“Al, are you really, absolutely sure about this?” I asked my longtime friend over lunch today by the waterfront.
Seventeen year Buffalo Councilman and Former NY State Senator Alfred Coppola loves Buffalo, Buffalonians, and he truly, painstakingly loves the little white house he bought 25 years ago simply to preserve for our history.
It was this past mid-summer when Al Coppola took me on a tour through the little white house. He beams with pride when he tells the story of its use during the Pan American Exposition. He smiles like an excited kid whenever he talks about his precious little white house.
“That little white house is like my baby,” he’s said on more than one occasion. It was an Indian exhibit where they would sell their gifts and wares. It now stands as one of only two surviving buildings from the Pan-Am; the other is the Buffalo and Erie County History Society building.
Two Thursdays ago I happened into Stillwaters Restaurant to meet a client and ran into Al Coppola. He’d just come from the Preservation Board hearing where he went as a volunteer and appealed to their senses one more time to consider allowing the restaurant to put a distinct and graceful canopy over their front steps. He was flatly denied.
“Thirty years I’ve been in the trenches with the Preservation Board,” Al said, adding “I’ve fought right along with them on every count to save our historic structures. But there’s got to be some respect for sustaining our history, not just preserving it. If a business cannot be allowed to sustain itself, what value has its history?”
Coppola is referring to the fact that Stillwaters Restaurant wants an insignia distinguishing canopy to give itself a prominent presence. To drive by the facility (made of four classic brownstones) one sees sporadically placed neons indoors, but no distinguishment to the fabulous welcome on the inside. “All Stillwaters wants is a fair chance to draw a customer,” Coppola says, adding “and think about a canopy over those stone steps—they’re going to get icy and there’s going to be a safety problem.”
When Al said he’d had enough, that if the Preservation Board doesn’t reverse its decision, he would throw in the towel on his own preservation efforts, citing a city’s efforts to mock itself in false virtues, I asked him what he meant by throw in the towel?
“I’ll tear down the little white house,” he said. I told him “Al, that sounds a little like Abraham carrying his son to sacrifice on the mount.” He replied “Well I’ll do it, because that board (Preservation) needs to blend and bend more to give respect to the business owner doing one’s best to sustain our heritage. This man (Stillwaters owner William Goodhue) has poured millions of dollars into preserving the heritage of those brownstones and also invite the public to his business—but he can’t even have a canopy? It’s just crazy!”
The following week Al Coppola had his permit filed to tear down the little white house. “You weren’t kidding Al!” I exclaimed. “You’re darn right I wasn’t,” he replied. I said “Gee I hope you don’t get disappointed and have to follow through tearing it down,” and he said “Me too—but this will tell us if that board really cares about our city or if they’re stuffed shirts with poor intentions on our behalf.”
There’s a lot at risk with a stand like this. Al Coppola wants to raise attention to the point he is making—that we all seek a more responsible (to both business and heritage) Preservation Board.
The next meeting for the Preservation Board is today—4 pm, 9th floor City Hall, and open to the public. I met with Al Coppola earlier today at Erie Basin Marina to ask him one more time—are you serious?
“You’re darn right I’m serious,” he said. “But this could backfire on you Al,” I told him, adding “people could say why are you punishing them for something the Board is doing to a business?”
Coppola said “Realize that when a Preservation Board dictates a death warrant to a business like Stillwaters that has poured millions of dollars into preservation, that the whole game has already backfired.”
Death warrant? How so? “It’s not just Stillwaters,” Coppola said. “It all the business owners who get cold NO answers and other stumbling blocks from the Preservation Board– they treat the business owner with non-existence of respect. Stillwaters, for one, is a gorgeous preservation of history in itself, and merely wants a sign canopy to attract business for its survival– so yes, it is in a sense a death warrant, or near to it.”
One more question Al—tell me again—how do you account for tearing down the little white house—how can two wrongs make a right?
“They can’t,” he admitted, adding that “It’s just that I don’t want to be associated with the Preservation Movement in Buffalo that I fought so hard for over 25 years if they are unwilling to work with the community to sustain heritage via commerce as well as to preserve it. They’re acting like dictators with our money.”
‘Where were any of them over the past 25 years when I fixed, painted, repaired and preserved the little white house? Where were they when Mr. Goodhue invested millions into Stillwaters? These dictators dictate but don’t lift a finger to help.” He added “Frankly, I’m embarassed to even be associated with them when they take these wrong paths.”
Good luck, Al; or shall we call you “Al-braham”? Along that line, let’s hope a hand comes from the sky and says “Stop! Your point is well taken Mr Coppola. Save your house.”
…I’m not sure I agree with your grave tactical risk here, but I do believe you do love your little white house, and I do hope you achieve some workable agreement with the board.
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