After visiting with Peter Burakowski earlier today at the Historical Society, the two of us decided to pay a visit to Melissa Brown, Collections Manager at their Resource Center on Forest. The building that houses the massive collection of Buffalo-related historic memorabilia is also the one that features a gigantic bust of a human head at its entrance. Melissa was kind enough to share a behind the scenes tour of the Pan American Exposition history in this latest podcast. This audio tour is just the surface of an incredibly in-depth series of displays that depict the expo... in a light that few have ever seen.
The displays within the complex range from a funhouse-style look at 'A trip to the moon', to beautiful ticket booth (or so some think- see photo) that somehow found its way to a suburban back yard (before being fully restored displayed). The original Spirit of Niagara painting, once the subject of a confrontational debate, is housed inside... as is the gun that was used to assassinate McKinley. There's even a miniature Pan Am Electric Tower on display (seen behind Melissa) that was once used for a travelling roadshow in order to promote the event. That too was painstakenly restored and now awaits your visit.
Due to budget cuts the former street car shed, that now funcions as a museum and storage, is no longer open for public walk-ins. But for those that want to call ahead, museum staff and docents are happy to give tours of the facility. To do so, call 873-9644 x311 and arrange for a walk-thru (or a guided tour) of the public part of the building. Tours are $8 for an individual, and then rates vary depending on the size of the group.
The BECHS Resource Center is located at 459 Forest Avenue. Click here for further info.