corner, and all those other big buildings down toward Summer and North. The mixed use buildings at the Ash/Lex corner and Ash/Bryant corners help complement the overall neighborhood as helpful ancillary features. The overall area feels much more urban and less village, than the section of Elmwood (and surrounding streets) between W. Ferry and Forest.

When naming neighborhood, be a uniter not a divider!, as the great George W. Dumbass likes to put it.

I never felt BRO was totally silly until the pretension of this post. A couple of non-descript streets is now a "district" in a city whose total population is the size of a real "district" anywhere else.

We're trying to have a little fun here folks.

Oh Perry, stop being such a curmudgeon. I'm having fun writing the post and could care less whether anyone else calls it the Lexi District. Man, lighten up. It IS being silly. If I really wanted to be pretentious I would have called it the Lexus District.

qua,

I was kidding about the 5%. You and Perry have to lighten up a little. I think Newell was haveing a little fun with the name.

Let's cut QE some slack... he's trying to describe this area as a spin off of EV or the strip, growth out and away from a dense and successful area. In order to talk about it as a cohesive unit, you have to refer to it somehow. So it's not a district or a village... but it is an important area of expansion from an existing bounded well known area. It doesn't qualify as EV, but it is dependent on it in ways... so you can't call it EV, what do you call it? QE did a decent job plugging an area and bringing it to the attention of a wide readership. If you take offense to the name "Lexi Dist." thats fine... I'm sure QE isn't in love with it... but attack him and BRO as pretentious and pompous. Pretentious and pompous doesn't bust its ass to provide new media that serves as the backbone for the best influx of youth and energy Buffalo has seen in a long time.

should read: "but DON'T attack him"

I think the lexi district is a nice name for that beloved corner off of elmwood. I live right near that corner and i can tell you all that for those of us who lived around it when the Co-op was alive and kicking, it was a mini elmwood avenue district. We all loved having the shops so close to where we lived and it meant a lot to us when the co-op was there. I'm glad to see this hidden treasure given a notable name instead of just a small street off of the more popular Elmwood district. Provo!

Btw, the apartments in this building are in the most gawd-awful condition, just short of flophouse time. I was amazed the first time I saw one, and couldn't believe the place hadn't been condemned.

Could use some landscaping, e.g., trees. And the tacky faux brick has got to go. Metro is right - put the original style windows back.

This building can totaly use some new windows. Right now it looks like some old school bar for old men. Bring in large windows (floor to ceiling) and bring in a bookstore/cafe, funky clothing store and or a deli.

When I abbreviate "Lexington", I usually take a page from NYC and refer to it as "Lex". I think the addition of the "i" sounds diminuative and "cute" (I actually did not think in terms of hooker although valley girl comes to mind.) I further agree that a single corner without reference to the larger neighbourhood hardly constitutes a district.

I like this discussion. It's much more interesting than a bunch of people complaining that a new building project isn't taller.

The list of new "districts" and "corridors" that have been designated on this site is astounding. "Pshhht" indeed. Fortunately for these designations, few people seem to understand exactly what a "district" is, and it's not a generic noun to refer to a geographical location. A "district" is either an administrative division (as in "school district") or a locality which is particularly unique in its defining characteristics (as in the "Theater District" or the "Red Light District"). I know you're not entirely serious with regards to the "Lexi District," but please... a little restraint from undeserving hype would do justice to those projects that actually do deserve high expectation and excitement.

Actually it's just as boring and trivial.

My sister had an appartment at Lexington and Elmwood for a while. The problem with a lot of the buldings aound there is that they look nicer outside than in. There's too much underuse and neglect for this to be a thriving neighborhood, but because there is such a great building stock the potential is there for a great urban area. Oh and can someone please paint the Miami Vice towers in an earth tone? I'll honestly do it with hand brushes if someone would pay for the paint.

I used to live on that corner, about seven years ago, above the co-op (when it was still there.).

My all utilities included apartment had no heat for a good part of the winter, (including the "Thanksgiving Blizzard" that year), the outside was never shoveled or cleaned, couldn't go on the back balcony for fear of FALLING THROUGH, and the owner of the building would blast classic rock until three or four AM almost every night of the week from the second floor apartment he'd converted to an office.

Not sure how it applies, but if the same person owns the building now as did then (not sure if I should share his name), I wouldn't move back to the area.

The "Lexi" does have a certain charm...the charm of a she-male hooker on a 72 hour crystal meth binge.

However, if enough trannies could be attracted to this area then Buffalo could resurrect the East Village's cherished Wigstock. A Lucky Chengs or a Lips just might breath new life into Buffalo's tired selection of restaurants.

Imagine Jackie Beat, RuPaul, Flotella di Barge or Shirley Q Liquor walking the streets of Buffalo? It might be hard to distinguish the blue hairs from the drag queens.

The Lexi is gorgeous! Bring it on!

Kelly- A new person does own that building you lived in, and it has come a long way. I live directly across the street, and where there were just empty windows, there are now tons of bright, warm, cool looking apartments.

And a bunch of my neighbors have done great work to their properties, I'd guess that at least 15 homes immediately adjacent to this corner have changed hands in the the last 6 years.

As for its definition as a "district" - a locality with a defining characteristic is would definitely qualify as... Go up Ashland from top to bottom, besides the possible exception of Bryant, this is the only commercial node on the stretch. And it definitely makes it more attractive - I have a rental unit which I always rent immediately as I advertise "Ashland/LEXINGTON" - lest people mistake it for a less safe or friendly locale, such as near Potomac or Bird, say.

Another defining characteristic, besides the commercial activity would be the connection - linking through to Rhode Island, another commencial node. The third would be the density - With the apartment buildings and the mix if single unit and multi-family houses, I estimate that at least 250 people live within the one short block from this corner in 4 directions - that is a heck of a lot of people - particularly as compared to other parts of the city, or, god forbid, the suburbs.

One thing I am still not sold on is the name "Lexi". The comment that it sounds like a "cheap hooker" is a little harsh, but not completely off base. Some of us have lived at this corner for years and never heard that name - and some might not like it being forced. We have a new block club, and we too are struggling with identification. If it is a district, it definitely extends to Norwood, and down Ashland to Anderson. And if it doesn't proceed down Lexington past Atlantic to Delaware, we probably can't use Lex alone...

So if anyone has any suggestions, we seriously want to hear them!

A friend of mine used to live on Lexington between Ashland and Norwood, and he considered the Essex Street Pub to be his neighborhood bar. Just food for thought in terms of what this neighborhood could, might or should encompass.

Brousey says, "Rock on"! Do something with that little frenzy of a neighborhood. It's a great place and alot of potential growth. Why have the storefronts been empty for so long. It's a great place to be an artist and there's lots of good people around. Great Energy...would love to help.

I used to attend meetings in the corner storefront next to 6 Dimension when the Credit Union was there and the condition was terrible due to landlord neglect. They were constantly dealing with overflowing toilets from above among other equally disgusting things that the landlord refused to deal with. I can't believe anything good can happen there until the building sells.

DJK:

WTF? Bird or Potomac and Ashland is unfriendly and unsafe? I'd say it's more friendly and more safe than Patchouli Corners!

Do you even live in your rental unit or are you just a property investor? Please stay in the "Lexi" neighborhood, and don't venture north of Bidwell.

I was under the impression that "Patchouli Corners" had relocated further up your way, near Elmwood and Lancaster?

But seriously Birdie, maybe friendly and safe were poor choices of words. But the last two blocks of Ashland are still viewed mainly as a student neighborhood, and parking lot for upper Elmwood bars, even though the property values and character have rebounded alot in the past several years.

But yes, I live in this house, I said as much pretty clearly. The reason all of these districts are strengthening is because absentee landlords are becoming less common. Both neighborhoods have alot to offer, I was merely suggesting that an area like the 800 block has seen a few more flipped houses recently, for example.

Oh yeah - and I'll venture wherever I want.

I looked at renting the corner spot for STACHE. The landlord was not willing to budge on the Windows!! Thats the only major thing that needs to be done, along with new floors, new door, and a paint job on the side of building. The stain glass windows also cut down on the coolness of the space. We tried and then found 611 Elmwood. the rest is history.

Kelly -

Just moved in this past year. I'm assuming new owner, same old problems. This past October's storm was just a trip while the balcony's third floor ceiling is practically caving in, if not for the man made braces which are sure to buckle on this year's second coming of snow. I was lucky enough to have my ceiling leak too, and have absolutely nothing done about it but get the runaround. Owner lives out of the area, so his lackey takes 'care' of his issues at his own pace. He's too busy renovating apartments to keep up the ones that are already rented, but I guess we're all in contracts, so why should he concentrate on us?

Anyways, the neighborhood is great. I couldn't ask for more. Can't wait to see when The Place opens up, I've heard good things.

And by the way, if any of those girls that lived in my apartment before me is reading this, my locks haven't been changed yet, so your key still works. Have at it.

Help me out. Where is "Patchouli Corners?"

Some "Lexi" fun...

www(dot)myspace(dot)com/lexi_2_sexy_4_u

sascha, do you know this lexi?

sascha, do you know this lexi?

sascha, do you know this lexi?