Author: Mike Puma

Writing for Buffalo Rising since 2009 covering development news, historic preservation, and Buffalo history. Works professionally in historic preservation.

The city owned home at 204 High Street along with two adjacent parcels is officially being offered for redevelopment with a new Request for Proposals (RFP) that was issued earlier this month, seen here. Demolition of the building was looming in 2014 with the announcement of a new market to be built on the same site, which has since been moved one block east to an entirely vacant block. Although the building cannot be considered a save quite yet, the willingness of the city to RFP the redevelopment of the site and the shift of the market are two big steps in the…

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Preservation Buffalo Niagara had some very exciting news to share on their Facebook page this afternoon regarding the potential demolition of part of the Crosby complex on William and Pratt: [Advocacy Update] Over the past four weeks, Preservation Buffalo Niagara has worked directly with the owners of the Crosby Company Complex to explore alternatives to the demolition of its historic structures located at 183 Pratt Street between William and Broadway. We are pleased to announce that, as a result of these conversations, the owners have engaged a local architecture firm to complete a stabilization plan to explore the long-term preservation potential…

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Wordism returns to the E.M. Tea Coffee Cup Cafe in Hamlin Park this Saturday, November 21 from 7pm to 10pm and celebrates the one year anniversary of spoken word returning to the cafe. Don’t miss out to take in some very talented poets from all across the city. There’s even an opportunity for you to get up there and share your own original piece. The cafe is located at the corner of Hughes and Oakgrove Avenues in the heart of Hamlin Park and poetry night always draws a great crowd. Food and drinks will be available before and during the show. The…

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The Western New York Book Arts Center (WNYBAC) presents Liquor & Letterpress, a fundraiser to benefit programming at WNYBAC to be held on Saturday, November 7th, 2015 from 6-9 p.m. at 468 Washington Street in downtown Buffalo. WNYBAC’s first annual Liquor & Letterpress Fundraising Event will feature an assortment of specialty cocktails presented by guest mixologists, food from local restaurants, live music, and an art auction. The highlight of the evening will include letterpress demos by WNYBAC volunteers and members. Guests are encouraged to participate and create an assortment of hand-printed ephemera to take home, including coasters, notebooks, posters, cards &…

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Budding local author, Byron Gillan is an avid reader, recent college graduate, and freelance writer. His first novel, The Children of the Forest, is currently seeking crowd-sourcing through Inkshares as part of the Nerdist.com writing contest. Byron focuses on Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction, and enjoys blending genres together to create something new. His writing seeks to ask difficult questions about race, environmentalism, and other pressing social issues, exploring them through the lens of his favorite genres. The Children of the Forest is set in a world ravaged by the effects of industrialization and war. Fionna Cohmwell is the princess of…

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On the long search for answers from the NYSDOT, the Scajaquada Corridor Coalition (SCC website) has received two responses letters to their recent inquiry of what exactly is going on with the future of the 198. According to the official statement from the SCC: NYSDOT has provided a response to two letters submitted by the SCC regarding the future of the Scajaquada Expressway. The letter provided information on the comprehensive environmental review currently underway by NYSDOT, which includes: Examining full complement of alternatives with speed limits set at 40 and 30 mph; 4 lane and 2 lane options within Delaware park;…

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This summer saw two happenings of historic significance at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Elmwood Avenue and West Ferry Street: the congregation saw the arrival of the Rev. Joan Montagnes, the first settled female minister in its 184 year history, and the placement of the 1906 church building on the National Register of Historic Places. The Unitarian Universalist Church building was placed onto the National Register of Historic Places on June 30th of this year. The building was designed by local architect Edward Austin Kent and his brother William Winthrop Kent. Both brothers had been raised in the Buffalo Unitarian…

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Residents of Blaine Avenue this morning woke up to an exciting surprise, the entire three block stretch of their street has been milled in anticipation of being repaved. That wasn’t the surprise that got people through, it was the original brick street that was exposed as part of the project. Blaine Avenue is located in the Hamlin Park Historic District and home to a mix of long time homeowners and very prominent community activists. Neighbors are banding together to make their voices heard to the City of Buffalo in the mayor’s office and Department of Public Works for having the…

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This past Wednesday the Karibu newspaper launched as a multilingual publication that focuses on the refugee and immigrant community of Buffalo’s east and west sides. “Karibu” is a Swahili term that means “Welcome.” The objective is to integrate the refugee and immigrant communities with the local community. With the ever growing ethnic population in WNY, it is increasingly important for locals to become acquainted with their migrant neighbors and educate themselves on the eclectic mix of culture, religion and tradition surrounding them. Other goals of the publication are to provide news and information in other languages such as Burmese and Arabic, that…

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By: Bradley J. Bethel Jr., Restore Our Community Coalition, Research Associate The air pollution from the Kensington Expressway is fumed with deep layers of oblivion. A freeway that robbed Hamlin Park residents of a beautiful three-mile boulevard has created an unjust precedent that has long-since superseded the well-being of the neighborhood. Today, the Restore Our Community Coalition seeks to spread a mile-long blanket over the Kensington Expressway. This blanket will take the form of a 14.5 acre promenade resembling the original Humboldt Parkway. Joining ROCC is an ongoing effort to restructure the now-former Scajaquada Expressway in the Parkside neighborhood. Together, these studies…

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