Buffalo Rising Online

I'll have to wait for part two. Seems like an interesting concept, with the exception of the contamination part. I drive past the old love canal area every day and it kind of creeps me out seeing that green grass knowing what lies beneath.

Yes, this definatly should be an option on the table! Why isn't Brian Higgins pushing this with the same intensity that he has for the demolition of the Skyway?

I dont think love canal is the industrial site that I think of when i see these types of projects. Love Canal is not so inspiring--its just sad-it should however be marketed as a memorial or museum and should be know nationally as a center for grass roots eco-activism. Perhaps some sort of institute or Environmentalist think-tank can be recruited to relocate themselves there. I can imagine a beautiful and inspiring piece of architecture designed by a world famous architect that reflects an ethic of sustainability in architecture and progressive public policy. Maybe then, people in germany will read about us for a change!

The type of recreational/cultural project in the slideshow would be so much more appropriate for Bethlehen Steel or the grain elevators. We need to recontextualize these urban ruins if we ever want to convince those that see them only as eyesores.

Higgins is all over Skyway removal because it's a visual and economic barrier. With its removal, valuable land is opened up to WNY eyes and local/other developers (Opus, Uniland). It's a worthy goal.

But it doesn't mean parallel/other deserving and valuable projects can't move forward.

Nothing would please me more than the plan to stabilize the grain elevators and creating a heritage trail. Imagine the joy of - recreating (bike, kayak, walk/run); - learning (interpretive sites and an industrial museum); - business development (small cafes, wagons); and - art (fanciful lighted silos; indies under the stars projected onto silos); and - a whole lot more that all of you have imagined.

By the way, did anyone attend the NFTA open mtg. regarding the Outer Harbor on May 11? http://www.nfta.com/news/displayArticle.phtml?id=1147093699

Thanks

nope, i just don't see it as much of a physical barrier at all. Pedestrians and cars can easily pass underneath and the amount of land that it actually consumes is not much compared to the amount of open and underutilized land in this area. Also, I always thought the skyway opened up tremendous views that would otherwise be unavailable to me. It also performs a very necessary function for many commuters. In many ways it serves as an important connector. I don't think enough civic effort has gone into attempting any solution short of complete deletion of the skyway. I can only see the skyway as a pedestrian/auto barrier when it meets the ground near the outer harbor. This blockage is caused by the berms that has been built against the elevated roadway. It seem that there should be some effort to seek a solution that can resolve the issue of the berns without a full demolition of the entire skyway.

-If the grain elevators were lighted, some of the best views would be available from the skyway.

in rochester there is an elevated section of the 390, built in the 80's, that goes right through genesee valley park. the park still exists and if things are as they were when i lived there - that is still a very viable section of the park. in fact among other things there is a golf course under there. i don't see that if the skyway remains where it is- that that is the problem. the problem is the lack of imagination. buffao needs to see the possibilities within what we already have. not how much we can tear down in the hopes that will make things better. that has already proven to be faulted reasoning. have parks and new buildings popped up everywhere else we have torn things down? i like david's description a while back of calling it the urban prairie. these places don't miraculously become parks. that is where the real thought comes in. instead of thinking what else can be ripped down - why don't we start using our tax money to actually MAKE something! (and please don't MAKE any more promises to give my tax dollars to soverign nations that stand to syphen huge amounts of money off our already struggling economy!)

David & others: THINK

LOOK CAREFULLY

That "gas works" project you love to tout -

IT'S A NICE OLD SCHOOL WAREHOUSE STYLE BUILDING - NOT AN UGLY STEEL MILL OR GRAIN ELEVATORS!

NOT THE SAME THING AT ALL!

Let me repeat this, because you seem to conveniently miss this:

IT'S NOT AN UGLY RUSTING STEEL MILL OR DECREPIT CONCRETE BUNKERS OF GRAIN ELEVATORS!

Some things are UGLY and SHOULD RIGHTFULLY BE DEMOLISHED, NO TEARS SHED!

Stop comparing apples and pigs!

And my comments to these latest pics:

The parkland is beautiful - but get rif ot those ugly, graffitti encrusted rusting eyesores!

They are out of place. They are ugly. They are hazardous - even signs warn to "stay away" and "stay off"!

It looks as if the builders forgot to demolish these ugly eyesores, too.

It would be EMBARASSING to repeat this on the SCALE of the steelworks!

Yeah - just what Buffalo needs - NOT!

You know we had this talk on Skyscrapercity.com

This land, which takes up alot of land could be redeveloped and sold to owners (private) to add to the tax base, condos, business parks, maybe PARKS also...but to take all this land and make a park out of these giant grain els is kinda dumb considering our financial situation in Buffalo...come on.

Whats next, turning Lackawanna Steel into a park? lol

or maybe the Wonder bread park and recreation center?

preservation is okay, but common sense has overide at some point, here is a good example.

Well, what we are doing a very poor job is in attracting industry back to our industrial land.

It was recently announced that the Buffalo Metropolitan area is going to be the first in the state to get an ethanol plant for the new gasoline E10 and E85 but why couldnt we get it by the Seneca Rail Yards on the old site of the Mobile Oil Refinery or the numerous steel sites.

It was recently announced that Barilla was going to open a manufacturing facility outside Rochester and am I the only one that thinks that would have been the perfect neighbor to General Mills Cheerios plant which already brings in ships of fresh grain and it has great logistics.

We recently found out that we lost Wacker Chemical because of Louise Slaughter, Niagara Power and the BNP but why couldnt it have been located on our numerous brownfield sites.

Katrina recently wiped out the Port of New Orleans stopping all shipments of grains. Why couldnt we have marketed Buffalo's numerous empty grain silos to the North American Grain Exporting Association.

Buffalo is moving up the curve on potential sites for industrial expansion but we have to do a better job of bringing jobs back to our inner city communities (without jobs in our inner cities communities they will never regain their vibrancy).

We can continue to use our industrial sites for industry instead of continuing to build new industrial sites on greenfields instead of making them into art or preservation projects.

Yes some buildings do have historical or architectural merit...and they can and should be reused and saved but Buffalo is not Italy...we simply cannot make the entire city a living museum. We have to many poor people with no futures and we have to help them reallize that future. There are some areas of Buffalo that are just devastatingly poor in mind and poor in spirit as well as wealth and opportunity.

John Marco, I look very carefully

Please, do not try speak for everyone when you talk about beauty or ugliness in architecture.

For me, the Grain elevators are even more beautiful, more inspiring and more significant architecturally that the gas works building. I understand that there is a big difference between these two types of buildings. For me, architecture is about an experience. If you haven't already, I suggest that you go to the Cargill and Concrete Central Grain Elevators, there are plenty of openings that allow you to access the interior of the base floor. I think the space is beautiful. If you like graffiti (i guess most people on Brising dont) there is an exciting collection of it in Concrete Central. I find this to be one of my favorite places in the city. I personally feel a very stong connection to the industrial heritage of my city and the power of the industrial american spirit when I'm there. I think they are beautiful.

Good conversation! Just want to clarify the main point of this post- former industrial properties, including those that are contaminated, can be reused and can have public access under the right circumstances. A property with a former industrial use isn't condemned to be industrial forever- and these sites offer some interesting possibilites if we have the creativity, vision and funding available. Imagine Grain Elevator park- why not?

David, If you love the grain elevators so much I have an idea....

We are getting a new ethanol plant in Orleans County which is still the Buffalo Metropolitan area....perhaps we can champion re-using the silos....

We can attract other users of grains like Barilla Pasta....or Cheerios or bring in grains for our ethanol plant....

With the Port of New Orleans closed because of Katrina we could also market Buffalo as an alternative route to diversify hurricane risk.

If you want to keep the grain elevators, then the best way is to create a group like the BNE that will market them for practical re-use. If you just treat them like pieces of art...they will eventually decay enough to be a hazard....so we must find a practical re-use for them and they do exist.