New Blog Dedicated To Buffalo's Manufacturing Past
Blog culture is becoming more and more respectable with each passing day. Though it remains a profession where it can be hard to earn a living, it is still a way for amateurs to spread their opinions and share with their readers specific interests. Chris Hawley has taken his passion and created a blog with it dedicated to the Hydraulics. The Hydraulics is Buffalo’s oldest manufacturing district and Hawley wants to uncover everything about this industrial site, from the people, to the events, to the places and news that is related to the heritage of this area.
Hawley is an urban planner and amateur historian who works for Howard Zemsky, the individual who restored the vacant Larkin Terminal Warehouse. Hawley is on his own mission to write a comprehensive history of the Hydraulics and while he investigates, he is operating a regularly-updated blog to those who might be interested in the local history and news about the area. The blog is really new, with its initial post being on November 20th introducing the site. However, it already has some really interesting posts on 725 Seneca Street and 237 Van Rensselaer Street – though if you want to know what specifically about those addresses, you’ll have to visit the blog.
Hawley has even taken his blog to the level of merchandising by having Tim Tielman of BuffaloLand create some shirts and sweaters with The Hydraulics printed on the front. All-in-all it seems like Hawley is off to a great start and it’ll be exciting to watch as his blog grows.
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Sal
Interesting site - I'm in the group of Buffalonians who did not know what The Hydraulics really is.
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siloman02
Chris's contribution of "The Hydraulics" adds to the rich industrial heritage of Buffalo. Most importantly, the LCO has proven that restoration can be a beneficial and stabilizing influence on a neighborhood. Chris's unique position to wed the two together is complementary to both endeavors and to the City.
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comptart_lws
I sent a link to my Dad, who used to work for F.N. Burt (Buffalo Wire Works too, I think). Dad may have some history about the area he could share and, if so, I'll see if I can digitally connect him with Chris.
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stephenjames716
I love this new blog as it sheds light on a very important part of buffalo's past. Great work.
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chrishawley
Thank you to Buffalo Rising for the great plug! I'm still refining the design and layout of the blog, but I'm rolling out the posts and plan about four or five a week. There's certainly a lot to share about this interesting part of the city called the Hydraulics!
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bhorvath
I thought this blog was dedicated to Buffalo's manufacturing past?
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chrishawley
Hi bhorvath, it is about Buffalo's manufacturing past in a narrower sense: the blog is devoted to nearly anything, past, present, or future, about Buffalo's oldest manufacturing district.
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bhorvath
chris - although I make untold backhanded remarks on this blog, I wanted to say your blog is actually very cool in my opinion, it's really pretty interesting.
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ncneuman
Wonderful blog! What a great promotion of such an historic neighborhood of Buffalo. Chris Hawley really does his homework!
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Buffalo21stcentury
Its incredibly ironic how intimately people still cling to manufacturing in Buffalo and Western NY when this nation seems to be doing everything possible to eviscerate its manufacturing jobs and industries out of this country.
Look at the trillions our nation has given in secret without any oversight to banks and insurance companies to cover their hedges, derivatives and options which contribute nothing to the over all economy meanwhile the auto manufacturers have to come up with business plans and repayment schemes and be paraded before the american people as failures. Do you see any bankers, brokers or insurance agents being treated in such a manner?
I happen to believe that the US cannot survive in the next century by importing researchers and doctorates to compensate for our union and school board controlled failed public schools, I happen to believe that our nation cannot survive on hippie artists, burger flipper and bank tellers service economy, derivatives and hitech without an equal place at the table for manufacturing.
SO THE QUESTION MUST BE ASKED....WHAT CAN BUFFALO AND WESTERN NY DO TO BETTER ATTRACT MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES AND WAREHOUSES AND TRANSPORTATION JOBS THAT ARE SO INTIMATELY A PART OF OUR REGIONAL PSYCHE, AS WELL AS, CONTINUE OUR PATH IN HITECH AND HEALTHCARE.
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bhorvath
B21stC - I love you.
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Buffalo21stcentury
Why not take this manufacturing blog and think bigger picture?
Why just the manufacturing history of the Hydrolics District? What about the westside, BlackRock, South Buffalo, First Ward, Eastside, etc?
Why not open the blog to invented in Buffalo and produced in Buffalo?
Why not open the blog to manufacturing schools, skills, trades, associations, etc in Buffalo?
Why not open the blog to the politics (includes environmental etc) and taxation of manufacturing in Buffalo/NYS?
Why not open the blog to what manufacturing can survive in Buffalo today?
How about something powerful like coming up with a criteria manufacturers need to survive and prosper here, then publish it every year like a report card!
Look the reason there is an intimate relationship with manufacturing and art in Buffalo is because many of our ancestors that came to this country came with skills and crafts and a love of working with their hands. Instead of looking down on it as blue collar, lets embrace it in the true and respected place it deserves. We have the ability to be both a manufacturer in basic industries, in traditional mechanical/electrical and advanced hitech.
Infact, the badge of honor that Buffalo should wear proudly is not one of a blue collar city but that we are a city that socializes regardless of class or money or education. We sit at the table together in Buffalo! Now we must stand up to Albany together so that Buffalo stops going down the same path as the rest of the nation and we maintain a city with a diverse economy that includes manufacturing.
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chrishawley
Wow, Buffalo21stcentury, you sure want to keep me busy! Are you going to pay me for this? :)
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