wednesday july 9th 2008
Real Estate Reincarnation
Elena Cala Buscarino
Christians may not believe in reincarnation for themselves, but one local minister is working hard to see a neighborhood of abandoned houses reborn as something he believes is far better. In a dramatic display to announce his plans for new housing on Kehr Street and Woodlawn Avenue on the city's East Side, Reverend Darius Pridgen of True Bethel Baptist Church, along with Mayor Byron Brown and several church and city leaders, held a press conference yesterday, and then the mayor ordered the on-the-spot demolition of the dilapidated house they were standing directly in front of.
Eight structures in all will be taken down--six on Woodlawn and two on Kehr--and replaced with four single-family homes with plenty of green space surrounding them. "These homes are unsalvageable and have deteriorated to the point of not being rehab-able," Brown said. "Through a partnership with …
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Cassandra Eldred
Located on Buffalo's waterfront at the southern foot of the skyway, Dug's Dive has an interesting history. Established in the late 1800s by William Douglas, a former slave and a ship's cook, Dug's was in the basement of a tenement house Douglas owned. The original rooming house and a saloon featured a club or "dive" at the bottom of a steep, slippery staircase.
William Douglas knew how to cook and make people happy, and he was a hospitable man. According to current owner, Tucker Curtain, this is what Dug's dive is still about today.
Curtin wants people to know about the history (printed on the menus) of Dug's, as well as what it's become today. Dug's is currently a seafood restaurant, serving shrimp, clams, crab cakes, along with chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, fries and much more. They also have an ice cream stand that will serves chocolate covered frozen bananas…
STEEL
One of the great things about writing for BRO is that I can call people up and ask them to show me stuff that most people don't have access to and they say, "Sure, when do you want to do it?" One such place that I have always wanted to see was up in the spectacular tower of the 1889 St. Louis Church.
I contacted church archivist Michael Reister to ask for a tour. He graciously arranged for not only a tower tour but an expanded tour of many other spaces including the basement and attic. Michael is a walking history book on the church building and congregation. As we walked through the building he told many more stories than I could ever hold in my brain.
This first part of my tour started in the tower. You get there by way of a winding stair located in one of the small side towers. The front of the church is dominated by a single main tower modeled on the twin towers o…
Notice: Save the Date
Generations of Buffalonians have grown up with Kleinhans Music Hall; they've attended Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra concerts and walked across its stage during high school and college graduations; they attended parties and weddings there.
Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, it is easy to take Kleinhans Music Hall for granted. A national historic landmark, it is an international architectural treasure, renowned for its modern, organic design and acoustical excellence.
It was 70 years ago this year that the hall was designed by Finnish American architect Eliel Saarinen and his son Eero. As marvelous as the hall is, there are many stories to be discovered both inside and outside the music hall. A rare opportunity exists this year to have a comprehensive tour of the outside and inside of the music hall is happening -- the first tour takes place this Saturday, July 12 at…
Eli George
Last year, a casual event put on by the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation managed to raise $180,000, all while staying laid back and leaving the black ties and penguin suits in the closet. This year, they’re pleased to bring back “Denim and Diamonds” in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park right on our revitalized waterfront.
The casually elegant evening invites participants to wear their most glamorous denim for a summery cocktail party. About 600 people are anticipated at the event and they will have the opportunity to dance under the stars, cocktails in hand, and bid on great silent auction prizes, all while wearing a pair of jeans. You can also enjoy hors d’oeuvres and if denim isn’t your deal, try some business casual. Most importantly, don’t forget your jewels. This event has its name for a reason!
All money raised benefits the Roswell Park Cance…
Eli George
What could be nicer than curling up on a blanket on the grass in the summer time? You can lie down, watch the stars in the sky, or if you’re in Delaware Park, you could watch the stars on the movie screen. The Parkside Community Association and the Buffalo Olmstead Parks Conservancy are bringing “Movies in the Meadow” to the park this summer.
The movies will be shown near the Parkside Lodge near Parkside Avenue and Florence Avenue throughout the month of July. The cost to you to watch is nothing and anyone can attend. This family-friendly event is playing three movies that the children in your lives can enjoy. It’ll be a great way to enjoy a film outside on a big screen without having to be stuck sitting in your car.
The first movie is a film that still resonates with Buffalonians. “The Na…
Tom Waters
As far as Charles Bukowski's work is concerned, you either enjoy his work or you don’t. As far as I'm concerned, any artist who can pen 54 books is worth looking into. Almost two years ago, a friend of mine read a poem of his aloud, with a roaring campfire in the background, during a summertime couple’s cocktail get-together--and I was hooked for life.
I'd rather read books, listen to music or watch films from an artist who's consistently above-par than fixate on the tiny visionaries who knock one or two dingers out of the park and then disappear. It’s a testament to the poet’s already extensive and prolific career that he passed away in 1993, and Ecco books has been publishing uncollected volumes of his work practically every year since. Even death couldn’t shut Bukowski (aka: ‘Henry Chinanski’) up. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and The Ple…
Alex Nye
Richard Kegler is to computer fonts as Indiana Jones is to archeology.
Like Indiana Jones, Kegler can make a seemingly humdrum topic like fonts seem extremely interesting. Kegler scrutinizes ancient scripts and historical writings for unusual lettering, which can all be transformed and preserved into digital fonts.
When he is not rummaging through texts, Kegler is also the creative director at P22, a “virtual” company in Buffalo that licenses fonts and typefaces to major publishers, in-house designers, and scrap bookers from around the world.
You may not know the name P22, but you have seen its fonts. Some of the company’s most treasured work appears in best-selling novels, on signs hanging in some of the most beautiful cities in the world, and here in the pages of Buffalo Rising.
“Walk through any book shop and you will see our fonts on covers of many books,” …
West Coast Perspective
Looking for a historic property in the Cobblestone/Old First Ward area? The building next to the now demolished McBride’s Tavern is for sale. 119 Chicago Street is listed with Realty USA’s Ed Woods for $49,900. The property is one of the few remaining heritage properties in what was once a thriving industrial and commercial district. Neighboring McBride’s Tavern was torn down in early-March after the façade and roof collapsed.
Located near the corner of Miami Street, the three-story, 9,568 sq.ft. property is two blocks from the Seneca Nation casino site. It was formerly used as a stable and later as the Courier Express print shop. Current owner David Hill purchased the property for $39,000 in 2003.
tuesday july 8th 2008
Judge Skretny Rules Against Senecas
Elena Cala Buscarino
U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny ruled that gambling cannot legally take place on the Seneca Nation's 9-acre parcel of land on Michigan Avenue in downtown Buffalo. Not only does this put the future of the $333M Buffalo Creek Casino in question, but it legally halts gambling at the Seneca's temporary casino on Perry and Michigan.
Though the land is Indian owned, Skretny made the distinction between title and sovereignty, saying that the land was acquired after October of 1998 and paid for through the settlement of a claim regarding Seneca owned land in Salamanca, New York. He ruled that the land is not sovereign, and as such, not eligible for gambling.
The suit was filed against the Seneca Nation by Citizens for a Better Buffalo (CBB). According to CBB attorney Richard Lippes, "I don't feel this is a complete victory, though the court did agree on the most important is…
