Buffalo Rising Online

Regardless of how I feel about the architectural value of the B-P no one can debate there are a few big trends converging with the emergence of this museum.

1) the completion of the B-P is going to put even more emphasis on the Richardson redevelopment, the movement of the Psych building off campus, the reconstruction of the demolished Richardson wing and a total rething of Forest Ave.

2) its going to put even more pressure on Elmwood to go more upscale and to become more of an arts district than a college beer and tattoo district.

3) its going to put even more pressure on a rethink of grant street as Elmwood goes upscale. More than ever Buffalo State needs to change its focus for expansion and new construction to Grant/Amherst. Howard better get off her tush and start building before the Ambassador Bridge takes her land away and cripples to future of the colleges future.

4) its going to put even more pressure for a hotel and conference facility for the A-K, B-P, Medaille, Buffalo State and Canisius at the soon to be vacated Millard Fillmore Gate Circle Hospital. Opening the possibilty of saving some of the hospitals historic buildings and perhaps a compete reskinning of the tower with glass and balconies for apartments and hotels. Especially if the Gates Condos gets built!

Thing is that this area NEEDS a complete rethink. Its good to see that its coming!

Newell, I do admire the enthusiasm and sunshine you bring to BRO and so many Buffalo projects. But....this article is an example of the kind of un-contextualized gush that really mars some of BR's writing. You may think the new BP museum is a marvel, but this is far from the general consensus about the design (remember that debate on these pages?). The circumstances under which the project was launched merit some revisiting.

The BP and Buffalo State have not "raised" all this money---no, the state decreed that nearly 18 million dollars of taxpayer money would go the project, and the museum took that money and went very quiet. You know that the Elmwood Village had to file a Freedom of Information Act just to see the designs--that's how recalcitrant and uncooperative the museum was at that time. If we are paying for the better half of this project, then the neighborhood associations and the general public deserved a little more attention than the contempt they received from the museum.

And as it turns out--what do we have? Well, in the eye of many beholders... a vivid flashback to the architecture of the UB Amherst campus, a flashback no one I know enjoys. The BP paid a lot of money for a very predictble and baffling design with no entrance to the street it is on. Our daily view of this museum, at the gateway to the Elmwood District, will now be a dark wall. I believe this same visionary firm had some role in buildings at the Siberian campus of UB. This is something to cheer?

We certainly needed a new BP, but we might have gotten a truly public building if the museum management had the time and forethought to consider the LONGTERM staying power of the design and the public's thirst for a building that stands as an emblem to civic life.

The last few years have been unkind to Buffalo arts patrons with the leadership of our two most prominent museums exuding exceptional arrogance in these outstanding blunders.

I love the idea of this museum but as I recall aren't there other contemporary art museums in the area? But that doesn't matter, I LOVE THIS BUILDING!!! I can see the Elmwood area experiencing a even bigger revitalization. I would have perferred to see the reuse of the former building that was demolished for this new building. Again either way I LOVE THIS BUILDING.

Good design breeds contempt. For example, the Richardson complex was design ahead of its time. If built today, the FOIAs, the lawsuits, the bickering would numb the project to a halt. Please get out of our way.

Forward thinking unsettles the status quo, unfortunately for this town, the status quo refuses to accept progress and will go to any length the halt our destiny, meanwhile business suffer, retail dwindles, and our educated masses paid for by taxpayer dollars flee to N. Carolina.

Now let's get the chains out and wrap them around the tractor and stop this project... And you wonder why things happen in a vacuum away from the public.

Drink a glass of wine, reflect on your own brillance, and step aside.

This project is crawling. It was scheduled to be complete last October (2007).

They should consider creating a wing that would house some of buffalo state's faculty work. The building reminds me of 2001 a space odessy

Carl Malone,....this building is about as ahead of its time as my great grandmother. This is boilerplate schlock that doesn't deserve to be in a city with Buffalo's pedigree.

i wish this site had edit and delete functions, my submission was premature. Its 2001 A Space Odyssey. The materials are modern and i like the fact that they are building from the space and not just creating a building for decorative function. I think that the building already makes a huge statement towards the cultural density of elmwood. I like the fact that it is a modern art gallery, though i'm not going to drag my knuckles to go and see it.

What i really appreciate is the amount of open space around rockwell hall and the burchfield-penney. Lets hope it can provoke many people to stop and have their hearts made.

This building just screams for artwork!

what kind of artwork do you guys like?

gwathmey-siegel does pretty good museum interiors but their exterior leaves something to be desired-maybe you can say its a ahead of its time (but this firm isn't know for being that) but i think its hard to justify a big blank gray wall facing elmwood ever...shades of the failed ideals of some modernist schools of thought pre 1980.

and the money spend to build this was taken directly from the 100mil earmarked for the richardson renovation.

EricOak,

you crticize everthing that is built or plans for building in town. Nothing is good enough for you.

I hvae a high standards as well, but what have you done for Buffalo lately. Are you an architect? you talk like you are the next Frank Lloyd Wright.

What have you designed?

Lets be happy that a huge commercial structure was built andthat it will attract visitors while assisting that common area.

UGLY!

This Burchfield-Penney Art Center is a colossal waste of money. Buffalo needs jobs, Buffalo needs growth. Not another arts center. Its comical how the art press has convinced Buffalo politicians that the way to prosperity is through arts investment. Name one city that thrives on art as a means to provide growth. Art is a byproduct of prosperity, not the cause of prosperity. The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is another example of a Buffalo blunder that will further the city's decline into obscurity.

Uh, funding for this project didn't come at the expense of investment in job growth.

bucky; you've got to be kidding. would you have preferred if the state money used on this project went to something more important--such as more money to fix the skyway or to the Bills?

The only way Buffalo will ever grow is if they can find a way to fund startup companies, to fund expansion, to fund relocation, to fund brownfield remediation and fund investment in office parks, warehouses, and industrial buildings.

I wish we had 10 more buildings like this .... its beautiful!

In order for people to visit Buffalo we have to have a vibrant economy in addition to beefing up our entertainment, cultural and historical features.

The interiors look great, but you have to admit the outside, especially the building's frontage on elmwood is just plain terrible. To me I can't help but think it was a lost opportunity. Probably the too little community input and the too much Buff State faculty input resulted in overall failure in the plan.

Anyway you slice it, the design of the wall on Elmwood could have been much better. Just my two cents.

can't wait for this to open up as it's within walking distance of where I live. I feel so fortunate to live right off elmwood where the albright-knox, hoyt lake and many other great shops and restaurants are within walking distance. The BP will be a great addition to that list.

After reading comments on this story, I ask "Could Buffalo have more whiners???" Boo hoo!

I've toured the new BP and it's awesome. It's going to be LEED certified (Silver level). Also, the museum will be hosting Buffalo State's art conservation department, which is supposedly one of the top three programs in the country.

Once you walk in the new BP, you'll embrace it!!! We'll actually a lot of the Buffalo Rising readers won't get it, as they are trapped inside their own misery and short-sightedness.

Just look at the variety of posts...if we waited for community input, this building would never get built.

I'm Daniel Sack. In fact we should outlaw any new construction period in the City, unless Eric Oak and Dan agree on its purpose, feel, beauty and architectual contribution. The Mayor should hold a rally in Gate Circle in which Buffalo citizens deconstruct a building crane to demonstrate our collective unity against progress. We must stop all this development. Whose with me, Eric, Dan, I know your on-board, others....

Perry, if you don't care how the state spends your money, that's fine, but it seems unreasonable to expect everyone to share your indifference. If Buffalo had had more people who cared to get involved and speak up against blundering projects these past 50 years, the city wouldn't be in quite the precarious perch it's in now. So, I'll keep whining; you keep making fun of people.

Sometimes it's hard to tell if I am driving past Depew High School on Transit or a new Art Museum. If 1950's is still modern then I'm at a loss.... ;)

Even if the looks are debateable, the lack of urban planning is not. This is a city. To continue to construct it to be auto-centric only hurts the city's chance of redevelopment and getting people out of thier cars to walk around and explore. People will pull in back, walk in, walk out, pull out and drive right on elsewhere. Thanks for the spin off.

Yes we have to make room for some cars to park. But the vitality and excitement come through a continous density of people and action. This does not occur when you burry a building in parking or, if you happen to build it near the street, put no entrance there.

Does it add something to the area? Yes. Could it have added a lot more for the investment? Yes. Regardless of the space on the inside.

It looks like a navy ship. big, plain and dreary grey. just what buffalo needs this time of year! How depressing...

I'll have to agree with the folks who have issues with the way in which the building addresses Elmwood Ave and the Albright, but I do like the idea of another space dedicated to the visual and performing arts being added to the area. Nothing like a little critical mass to get things moving.

A thought about that wall... Perhaps the huge zinc (depressing) wall that addresses Elmwood should be considered a blank canvas... I'm not trying to open the door for "Hertz" or "Atak" here, but what about a video art installation that showcases / promotes the works / exhibits contained inside the building, or offers unique video art developed by local / regional / national artists to passers by?

well I'm totally in love with the fact that this building angers so many of you in the name of art. I think that artists should just boycott the building and retrofit an old k-mart.

Has the Albright-Knox hired Architect Richard Gluckman to design an addition? I found this interview on another website but I don't remember hearing about it anywhere else like BRO or Buffalo News.

http://channels.dragonfly.com/architectsforum.ws/index.php?TourID=79BC3F42-66DC-418F-8B8C-F862E4F93A32

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