Yesterday I paid a visit to a part of the city that was a real eye opener for me. For the first time I stepped inside a conglomeration of museums that I was relatively unfamiliar with (in person at least). A trip to the Heritage DiscoveRy Center located at 100 Lee Street near South Park Avenue brought me face to face with myriad exhibits from the WNY Railway Historical Society, The Steel Plant Museum of WNY, and the South Buffalo Lighthouse Limnology Center. From Buffalo’s history of trains, to industry, to lighthouses, I found myself on the move, stepping through time, while at the same time envisioning the future of this relatively unknown site.
What is most unusual about the Heritage DiscoveRy Center is its close proximity to Canalside, Larkinville and the Buffalo River. The site is easily accessible by water, by train, by car and even by bike thanks to the bike lanes on South Park Avenue. The various museums located inside all work together toward establishing the center as a mecca for history and transportation buffs. Plus, the enthusiasm of the friendly and knowledgable volunteers on the premises is contagious.
Inside the center there are plenty of informative displays and exhibits to keep young and old occupied for an extended period of time. On the outside of the building you can see where the future of the site is being laid out. On one side, earth is being moved to make way for railroad tracks that will eventually be home to massive historic railroad freight engines and cars. Even now, the WNY Railway Historical Society is in the process of raising money to acquire railcars such as a Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Ry. Bobber Caboose that needs to be fixed up after it was trucked to the museum from Dallas (the car once ran here in Buffalo). There’s also information at the museum that shows a proposed plan to build an operational Heritage Streetcar Line that would loop from the Cobblestone District and Canalside to the old First Ward and Valley neighborhoods, and on to the center and other possible sites (linked by the abandoned NFTA City Branch Railroad).
The land surrounding the museum has been remediated (Buffalo Color Corporation), and plans for the grounds include possible restaurants and an ideal site for a new museum building (Heritage DiscoveRy Center – potential to relocate to the abandoned Schoelkopf Aniline & Chemical Company building’s boiler and power house structure) – all of the proposed plans and renderings can be seen at the center. Obviously not all of these plans are concrete, as money is still being raised to see plans come to fruition, but at the same time there is plenty of work underway to build the foundation of the complex.
Besides the current and potential plans, in and around the center, a trip to the property also reveals extensive work being conducted on the Buffalo River next to Red Jacket River Front Park that will soon provide additional public access points to the water (Smith Street Park). All in all, this property has incredible potential that is being realized, and will soon become an extension of other Buffalo development arms that are already attracting visitors in large numbers.
Finally, if you do make it to the center before the holiday season, be sure to swing by the gift shop in the Steel Plant Museum where you will find plenty of Bethlehem Steel merchandise including winter hats, mugs, books and bumper stickers. This is a super unique gift idea for history lovers in your family, and you would be the biggest benefactor in the end, just because you made the quick trip to a part of the city that is rapidly reawakening from a deep slumber. Lot’s to see, lots to do… now come see the center for yourself!