Mayor Byron W. Brown announced on Tuesday a three-way capital spending agreement between the Common Council and the City Comptroller that will fund ongoing work for three significant projects in the City of Buffalo. The projects include the continuing rehabilitation work at the Broadway Market, restoration of 60 Hedley Place (a circa-1854 stone farmhouse that is located in the city’s Hamlin Park neighborhood and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and the ongoing synchronization of the city’s traffic signals. “These are all important projects that are underway and will contribute positively to the quality of life…
Author: Elena Cala Buscarino
For the past 12 summers, Brush Up Buffalo has rallied volunteers and sponsors to come out for one day to help improve the city’s neighborhoods, and they have now announced that for this season they will work in the University district which includes the streets Winspear, Highgate, Lisbon, and Dartmouth. “We have about a dozen homes picked out right now, but we could do more depending on sponsors and volunteers,” said Roseann Scibilia, president of Brush Up Buffalo. This year the event has about 100 volunteers signed up, but Scibilia is hoping to see 500 or more community members come aboard…
Did you know that there is an intersection on the West Side where Plymouth and Massachusetts meet? At that corner is a small (and I mean small) restaurant space that has been vacant for about a year. Most recently, the same corner played host to a pastelillo take-out shop. When it closed, I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen… and since this might just be the smallest restaurant in the entire city, I knew that it was going to take just the right owner to make it happen. Fortunately for West Siders, Barbecue Chef Fred Daniel is preparing…
“Saint Mary’s on the Hill… even today we could go and stabilize Saint Mary’s in order to honor the building and the neighborhood. Preserving the towers and the walls would be the beginning of saving it. It can at least function as a monument, or hopefully preserve it for future use. It is a city landmark. Pittsburgh and Boston are taking more of an aggressive approach to these types of scenarios. Actually, not only larger cities, but also smaller communities understand the importance of preserving architecture. Take Niagara on the Lake – people drive down from Toronto just for the…
We learned all about planned obsolescence in elementary school, but in this time of recession it’s not a bad idea to think in terms of repair rather than “brand new” when it comes to replacing certain things – like boots and shoes.On one of my recent trips down Hertel Avenue, I remembered a pair of favorite 20-year-old boots that were in my trunk as I drove by Jimmie’s Shoe Repair. The tops were beaten to slipper-like butter, but the soles were long gone. I turned around, went into Jimmie’s, and asked if he could help. It should be noted that…
“You can’t save everything.” I hear that quote a lot whenever the subject of preservation comes up. And I agree with the statement. I wasn’t heartbroken to see Freddy’s Donuts come down. I always thought that it would be cool to see a retro eatery open there, but losing the building (to me) wasn’t such a big deal. My concern is that the shovel-ready site does not become a parking lot. Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to make a plea to The City to try to save some of the more important building…
I love the Village Beer Merchant. As a matter of fact, I can’t imagine Buffalo without it. I’ve become very fond of the growler system that they have. There’s nothing like walking in with a clean empty growler and browsing through the taps for a savory refill (especially when it’s The Chain). The last time I waited for my growler to get topped off I happened to notice a shelf of colorful beers behind me. Upon inspection, I realized that they were all single beers just waiting for someone to marry them into a six-pack. The system is so much…
Sometimes dining is a matter of staunching hunger, while at other times it’s a journey in search of an elusive taste. Satisfaction, in the latter case, is a matter of hitting the taste sensors just right, and dining at Tabree takes care of that on many different levels.There’s big city ambience in Tabree’s economy of indoor space. The cozy window nook, the long dining room, and the bar that fills up with all ages of urban types 3 times per night, makes the tight quarters intimate, but with a community feel. The outdoor patio is a dream. Roofed and outfitted…
I’m pleased to report that work has already begun at the Centennial Pool site at LaSalle Park. I’m also happy to say that park-goers are going to be in for a real surprise when they see what’s taking place at this long-forgotten recreation area. Just looking at the pictures provides an idea as to the enormity and scale of the overhaul. I figured that the $1.8 million capital reconstruction project would entail reusing more of the existing features. Boy was I wrong. The pool has been totally removed and the pool house has been so picked apart that it almost…
True, that’s a lot of headline, but we had a lot to talk about on the Buffalo Rising Roundtable this week with WBFO News Director Mark Scott.Listen to the WBFO PODCAST and find out what happens when I’m chided about using a styrofoam cup (it was an emergency). Newell challenged me to recycle it, so I made him the happy recipient of 1 maple, 1 chestnut and 2 ginkgo tree saplings, along with some hardy lichens. I’ve never seen him so touched in all the years I’ve known him, so I’ll keep the vegetation coming until he’s cited for overgrowth on his…