Buffalo Rising Online

Once a year, the Parkside Community Association offers Buffalonians the chance to enjoy an inside look into the mansions surrounding Delaware Park, many of which were created in the golden days of the Pan American Exposition and the industrial years following. This year’s tour, the ninth annual, features homes created from 1880 through 1930, including designs by prominent local architects E.B. Green and William Sydney Wicks. The Parkside area is adjacent to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Delaware Park, the Buffalo Zoo, and the Main/Amherst Business District.

The entire neighborhood was actually designed as a planned mixed-use community by Olmsted, who gave it its meandering feel with no straight lines. As a result of this work and being Buffalo’s first suburb, the neighborhood has been placed under the federal designation of the National Historic Register.

The area contains supe…

'The magazine for Northeast Gardeners', people places plants (based in Maine), is currently featuring a sweet spread on Buffalo's Garden Walk. The article touts the (relative) overnight success of The Walk - growing from 19 gardens in '95 to almost 300 gardens today. Of course the opening paragraph mentions The Bills and chicken wings, but it also acknowledges that Buffalo is "The City of Good Neighbors". From there the glowing article goes on to describe the neighborhoods... the side streets... the koi ponds... and the people. Yes, we are getting a lot of attention for people who are active in our communities.

The image on the front cover is from a garden located at 65 Lancaster Avenue. Then there are images of gardens found at 224 park Street and 755 West Delevan. Another great image shown is that of a garden f…

A simple stroll around Buffalo can become an architectural journey for the keen eye. If you take the time to explore and absorb your surroundings in this city, you will find beautiful turn-of-the-century buildings, testaments to the immensity of another time in our history. Each beautifully decorated structure has within its walls a rich history -- a history that you can now learn with the simple press of a button.

A series of free audio tours of 50 historic sites in Buffalo is available by using your cell phone or downloading an a MP3 from the internet, thanks to Buffalo Tours, a joint venture by the Preservation Coalition and the Landmark Society that offers guided tours of the city.

"It'll almost be like having a guide with you, but actually…

It was a bitterly cold morning January 20, when thirty people stood in Niagara Square, huddled against the Lake Erie winds. They tried to picture themselves in sixth months time, leading their own tour of downtown Buffalo, wearing a short sleeve shirt, sunglasses, and sweating under the hot summer sun. It was a very difficult image to hold onto. Nevertheless, the 2007 Buffalo Tours docent class is finished, the exams are handed in, and on Saturday four more docent trainees passed their graduation tour. In the photo, Judie Takacs is pointing out some architectural details of City Hall to Mary Ann Sandoro.

This year’s docent class, the second for Buffalo Tours, prepared docents for the Downtown Revealed: Appreciating Buffalo’s Architecture tour. The class members devoted 10 Saturday mornings to readings, lectures, field trips, and practice presentations, not to mention hours …

After a stunning spring-like day like today, who could help but get excited about touring gardens in the Parkside area. We all know that there are destinations like the zoo and Delaware Park where people visit year 'round in the neighborhood. And of course there is the Darwin Martin House that will act as a major draw... and the houses on every block are enough to make you want to grab your camera. But in recent years it is the gardens that have added a friendly touch to the scene.

As a matter of fact, this year marks the ten-year anniversary of the event; A milestone that organizers should be very proud of. That means that this year is a very special year, so attendance will hopefully top the charts. Following is some additional info to get you up top speed with the program:

The Parkside Community Association is sponsoring its annual Garden Tour on Sunday, June 24, 2007 fr…

Every year the Garden Walk Buffalo (GWB) grows organically. According to Garden Walk Co-Chair, Jim Charlier, the goal is to get gardeners to attract their neighboring gardeners. “Block Clubs are very effective in promoting the event, and we are interested in creating additional areas that are as densely populated as streets like ‘Little Summer’. There are lines to get into some gardens. We are looking to cultivate new areas of concentrated gardens. Some of the areas are getting very busy. We’re looking at the Alphabet Streets for growth… streets like Berkley, Clarendon and Windsor… they’re the streets that are also typefaces. Massachusetts and Rhode Island block areas are also places we would like to see additional gardens."

I asked Jim about areas outside the existing Garden Walk, specifically how much further The Walk intends to reach in the future. “People fro…

Last year the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation - now in its 10th year - packed the grand old station for a variety of fun-filled events - the month of September alone saw 8,000 visitors! Whether they came for the trains, the cars, or the brews, they enjoyed their pleasure in the beautiful East side art deco structure.

This year welcomes three new events: a Dyngus Day celebration in conjunction with St. Stan’s and the Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle, Hallwalls “Artists and Models” and a brand new to Buffalo “New York Wine and Cidre Festival”. And you can't forget the old favorites: the Buffalo Brewfest, Variety’s Haunted Halloween Bash, and the CTRC’s own Model Train Show are all returning.

Steel passed along this link that he discovered while surfing the web. It's a link to a predominant gardening blog called Garden Rant that has picked up on Buffalo's recently released Garden Walk book. The post gives an overview of the Garden Walk, and praises the book for shedding light on our garden enthusiasts while touting Buffalo as having an avid gardening community. Among other kudos given to The Walk, the site points out: 1) It's free, inclusive, and noncompetitive. No judging. None of the elitism that's been associated with the gardening world for too long.

2) The DVD - how 21st Century! - reminds me of my favorite (long-gone) …

Steel just passed along a really cool link that leads to a multimedia presentation by Patricia Lowry and Curt Chandler of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Click the link below to see the narrated slide show that showcases the recent Frank Lloyd Wright developments in Western New York.

The audio/visual tour takes the viewer through a capsulated journey of the restoration progress of Buffalo's parkways, and built (and soon to be built) structures. It's a quick tour that praises our city for recent efforts to rescue our iconic landmarks from total lack of stewardship. Click here to visit the quick clip.

Last night marked a grand occasion that's sole purpose was to celebrate the city's gardens. Guests arrived at the Larkin House to meet the team that took on the task of publishing the GardenWalk Buffalo book, and by evening's end 180 copies had been sold. The story of the GardenWalk Buffalo book goes far beyond what most people might imagine. In recent years Canisius College Press had disbanded, which meant that many local authors no longer had that particular resource to print the shortlist of Buffalo-related titles. It also meant that Jim Charlier (bottom left), President of the Garden Walk and designer of its book, needed a publisher. When Marti Gorman (Buffalo Old Home Week organizer and publisher) moved back into town she …

Did you know that the Landmark Society conducts daily weekday tours of City Hall from 12-1 PM, for free? They meet in the City Hall lobby, and cover the history and architecture of the building. In all my years in this city, I've never been to the top of City Hall, and this seems like the perfect way to fix that. Don't spend your lunch hunched over the latest Danielle Steele novel -- learn something! Groups of 15 or more, please call 716-852-3300.

The Landmark Socity and Preservation Coalition form Buffalo Tours, whose overall goal is to promote Buffalo through an ambitious touring and education program that exposes residents and visitors alike to the history of the area, bringing our landmarks to life. A cadre of well-trained docents don…

I blame the heat for my tardiness in posting this. Here are a few pics from last weekend's 2006 Garden Walk. My husband and I biked the event - a very handy way to experience the fab floral displays. We heard a homeowner on 16th Street say "There are two seasons here: Getting ready for Garden Walk and getting ready for Winter. On Sunday night, we can start getting ready for winter." This amount of preparation is evident in the lush landscapes and verdant vignettes. Thank you to all of the homeowners who graciously opened their yards to the community.

Buffalo Tours has announced its Upcoming Calendar of Tours for August, 2006. Once again the month is teeming with walking (Buffalo, the Best Designed City) tours, and there's even a boat (Niagara River & Black Rock Canal) tour. Re-discover the grounds of the Richardson Complex and explore the inside of the Central Terminal. Learn …