A bike ride down Main Street yielded an unexpected surprise earlier today. The gateway to the Theatre District has been spruced up in a way that many of us never could have anticipated. Rather than a vacuous streetscape, there is now a welcoming vista, complete with bold signage, DIY seating, a Plaza of Stars, and a bit of foliage. The public terrace abuts the section of Main Street where the Metro Rail emerges from underground.
This location of Main Street has always been an eyesore – a stark, concrete no-man’s-land that did more to keep people away than attract them into the cultural bounty known as the Theatre District. Now there is a small, pleasant, attractive gathering place that pays respect to the artists who have made their mark in Buffalo. I imagine this terrace as a place where busking musicians will set up to enhance people’s experience as they access the district.
While an impressive water feature would have been a nice touch, the scene is like night and day compared to what used to be here. This is one more step towards making Main Street a place where people will visit, congregate and stay, instead of avoiding it altogether.