When passenger rail service declined throughout the ‘50’s, ‘60’s and ‘70’s, the majority of America’s magnificent old train stations were rendered obsolete. In Buffalo, we know the dire consequences of this decline as experienced at our own magnificent Art Deco masterpiece, the Central Terminal. Cavernous train stations are a difficult fit for many adaptive reuses and due to the quality of the original materials and levels of decay experienced by many of these great stations, restoration can prove to be very costly. Entering the picture last year with an intriguing solution is my friend, colleague and CTRC team member, Nick…
Author: Rev. Fred Jensen
Meet Lou – the most experienced bartender in Buffalo. Lou works at Filippo’s Ristorante Italiano on Hertel Avenue, but has been bartending in Buffalo since 1950. “When downtown was downtown!” said Lou, who bartended at several bars in the heart of the city back in the day. Although Lou is a fan of serving up drinks, he is not a big fan of the new trend in bars – flavored vodkas. Lou prefers to make more old-fashioned drinks such as Manhattans and martinis (the original recipe), but admits that people rarely drink those anymore. “But they still drink wine,” says…
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players, they have their entrances and their exits.”1 Thus William Shakespeare speaks of the transition from youth to adulthood. The world may be a stage, indeed, but how are youth to appreciate the world of the stage? Quotes (and misquotes) from the Bard “trip from our tongues”2 on a daily basis – yet is his legacy to live on? In our “brave new world”3 of computer generated special effects, many of us past our “dancing days”4 are anxious about cultural amnesia amongst our allegedly apathetic teenagers. Should stagecraft…
Their history reads like something from the set of Marjorie Maynard books I inherited from my grandmother. In 1915, the one-year-old College Club moved to the Philip Smith house located at 264 Summer Street. The Smith’s cooks and maids agreed to continue working for the new owners, and the Vassar Club provided lunch for the 174 charter members (all college graduates) to celebrate the new “club house”. Members donated furniture, hemmed and marked linens, and made curtains from 125 yards of fabric. There were guest rooms available for the members to rent, in a time where it was un-seeming for…
The skyscraper is a uniquely American contribution to modern architecture. The soaring land prices in late nineteenth century American cities made it necessary. American technology, including steel and the passenger elevator, made it possible. And American architects determined how it would look, at least during the first fifty years or so. That steel frame is the key to the high rise building. The frame holds the building up, and also makes it possible to use just about any material for the walls, giving great freedom to how a building may look. So while tall buildings may have changed looks over…
UPDATE: Bashar has officially missed his plane and will not be speaking. The speaking engagement will hopefully be rescheduled. Have you been wondering what is happening on the Statler Hotel project? Well, get the story straight from the man himself. Bashar Issa will speak tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. at the Statler Hotel. He will address the 2008 Buffalo Tours docent training class. Mr. Issa will talk about what work has been completed, historic tax credits, and why Buffalonians should be passionate about their city. Mr. Issa’s talk will be followed at 11:30 by a one-hour tour of City Hall.…
It looks as if the amateur astronomers are becoming a regular fixture in the city these days. After the BRO post (a while back) that notified viewers to look out for the urban stargazers… Driving down Elmwood Avenue last evening, a sublime astronomical experience was the last thing on my mind. The strip was teeming with Cinco de Mayo revelers and jubilant Sabres fans, and I almost missed the small cluster of people and telescopes gathered in front of the Neighborhood Collective, across the street from the Co-op. It turns out a group of amateur astronomers had set up shop…
Slow Food is not about cooking in a crockpot. It is a way of life. Slow Food, a non-profit, eco-gastronomic, member supported organization, was founded in 1989 in Italy to counteract fast food and fast life. Its members work to reverse the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. The Slow Food mission statement – or as members call it “the Manifesto” – calls for slowing down and enjoying the pleasures of the table. And…