I was in Rochester for Labor Day and I happened to notice that Rochester Institute of Technology has a “BARNES&NOBLE RIT”. It’s 3 storeys and a favored student and community hangout.
Of course, Buffalo State already has a B&N but it’s small and tucked in a basement and hidden on campus. Far from a community asset that the neighborhood could patronize along with the students.
There’s not much room on Elmwood for this, as the [perfect] Elmwood spot has the Burchfield-Penney built on it. Therefore, the best spot for it is on Grant Street. Imagine if in-between Grant Street dormitories there was a 2-3 storey Barnes&Noble? Just think what it would do for The Olmsted-Richardson Complex, for Grant and for Amherst Street if those neighborhoods had a 3-storey Barnes & Noble as a community asset. It would be a game changer!
After following the articles on community activism against building a Health Science Center at the ECC North Campus, and instead building it at the ECC Downtown Campus (which would be a game changer too!), I thought, ok, Buffalo State is Buffalo’s equivalent of the Rochester Institute of Technology. Buffalo State has the technology programs that complement SUNY@Buffalo. Why shouldn’t Buffalo State have a 3-storey Barnes&Noble like RIT?
One might argue a private school is going to have students coming from higher income families and Rochester’s Henrietta has a higher income demographic than the West Side… but doesn’t that mean we aim for two-storeys instead of 3? Maybe we get a smaller store? Maybe not! Buffalo State has only built 1 of 4 dormitories that it needs in order to satisfy student demand. If and when all 4 dormitories are built, a 3 storey Barnes&Noble might have enough students plus the neighborhood to support it.
Let’s throw a curveball that will forever change Grant, the West Side, Black Rock and Amherst Street by doing something that all those neighborhoods would come together to patronize. The spinoff of a vibrant Buffalo State campus and Grant as a college street would be huge for the surrounding neighborhood and the city.
-Doug
Photo: www.RIT.edu