While discussions of modifying Buffalo’s 4 AM closing hour have surfaced again recently, an Erie County lawmaker is taking action to propose changing the closing time of bars from 4 AM to 2 AM. “We are the only upstate county left at four o’clock, so we hope it goes through smoothly,” Legislator Ted Morton (R-Cheektowaga) said during a press conference today, speaking of his resolution to the County Legislature requesting the State Liquor Authority to change the closing time for bars to 2 AM from the current 4 AM close. In a related action, Legislator Thomas A. Loughran (D-Amherst) submitted…
Author: Bruce Haydon
Harborcenter just announced a public art contest which invites WNY artists to submit designs to be displayed on the loading dock doors on the northern end of the property along Scott Street . Officials are seeking a design that pays tribute to the history of downtown Buffalo, and its importance on the Erie Canal. According to Frank Cravotta, Pegula Sports and Entertainment’s EVP of creative services. “We would like to partner with one to showcase a design that commemorates Buffalo history, and adds a visual element to the Canalside district.” Interested artists are invited to submit their designs online at…
When I first arrived in Buffalo in April 2013, one of the first landmarks that I came across was that tall, almost brutalist, empty hospital tower on the western periphery of Gates Circle. It’s vacuous presence has towered over the surrounding mansions of Delaware Ave & Chapin Parkway since it was abandoned in March 2012 to make way for TM Montante’s redevelopment of the site. A monument to another era in Buffalo’s history, it has stood there over Gates Circle with a foreboding institutional greyness – empty, dark, and haunting. A timeless piece of the Chapin landscape, it had become a familiar milepost on my Delaware Ave runs. Following…
It’s expensive putting up buildings. There’s a considerable amount of time-consuming labour requiring a variety of skilled trades. Construction Robotics, a WNY startup, is revolutionizing the way brick buildings are constructed by bringing automation technology to a task which has traditionally been the exclusive domain of skilled tradesman: bricklaying. Uniland and Brawdy Construction held a demonstration out in Amherst today to showcase Construction Robotics’ Semi-Automated Masonry (SAM) system to a mixed crowd of journalists and builders. Brawdy is considering purchasing one of these units for a cool $500K, which would make it the first company in New York to utilize one of…
The group behind the proposed $41M Canterbury Woods senior housing project gave a public presentation at the Burchfield-Penny Arts Center Wednesday evening, introducing an eye-catching HD video rendering of the proposed building facing Gates Circle. Canterbury Woods is to be first structure to be built on the former Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital property, currently owned by TM Montante. The existing hospital structure itself is scheduled to be imploded early this coming Saturday October 3rd to make way for construction of the Canterbury Woods building The presentation itself was fairly short, given most of the details of the building itself have already been…
It was only a matter of time before the French-Canadian delicacy known as poutine – a rich concoction of thick-cut fries, gravy, melted cheese curds, and creative toppings – would wash up on Buffalo’s shores with the opening of the Allen Street Poutine Company . Let’s start with the basics to correct a common misconception – it’s not actually pronounced “puh-teen”, even if uttered with an overdone French accent. In Canada, or more specifically Montreal, it’s pronounced more of a “poo-tin” like this. Bon! The Allen Street Poutine Company at 242 Allen Street (previously Crust Pizza ) is the brainchild of two…
More funding was announced by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as the 2015 season for the 43North business competition kicked off this week. 43North, which bills itself as “the world’s largest business idea competition”, will be offering $5 million in cash prizes this year, including a grand prize of $1 million. “Last year’s successful 43North competition brought some of the brightest and most innovative entrepreneurs to Buffalo – and we’re going to keep the momentum going with a second round”, Governor Cuomo said. The announcement was part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new incubator space located in the Thomas R.…
To listen to Mark Croce discuss his latest project, the Curtiss Hotel at 210 Franklin Street, is to understand how someone becomes completely and utterly consumed with an idea. The idea in this case is building and running the poshest hotel in Western New York, while using the bones of a historic building as the foundation. Could the building of this super-luxury hotel represent a definitive milestone in the much-discussed Buffalo Resurgence? I received an opportunity to perform a walkthrough with Mark of the project recently, which is in the early stages of a complete renovation and restoration. While…
Ciminelli released a rendering for their plan to convert the old EOC (Educational Opportunity Center) Building at 465 Washington to multi-use. The developer confirmed their intention to convert the first floor for retail and office use, while using the floors above for 45 apartments. The apartments themselves will encompass a variety of floorplans, including 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and studios. The Buffalo Planning Board signed-off on the project yesterday morning. The 86,254 sq.ft. redevelopment is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2016 at a cost of approximately $10 million. Ciminelli purchased the building in December 2014 for $2.3 million from an…
Tuesday rolled around, and wine lovers from across the city couldn’t wait to give a warm welcome to Paradise Wine on its first day of business. I first wrote about Paradise Wine back in January when the store was still under construction. With the internal fit-up underway in the sawdust filled shop, the ownership team of Paula Paradise and Lauren Kostek were still busy making myriad decisions on everything from fixtures to product mix. Hard to believe less than two months later, a shiny new store beckons visitors into its bright, comfortable, contemporary surroundings. The large, airy store is flush…