Phil Wilcox from Pendleton, NY has shared his thoughts and ideas on the redevelopment of the DL&W Terminal. He recently visited Armature Works, a redevelopment of a historic trolley storage facility on the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Fla. Over the years, we’ve looked at other buildings, such as the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, that give us insight into what the future of the DL&W beholds. Armature Works is another one of those buildings that provides potential guidance and inspiration.
It is highly likely that readers of Buffalo Rising are quite familiar with the downtown historic DL&W Building. It sits on the Buffalo River directly adjacent to the KeyBank Center arena, sandwiched in-between major upgrades of the Canalside district to the west and continued development to the east with RiverWorks, RiverFest Park, new apartment living, Silo City, etc.
Many enlightened readers are also aware that this magnificent structure was recently put conditionally into the hands of a developer to breath life back into it in a way that encourages public use and connects it to the aforementioned adjacent developments.
The pictures of the current exceptional structural integrity of the facility, including its size and vast potential, will one day create excitement in many folks who continue to believe in Buffalo’s ongoing renaissance (despite the current state of affairs in the nation, and in the world – Buffalo is a scrappy fighting city that cannot be held down for long).
For those who are like me, imagination might be limited pertaining to how the redevelopment might one day present itself. It is challenging to fully imagine what this terrific part of our history may eventually evolve into. Fortunately, there are similar development projects out there that we can reference that will afford us some insight into what the future may behold. Take Armature Works for example – a completed project of a restored trolly storage facility on the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida (lead image).
While it is smaller than our DL&W, and does not have the benefit of adjacent rail, it does incorporate a Riverwalk and adjoining public spaces that can lend to our imagination – something for us to get really excited about. And now that Buffalo is moving forward with The Riverline, the future of the DL&W site looks even greener and brighter.
Taking a closer look, a portion of the Armature Works development is dedicated to pubs, along with a wide variety of dining options with vast public seating. There are plenty of food options available for quick lunches and snacks, with fine dining options for those looking for something more formal. The complex also features shared work spaces and cooking classes, with banquet space, meeting areas, etc.
We have seen glimpses of what the DL&W Terminal might look like someday, via renderings released from Savarino (see here). At the same time, it’s always good to be able to visit living breathing developments that share commonalities, to be able to truly understand and appreciate the vastness and excitement of the undertaking at hand.
Our DL&W can be all of this and so much more!
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