Author: chao li

Most are aware of Buffalo’s great treasure of religious architecture. Unfortunately, few have a real appreciation for the significant cultural value as these great edifices begin to disappear year by year. These amazing palaces of worship are increasingly in danger as the population of local parishes ages and declines. There seems to be little civic urgency as churches close, interior treasures are sold off, and the buildings are left to rot. Perhaps WNY takes this amazing collection of art and craft for granted because it has seemed so commonplace in Buffalo. Now, more than ever, the people of WNY need to…

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In cooperation with WCP and Rachacha Since we broke the story of the potentially imminent demolition of this 19th century commercial building on Buffalo’s near east side, BRO writer Rachacha has dug around to find out a little more on the subject. He reports from the August 13th preservation board meeting: “They were very flummoxed about what’s happening with 311 Genesee (the building subject to emergency demolition). Harvey [Garret, of West Side Community Collaborative and Buffalo ReUse] found out that the owner of 311 Genesee owns a cluster of properties on that block, on both sides of Genesee (including a large…

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This beautiful roof peak sculpture is on a house at 100 Oxford in the Oxford Square neighborhood, named after the street that runs north/south down its center. This neighborhood is a generally triangular shaped area of several blocks between Linwood and Main and Ferry and Delavan. It was recently featured in a slideshow by Elena. (Damn her! She beat me to the punch.) This is a very beautiful section of the city and should be every bit as popular as nearby Elmwood Village, but once fell prey to poverty, real and perceived crime, and racist attitudes. If you want an…

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The 19th century building at center in this picture is likely nearing its end. It has been painted with what David Torke at Fix Buffalo likes to call the “red mark of death”. He notes that the city paints these marks on buildings that it intends to tear down in the near future. So here we have just another crappy old building, that no one wants, ready to be hauled off to a landfill. Many will say get rid of it, the faster the better. Maybe they are right but what if they are not? This building is an increasingly rare example…

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The old folks, a generation ahead of me, love to reminisce about the famous old Buffalo nightspots and hangouts of yore. They talk with glowing memories of places like the Town Casino, Delwood Ballroom and Laub’s Old Spain. It’s the kind of nostalgic romancing that drives frequent BRO commenter Dan up a wall. Well, I recently found myself doing the same thing. Oh no! – I am not talking about my nostalgia for those places from Buffalo’s golden era of big bands and prosperity. I am talking about a famous night spot of my younger days which might be described…

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We want attention for our unique offerings as a city, but often, some of us bristle when the attention centers around chicken wings. Then again, there are those of us who feel we should have capitalized on the wing thing a long time ago, and in a bigger way.Never mind, we say, once we have the rest of the nation’s attention, we can get them to focus on all of our other goodies. And the truth is, nobody does wings like us…nobody.Sports Illustrated chose Buffalo Wing Fest as number ten on their list of ’10 budget-friendly summer sporting events ruled…

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There’s more to Buffalo than beer and wings? Come check out our amazing food scene at Taste of Buffalo this weekend. This two-day festival is the second largest in the country. This year we have 14 new restaurants, and restaurants like Dinosaur Barbeque are coming to the festival for a market test! I spoke to Jim Fink, who took time out of organizing this amazing gathering to tell me about this year’s Taste of Buffalo. “This year we have 60 restaurants–10 more than last year, live music, and cooking demonstrations on our food stage.” Fink and the rest of…

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The Bijou Grill is known for their fresh seafood and consistent flavors. Executive Chef Michael Greco has been there since the beginning of the Bijou, and has been serving up his signature dishes for 18 years. Owner Bea Militello, otherwise known as ‘Bea of the Bijou’ has the ability to instantly make a guest in her restaurant feel like a part of her extended family. Both addressed the importance of consistency in the flavors. “I’m a real fussy eater,” says Militello, “so we are fussy about the food we serve. Nothing you see has ever been frozen. Our vegetables come…

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Peter J.Certo, a homeowner in the Columbus Park – Prospect Hill neighborhood is famous for throwing out pithy remarks concerning the PBA plans to eat up 45 acres of neighborhood in a plaza expansion project. (See this post by Buffalo Pundit.)Certo sent one of his Weekly Reader emails yesterday, including the top image of the border crossing stats for April, asking (and answering) the question: “So why do they want to expand to a 45 acre plaza? Oh yeah, so they can build the world’s largest duty free store.”He points out that even the PBA is boasting that border crossing…

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For this week’s podcast, we literally shanghaied Buffalo Public School Superintendent Dr. James Williams on his way from an event in Allen Hall, with just a half hour to get to his Dr.’s appointment. The clincher was when I told him he’d only wait at his appointment, thinking that he could have spent the time with us and WBFO News Director Mark Scott up in Studio B. Oddly enough, it worked, and what we have is a good, frank discussion about the direction of the schools. We also touched on the recent illness of a student who has since died…

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