fix buffalo today

a view from recently demolished 669 Genesee Street


Mapping Buffalo...

Ben from SeeClickFix shot me an email this afternoon and asked me to check out his google map mash-up and sort of test drive the new application. Immediately I found this so easy to use and it has a level of possibility for community organizing that I'm just beginning to get my hands around. So, I'm opening this post to fixBuffalo readers who may feel passionatly about a particular house or building in Buffalo and might want to share their interest(s) with others.

Though my focus is on Buffalo's East Side - I'm very aware that most of my readers live in neighborhoods on the the other side of Main Street - I'm curious to know where this might lead when you start placing additional points on the map.

So...drill down into the map, click on a location and fill in a couple fields. This could become very interesting.
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Bound for the Landfill...

update 10:38pm....here's a set of interior shots from September 2007
that might give you an idea as to the project's scope.

update May 13th - two additional neighborhood pics!
backyards -- 1566 Jefferson

I noticed 'asbestos' signs were posted recently, one of the final steps in demo preparations, here at 1572 Jefferson Avenue. It's a house that the City has owned since last October and was originally marked for demo last August. I first posted about it - here - in August 2006.

1572 appears solid, has plenty wrong with it yet would make an amazing project. It's located just a few blocks away from the new Merriweather Library and Canisius College. Here's the map.

As long as the building is standing there's time to act. If you're interested in taking a closer look at this property, please let me know. In a week or so I imagine it'll be in some landfill.
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The Greening of Cold Springs...

Volunteers from two of Buffalo's most amazing new organizations - Queen City Farm and Buffalo ReUse - gathered last Saturday to plant trees in the city's Cold Springs neighborhood. Here, one of the teams is planting a chestnut tree on Woodlawn Avenue alongside the new home of the Arts Academy. The trees were supplied by Re-TreeWNY.
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According to Rod McCallum, project coordinator from Queen City Farm, neighbors joined in and a total of 150 trees were planted. Both of these organizations are helping to transform this neighborhood in ways that might have been unimaginable just a year ago. If you haven't checked out the ReUse store for your renovation and building needs you really should. And for the foreseeable future, every Saturday is a community work day at Queen City farm.
Come on over and get involved!
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Smart City - This Weekend

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Smart City is a weekly, hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life, the people, places, ideas and trends shaping cities. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, elected officials, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others for a penetrating discussion of urban issues.

This weekend...
  • This week on Smart City, the wave of foreclosures hitting many American cities are challenging many communities to wonder, "What's next?" Can these neighborhoods be revived? And if so, what will it take? Those are questions we'll ask Alan Mallach whose new report on Managing Neighborhood Change comes just at the time when many communities are needing that help.
Listen to host Carol Colletta - list of additional stations/times - 7pm Sunday on WNED - 970 in Buffalo, NY. Past Shows are archived and the newsletter is published regularly.
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Woodlawn Row Houses - May 2008

Earlier this week I received an email from the new owners of the Woodlawn Row Houses. fixBuffalo readers may remember that the City of Buffalo sold this 'local landmark' for $8500.00 to the Urban Development Partners, LLC last September.
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Buffalo's Common Council has approved their plans and with financing in place one of the partners told me that they expect to start work sometime later this month. I've been following the story of the Woodlawn Row Houses for the last four years - see, archive. They've remained a focal point of this blog since the beginning for a variety of reasons. Back in the day when neighborhoods were as tight as Brooklyn, there used to be 21 sets (see map) of row houses here in Cold Springs. Today, only three sets of these architecturally unique dwellings remain. I'll be following the project closely and hope to have an interview with the new owners very soon.

The Woodlawn Row Houses were one of 104 other properties that were on the block last September during a special auction. Ineresting that only 31 of these city owned properties will be transferred to new owners. Here's that updated list.
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St. Matthew's Watch...


fixBuffalo readers may remember St. Matthew's from last year. The church was purchased by two local investors at the City's tax sale in November of 2006 for $3500.00. I took another look this morning and quickly noticed that numerous windows are still broken or missing.

Here's the St. Matthew's archive which contains all sorts of information about the church and numerous comments from former parishoners. I've emailed the current owners asking about their future plans. I'll follow-up here when i hear from them.
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Artspace - Inaugural Show

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I just received this announcement about the first resident art exhibit at Artspace from Michele Pamer and the graphic from Katie Sehr. The opening is next Friday, May 2nd at 6:30 and the show runs through Saturday June 14th.
UNPACKING ARTSPACE_LETTER poster
ARTSPACE BUFFALO INAUGURAL RESIDENT ART EXHIBITION

Resident Artists to Show Recent Work


Artspace Buffalo Gallery
is pleased to announce the inaugural resident-artist exhibition Unpacking Artspace. An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 2nd from 6:30-9:30 pm at the newly completed Artspace Buffalo Gallery, 1219 Main Street, Buffalo, New York. This is the very first art exhibition held at Artspace Buffalo since the building project was completed in early 2008.

This exhibition is open to all residents of Artspace Buffalo, presenting a glimpse into each artist's practice. The work of over 35 artists from all ages, experiences and disciplines will be shown. Many Artspace artists are seasoned veterans of the art world, having shown work in galleries and art fairs from Buffalo to Tokyo over the past several decades. Other Artspace artists are just beginning to experiment with art making, having never shown their work in public.

Diversity in every area is the one common thread of Artspace. The mediums included in Unpacking Artspace -- painting, installation, drawing, photography, sculpture, collage, digital video, dance, music -- vary as much as the themes and concepts of each work. The show will also feature work of resident artists working on the design of fine furniture, graphics and jewelry.

Drawing inspiration from natural form and gesture for his exotic wood-designed furniture, Thomas Stender's Tension proves that emotions can be conveyed even through a object as ordinary as a table. Shondra Cabrera suggests a common ground exists between haute cuisine and fine art with her untitled "edible art" sculpture, surrounded by slices of cake. Katie Sehr records small rhythmic movements on paper, documenting a meditative, performative process and resulting in animated yet minimal landscapes. Isabella Luciano, a student at the Buffalo Academy of Visual & Performing Arts by day, will perform Fire Poi (fire dance) during the opening reception, creating visual patterns with ignited Kevlar wicks spun on chains. In the spirit of documentary and collaboration, photographer Michele Pamer's Isabella Fire Dances documents the fire dance through her cinematic display of nine 12 by 12-inch Giclee prints. Story Telling, a narrative in pen and ink by Atticus Pamer, represents the work of yet another young Artspace artist.

Complete list of artists included: Kate Bae, Amanda Beale, Malcolm Bonney, Kristin Renée Brandt, Shondra Cabrera, Tanya Chutko, Lukia Costello, Timothy Englert, Eric Louis Dates, Janice Davis, Hans Gindlesberger, Adrian H. Guadalpe, Selina Holman, Soyeon Jung, Brian Kavanaugh, Kyla Avery Kegler, Paul Kozlowski, Gregory Lawson, Joel Lewitzky, Justin Lowe, Isabella Luciano, Nathan W. Naetzker, Tim Newell, Kelly Metcalfe, Erika Mitchell, Renee Oubre, Atticus Pamer, Michele Pamer, Alex Park, Katie Sallander, Patricia Schraven, Katie Sehr, Altamese Steadman, Thomas Stender, Sandy White and Alex Young.

Exhibition on view from May 2, 2008 through Saturday, June 14, 2008. Artspace Buffalo Gallery is open Saturdays from 12:00 - 5:00 PM during exhibitions, staffed by volunteer resident artists. The Gallery is also open by appointment only Wednesdays - Fridays from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Please call 716-803-6205 or e-mail info@artspacebuffalo.net to schedule and appointment for individuals, schools or groups.
For additional background on Artspace and what this development means to the surrounding neighborhood, please check out some of these links.
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New Business Incubator

While walking past the old North Jefferson Branch Library the other day I noticed these new signs for the first time.

This morning I called Councilman Demone Smith's office for details about this development. I haven't heard back yet, so if anyone knows more about this new business incubator, please let me know.
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click image to enlarge
fixBuffalo readers will remember that the new Merriweather Library opened two years ago and replaced this building. The new library is named in memory of Frank E. Merriweather Jr. the former publisher of the Buffalo Criterion and founding member of the Buffalo Urban League.
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70 Riley - Off to a Landfill...

I've been following the long slow process of "demolition by negelect" of a number of properties in my Cold Springs neighborhood for the longest time. Time has run out for this single family home at 70 Riley Street, right around the corner from Artspace.
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I heard from a few area residents last night that the side of the house had recently collapsed. I walked over to check it out this morning. The house is still privately owned and the City officials who've seen this picture this afternoon have promised to move 70 Riley to the top of the demolition list.

Here's what 70 Riley looked like a few years ago, August 2006. fixBuffalo readers may remember another single family home on the same block, 93 Riley Street from a post a few years back - Along Riley Street.
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Glaeser - Video Follow-up...

If you didn't have the chance to see Harvard University's Edward Glaeser while he was in Buffalo last week Marc Odien and the crew over at WNYmedia.net were there and have generously made the following video available.

One of the first public responses to Edward Glaeser's presentation last week came from Paul Wolf, lead counsel at the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority. He writes about Glaeser's time in Buffalo - How do you Measure the Success of a City? - from his Buffalo Ideas blog.

For additional background about Glaeser's take on Buffalo check out my earlier post.

update - 4/23/08 - from Richard Florida - Ed Glaeser on Buffalo.
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1042 Ellicott Street - Saved!

The other day I stopped by 1042 Ellicott Street. It's located right around the corner from Coe Place and was owned by the City for the past few years. I'd always thought that the location and condition of this single family house would contribute to its revival and thought it was poised to bounce back from years of neglect. I had an opportunity to talk with the new owner about his plans for the place, too.

1042 is also right around the corner from Artspace where all sorts of additional rehab and development is taking place. fixBuffalo readers may remember what 1042 looked like in November 2005. It seems like the asphalt shingle siding did an incredible job preserving the house's original clapboard and detail.
1042 Ellicott -
In February 2007 I posted - 1042 Elicott - Just looking for love - with a set of interior shots.

I'll be checking in and keeping tabs on progress here at 1042 Ellicott in the next few months.
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Edward Glaeser - This Friday

Harvard University economist Edward Glaeser will be in Buffalo on Friday April 18th and will address a forum at the WNED Studios. See - Resurecting Buffalo for additional details.

fixBuffalo readers may remember Glaeser's work - Can Buffalo Ever Come Back? - that first appeared last October. If you're interested in Glaseser's work surrounding issues about urban decline, you may want to read his "Urban Decline and Durable Housing" that was published by the University of Chicago's Journal of Political Economy in 2005. Here's the abstract:
Urban decline is not the mirror image of growth, and durable housing is the primary reason the nature of decline is so different. This paper presents a model of urban decline with durable housing and verifies these implications of the model: (1) city growth rates are skewed so that cities grow more quickly than they decline; (2) urban decline is highly persistent; (3) positive shocks increase population more than they increase housing prices; (4) negative shocks decrease housing prices more than they decrease population; (5) if housing prices are below construction costs, then the city declines; and (6) the combination of cheap housing and weak labor demand attracts individuals with low levels of human capital to declining cities.
I located a podcast with Glaeser from EconTalk - The Economics of Paternalism [podcast after link] hosted by George Mason University's Russ Roberts. Interesting and slighly predictable take and discussion on 'behavorial economics' and rational choice theory from a libertarian perspective.
Charlene Janiga at UB's Regional Institute told me earlier this afternoon that the $30 tickets are still available for Friday's event. They're available online, by calling Charlene at 716-541-1770 or at the door.
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Artspace - II?

I've been a huge fan of Artspace from the beginning and have been a supporter of the project since it hit the local radar in December 2004. Despite a few problems during the initial phases of site remediation - see, Secure the Site, June 2006 - and a few bumps in the construction schedule, the project has been really well received and a very welcome addition to the neighborhood. I've recently spoken to a number of the project's resident artists about the recent Artvoice article, too. Many of the issues - see, Space for Improvement - have been worked through, from what I understand.
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This building located at 1217 Main, right next door to the lofts, was purchased two years ago by Artspace . Development decisions still aren't set and always thought something like this should go here. Prime space for something cool.

If you haven't checked out Coe Place recently - right around the corner - you should. Some really amazing rehab going on there. Updates soon...
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Shock and Awe on Koons Avenue - One Year Later

I revisited the 300 block of Koons Avenue the other day. fixBuffalo readers may remember this post - Shock and Awe on Koons Avenue - from last March. Well, the devestation is worse. A year later, three more houses have been added to the mix of miasma and malfeasance. Last year 15 of the 31 houses were in various states of abandonment and vacancy, today the new number is 18.
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click image to enlarge
60% of a block is headed at some point to the landfill, so what? Well this block as you may recall is right next door to the newly renovated Harvey Austin School. Here's the map.

This is the view from the front the school's front lawn, looking towards Koons.
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And a close up of what students see looking out the front window.
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Double checking ownership information for this block of Koons - 300/357 - I noticed something an interesting development since last year. I've compared both sets of property ownership information - here - for March 2007 and March 2008. Where as the City of Buffalo owned five properties last year, the number has more than doubled to 11 since I posted Shock and Awe.

While residents of North Tonawanda are rightly shocked and upset about the recent tragic assult on a young school child - abducted and assulted in a vacant house near the school - residents of Buffalo are silent about this block of Koons Avenue, right next to the newly renovated Harvey Austin School.

So it goes...
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Homesteading the Queen City Farm site...

I had the opportunity to walk around the block with Rod McCallum recently, the site of Queen City Farm. While financing is still being lined up Rod assured me that he's on schedule for planting this Spring. While the electric is now being installed on his family's new residence at 195 Glenwood Avenue most of our time was spent talking about this house at 226 East Utica.
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The City has owned this single family home since November 2006. It's currently assessed at $18,000 and has been marked for demolition.
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click image to enlarge
You'll notice that 226 East Utica is also on the 'farm block' - see map. Some friends of the Queen City Farm project recently considered it for homesteading and instead chose a smaller house just one block away. While deciding between the two different places they also had a property inspection report completed for 226 East Utica. I asked Rod how extensive the report was and he said it's about 2" thick.

So if you're interested in making a very progressive and considered move to Buffalo - or relocating within the city - come on over and take a closer look at 226 East Utica. We'll have a copy of the property inspection report available for you.

btw...if you're new to fixBuffalo here's the post - Saying Goodbye? - that got the Queen City Farm project rolling and make sure to check out out the Queen City Farm film, too.
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Smart City - This Weekend...

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Smart City is a weekly, hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life, the people, places, Create Documentideas and trends shaping cities. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, elected officials, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others for a penetrating discussion of urban issues.

This weekend...
  • Majora Carter surprised everyone when she founded Sustainable South Bronx as a way to reclaim that community's quality of life. She has grown that into a movement, Green for All, that is using the green economy to move people out of poverty with job creation and job training. Born, raised, and continuing to live & work in the South Bronx, Majora travels the world in pursuit of resources to improve the quality of life in her environmentally challenged community.
  • Robert Litan has a deep understanding of job creation. His work as vice president of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation and has produced a continuing series of studies that urge cities not to overlook the value of business start-ups in their economic development plans. Robert is also director of Economic Studies and holder of Cabot Family Chair in Economics at Brookings. 
Listen to host Carol Colletta - list of additional stations/times - 7pm Sunday on WNED - 970 in Buffalo, NY. Past Shows are archived and the newsletter is published regularly.
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Artvoice Blogs...

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I learned from Geoff Kelly - Artvoice Editor - Friday morning that he'd just fired up the new Artvoice Blog. So check it out often.
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Re-Mapping Buffalo's Urban Space

Picture 5
Here's the UB press release...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Issues of space, identity, urban planning, cultural geography, greening and other topics relevant to Buffalo's urban spaces will be subjects of a public community symposium to be held April 4 and 5 in two city architectural venues adapted for reuse.

The symposium, "SURVEY: Re-Mapping Buffalo's Urban Space," will be sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Graduate Group for Social Engagement at the University at Buffalo.

It will feature more than a dozen presenters from several UB professional schools and humanities departments; community organizations active in the restoration of, and innovative planning for, the City of Buffalo; notable members of the Buffalo community known for their ongoing work in urban documentation and revitalization - read the rest.
This unique two day event, spilt between Buffalo's east and west sides, features some of this area's most engaged 'social entrepreneurs' including - Amy Kedron, Michael Gainer, Aaron Bartley and Rod McCallum.
I'll be sitting on a panel Friday afternoon at Karpeles with Kurt Schneiderman, Dorthea Bremer and Bruce Jackson and later discussing various aspects of blogging in transforming urban spaces.
Here's the full two day schedule.
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Resurecting Buffalo?

Just learned about this...
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Together with the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and the Buffalo Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Regional Institute is co-organizing and co-sponsoring “Resurrecting Buffalo,” a regional public forum and conversation featuring Harvard Professor Edward L. Glaeser, author of “Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?”.

The public forum takes place on Friday, April 18, 2008, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at WNED Studios, Horizons Plaza, Lower Terrace, Buffalo, New York.

The forum features remarks by Professor Glaeser, followed by a conversation moderated by Margaret Sullivan of the Buffalo News with regional leaders, including Robert Gioia of The John R. Oishei Foundation, Cynthia Zane of Hilbert College, Richard Tobe of the City of Buffalo, Paul Buckley of Applied Sciences Group and Anthony Armstrong of LISC Buffalo. The forum also includes opportunity for audience Q and A and will be followed by a wine and food reception at WNED Studios. Space is limited, so please register early—the registration fee of $30 covers the cost of the forum and reception. Register online or call Charlene Janiga at 716-541-1770.

fixBuffalo readers may remember this post about the Glaeser work - Following Glaeser - contains links to all sorts of responses to his "Can Buffalo Ever Come Back".

Wonder if the program - including the q&a - will be available on YouTube for wider distribution? One can always hope...
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The Greening of Buffalo...

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Read more about Sycamore Village.
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102 Watson...Interested?

I found myself on Watson Street this afternoon and spotted this place, wide open at 102 Watson, (google map).
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A quick check of City records indicated that this single family house is assessed only assessed at $4000. Checked Housing Court records this evening and found that the owner has been invited to court next week. I'll be following this property through the court drama.

102 Watson Street is right around the corner from a church complex on Emslie Street, a stop on the annual Tour de Neglect.
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Surprised?

Email was full this morning with this story from the Buffalo News about Erie County's ever increasing population loss.
Erie County lost 5,001 residents last year, continuing a decade-long trend of annual population losses seen here and across upstate New York, according to new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Since April 2000, Erie County’s population has fallen by 3.9 percent, from 950,265 to 913,338, and no county in New York State lost more people over those seven years than the 36,927 who left Erie County, according to Census figures. read the rest...
Do the simple math. During both periods, 2000 - 2007 and 2006 - 2007 Erie County continued to lose population at the rate of 15/day or approximately 100/week. Staggering!
Surprised? I'd like to know.
Meanwhile, UHaul this country's leading do it yourself moving company, closed up today. Wonder why?

update...

I forgot about this post - Shuffling Away from Buffalo, from June 2006. A must read if you're still trying to get your arms around what's happening with Buffalo and Erie County population loss.
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Choir Lofts?

I've been interested in the whole church re-use dialog for the longest time. They're awesome spaces for what would probably be the most amazing living or work space I could ever imagine. I've looked at a number of these places over the years - Transfiguration - St. Matthew's - and of course the chapel over at the German Roman Catholic Orphan Home on Dodge Street.

While the community focuses on the current diocesan fire sale of so many buildings - there's another entire level of churches that are frequently overlooked here in Buffalo that have nothing to do with Bishop Kmiec - and his Journey to Avoid Housing Court. Most of the them were built by former Protestant and usually German communities. I'll be following the story of two of them, one on Sherman and the other on Spruce Street.
The First German Baptist Church, 1849 - is located at 41 Spruce Street (google map) and remains in good structural condition. It's been vacant for the past two years and as far as I know it's not in Housing Court.

Here a few related pics. The house next door, which is owned by the same group and was probably the mance, is really amazing, it's wide open - as of last week - and would also make for a great project.



The Salem Evengelical Reformed Church, 1907 - is located at 413 Sherman Street (google map) and is in fair structural condition. It's currenly for sale. When I spoke with the agent at Barnes Real Estate Group (716.894.5324) I was told that the church, mance and vacant corner property are bundled together. Asking price is $99,000 yet the seller is open to offers and would consider un-bundling the sale.

I first noticed the Salem church here, in January 2005. The other day I took a few additonal pics.


So, while churches such as Transfiguration plunge further off the radar for possible reuse, some of the smaller places still hold considerable promise. You know, only the adventourous need apply. Could be fun.
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Radiant in the 'Hood...

For fixBuffalo readers who might be unfamiliar with the neighborhood along Woodlawn Avenue - one block from the Row Houses and the new home of Performing Arts HS - not all is shrouded in the neglect that I routinely present here.
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This 1800 sf ranch house was built in 1996 and along with its priceless radiant heated driveway is assessed at 91K. Always amazed that after a storm, there's no shoveling or plowing required. Aside from a few commercial settings, I wonder if anyone else has a radiant driveway here in Buffalo. Like to know.
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Transfiguration Church - Update, March 2008

Bill Trezevant called me the other day. He's the owner attorney for the corporation that owns Transfiguration Church. He told me he'd repaired the building. So...I had to check things out.
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Well covering the stained glass and patching the roof is certainly a good thing. I did notice that the basement window was wide open and the gutter/downspout system still needs some help.
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If you're new to fixBuffalo, make sure to look at the Transfiguration Archive. Lots of good stuff. And fresh from Toronto, just got these recent pics of the inside - right here.
Anyone know what's up with the fence in front of the church? Something ready to fa