The Cobblestone District is one of the most fascinating areas in downtown, partially due to its colorful transportation history, be it maritime or rail. A few of the old ice houses and freight houses still remain. Thanks to developer Sam Savarino, much of Mississippi Street has been restored and is fully operational, and as of late, developer Roger Trettel has ventured onto the scene (see here). Then there are those who would still, to this day, be happy to destroy significant structures just to get a few more parking spaces (see here).
Today the Cobblestone District is a mix of entertainment, parking, and light industrial. At the corner of Perry and Illinois sits a gorgeous historic five-storey structure that is owned by John McKendry, co-founder of Bunnytown. While the majority of the building is dedicated to light industrial operations, John has a soft spot in his heart for creative types and has teamed up with Sarah Myers, an artist who happened to be looking for a primo exhibition space. As far as gallery spaces, the massive interior of one window-less floor within the building turned out to be exactly what Sarah needed. “This show encompasses thirteen years of my work,” Sarah told me. “The show is a mix of paintings and sketches. The paintings are oils and mixed media… some of my work revolves around the use of elements of nature… and explorations of light. I focus on elements of natural beauty and sentimental importance. For me, I feel that an artist’s work should be shown in beautiful spaces… that’s why I wanted to show in this building.”
The public is invited to attend a reception tomorrow, September 9, 2011 from 6-10pm at 79 Perry Street. This is a fun opportunity to explore a beautiful building that most of us only walk by on the way to Sabres games, while supporting a local artist at the same time.