This simple and important observation was recently posted on the Preservation Ready Sites Facebook page:
Buffalo’s historic architecture/built environment is integral to the city’s growth:
+ People visit the area to see it;
+ Buffalo is selected to host conferences and events because of it;
+ It’s almost invariably the first aspect of Buffalo that is written about in EVERY article written about the city;
+ It creates for a city that is different, authentic and incredibly visually beautiful;
+ It’s spawned an incredibly vibrant restoration industry in Buffalo (i.e. creating wealth and jobs);
+ Saving and restoring it is more environmentally friendly;
+ It embodies history, for which cities around the country from Phoenix to Las Vegas, would kill.
Nonetheless, people are ready to see demolishing it, and making way for new builds, as progress. This is utterly insane.
I would add, that high quality historic urban environments are attractive to a the young energetic educated people who are necessary to build successful cities. If you have ever been to Savannah, Georgia you know how powerful a focus on preservation can be. The image below shows a small sample of buildings, many now taken for granted as icons of Buffalo, which were once threatened and nearly demolished. Except for the hard work of a relatively few people, ALL of these buildings would likely be gone today. Let that sink in. Buffalo needs to prioritize preservation, not to save its past, but to assure its future. Look at these buildings! Every one of them was described as an eyesore that needed to go.