Another architectural gem is facing a future in the landfill. The Buffalo Diocese has announced that the circa-1930 St. Barbara Church on Ridge Road will soon be demolished. The church is hard to miss as its tower rises over everything in the surrounding area with an ornate, almost Art Deco decoration crowning it off. St. Barbara is only a short distance from the Basilica at the corner of South Park Avenue and Ridge Road. Supposedly there have been structural problems almost since the church was constructed, specifically with the tower. Besides being struck by lightning multiple times, nearly half of…
Author: Mike Puma
Sometimes referred to as “one of Buffalo’s best kept secrets,” Blessed Trinity Church is one of the finest examples of Lombard Romanesque churches in the country. The Leroy Avenue church stands as a testament that the old idiom holds true, they don’t built them like the used to. The original cost was $531,000 ($6.3 million in today’s money), and if the church were to be rebuilt now, it would cost an estimated $425 million due to the incredible craftsmanship involved. However, this church arguably cannot be rebuilt in the present day because the craftsman and their skills have long since vanished.…
Over three years ago the Diocese of Buffalo announced the devastating news that they were seeking to close St. Adalbert Basilica on Stanislaus Street and merge it with St. John Kanty. The parishioners took action and petitioned the Diocese to allow St. Aldalbert’s to remain an active place of worship. After appealing to a higher power, the Vatican, the parishioners are pleased to announce that the St. Adalbert Basilica will remain open. As great as this news is, the Diocese is choosing to ignore the Vatican. “We were overjoyed to learn that the Vatican saw the merit of keeping our…
After decades of only pedestrian and metro rail traffic, the 600 block of Main Street between Tupper and Chippewa streets will see automobile traffic returrn. The design work, now 70 percent complete, will be done by April and the project bid in May. Construction on the $8 million project could begin this fall or sooner and be completed next year.By the time the metro rail officially opened in 1984, occupied storefronts along Main Street were already dwindling. The hope is that returning traffic to the 600 Block will potentially reverse some of this. The long-range plan is to introduce automobile traffic to…
Electric Tower is now home to the law office of Lindy Korn. The firm is occupying the entire ninth floor which is located in the tower section of the building. It will take 2700 sq.ft. of space in a move from the Liberty Building. “Moving into the Electric Tower is an exciting and significant step for our firm,” Lindy Korn, Esq., owner, said. “We chose it because it is a match in terms of our space needs and in addition, being in a highly visible, iconic building will help us grow our practice.” Iskalo Development is also happy to welcome the…
Genesee Gateway is nearing completion with renovations expected to wrap-up in the first quarter of 2011. Buffalo Rising recently toured the property under the guidance of Hunt Commercial Real Estate brokers’ Chris Fetter and Heidi Nuessele and documented the exciting progress. On October 18th the United States Department of State Passport Office officially opened and is the first tenant to occupy the newly renovated Genesee Gateway. “The new passport facility is a long-term investment in our community and will enable Western New Yorkers to more easily conduct cross-border commerce,” said Congressman Chris Lee. This office provides a much needed amenity…
For those searching for luxurious living in Buffalo and not wanting to maintain a large historic home in order to do so, look no further than Avant. Coming down Delaware Avenue, Avant is hard to miss as it rises in beautiful blue paned glass that brightly reflects the sun. Buffalo Rising was recently granted a tour of the complex from the basement to the roof and everything in between. The tour was led by marketing manager Anastasia Malagisi, director of planning and design Mike Longo, and property manager John Comerford. All three showed much pride in the project and it is…
One of the great joys of living in Buffalo is the availability of live seasonal entertainment. In Christmastimes of yore, I always took the Garvey kids to see whatever was playing at the Theatre of Youth, now those kids are taking their own kids to TOY. There is no better way to get children interested in the performing arts, and to create lasting memories, than seeing a holiday show. Happily, there are, once again, a profusion of wonderful local holiday performances offered this year. Here’s a sampling:Most of these productions are familiar classics, like “The Nutcracker”, Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday ballet,…
Things are moving forward in the Larkin District on a daily basis and the official opening of the Larkin streetscape is a great example of progress. Five years ago Larkin Development Group approached the UB School of Architecture and Planning to create a master plan for the area and by partnering with First Niagara, part of that plan has come to fruition in the streetscape project. The goal of the streetscape restoration was not only for aesthetic purposes, but to create “a vibrant, mixed-use, commercial, residential, and retail environment” says Larkin Development managing partner Howard Zemsky. Thanks and praises went to…
It has been said time and time again that the Statler is a treasure that must be saved and that is exactly what Mark Croce and James Eagan are attempting to do. Statler City LLC has put together a phased approach for seeing the rehabilitation and reuse of the iconic Buffalo building. There are two deadlines approaching. Croce and Eagan’s due diligence period expires on Monday, though there is a possibility that it could be extended as the team is working in good faith to close the deal. The other is the National Trust next October. Many people believe it…