Buffalo Rising Online

Jul 26th 2008, 7:13am By Jennifer Lawandus

The exhibit Part I of Cathedrals of Industry at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Museum is sadly coming to an end Sunday, July 27 at 5 PM.

At this breathtaking exhibit, guests can expect to view New York City-based photographer Michael L. Horowitz's large-format images of the Colonel Ward Pumping Station. The exhibit was born when Horowitz gained access to the Colonel Ward Pumping Station through Assembly member Sam Hoyt. A collection of 40 to 60-inch photographs capture the massive four-story steam engines that were the Colonel Ward Pumping Station before it was made obsolete by electric motors.

The choice to use such large images is part of the vision Michael L. Horowitz had for the Cathedrals of Industry exhibit saying, "My feeling is that the only way I can do justice to these grand structures is to show them in grand scale. I want the viewer to have the sense of being there with me – of actually standing inside these places and experiencing the awe and inspiration and beauty in them that I do."

According to Communications Manager of Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Peter Burakowski, "Part I of Cathedrals of Industry has been very popular; a lot of people have visited the museum to view this exhibit because the Colonel Ward Pumping Station is part of Buffalo's industrial heritage. The pumping station is something people always want to get into and explore because the steam engines are so impressive. Additionally, people have come to the museum to visit other exhibits and have been extremely impressed with the Cathedrals of Industry exhibit. The depth of the photos make someone who may not know anything about the pumping station feel connected with it, the exhibit is visually impressive."

If you can't make Part I of this exhibit, don't miss the equally impressive exhibit also by Horowitz. Part II of Cathedrals of Industry will feature photographs of the interiors of Buffalo’s grain elevators. "Horowitz was able to gain rare legal access to go into the grain elevators, which are equally as breathtaking as the pumping station. Unlike Part I of Cathedrals of Industry, which is composed of black and white photographs, Part II will contain only colored images. At this exhibit, the grain elevators, Perot Lake and Rail, and Concrete Central will be on display," Burakowski said.

Concrete Central Elevator

"I think Part II will be as popular as Part I," Burakowski said, "and maybe to some degree more popular. People are more familiar with the grain elevators than the pumping station because they are more visible and a symbol of Buffalo's economic glory in the past. The grain elevators have an impressive, ghostly feel, and can be somewhat spooky at night, which makes people interested to see what's inside."

You can catch Part II of Cathedrals of Industry from August 14 to January 25. For more information about this exhibit, call the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society at 873.9644 extension 301 or click here. Additionally, visitors of the exhibit can take home 24 x 36-inch fine art giclée prints of several of the Cathedrals of Industry images from the Historical Society’s Museum Shop.

The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Museum is located at 25 Nottingham Court at Elmwood Avenue and the museums hours are as follows:

Tuesday - Saturday - 10 AM to 5 PM
Sunday - 12 PM to 5 PM
Monday - closed