fixBuffalo

Neighborhood Preservation Collaborative

In case you missed it, last Thursday evening about 70 preservation and community minded residents had the opportunity to listen to one of our most enlightened public officials, City Court Judge Henry Nowak, describe the rational and neccessity for a new attitude and collaborative city wide effort to prevent further destruction of our urban fabric by that all to familiar dynamic "demolition by neglect." The Common Council Chambers was a perfect place, despite the heat, to begin this necessary work.

Here's the story that appeard in the Buffalo News last Thurday announcing it.

Thoughtful Preservation

Nowak effort could spark orderly method of dealing with architectural heritage issues

If it takes judicial pressure to get Buffalo's disparate preservation forces to work together in a proactive effort to save the city's historic architecture, so be it.

City Housing Court Judge Henry Nowak, a jurist who already has made his mark on city planning and preservation, is convening a new Neighborhood Preservation Collaborative to swap the typical stop-the-bulldozers reaction to demolition threats with a reasoned and coordinated effort to assess the city's treasures and figure out the best ways to deal with them. It's a voluntary effort by all concerned, but the judge is using the prestige of his office and his record to make it work. Read the full article.

I've archived a complete description of the new Neighborhood Preservation Collaborative and the 8 special committees that have been formed.

• Home Owner Assistance - Harvey Garrett
• Neighborhood Awareness - Tim Tielman
• Evaluations- Scot Fisher
• Comparative Research- Marilyn Rodgers
• Adaptive Reuse - Richard Baer
• Marketing/Development - Dennie Galucki
• Legal/Professional Research - Richard Lippes
• Architechtural Salvage- Chris Brown

Spirits were high as participants met with committee heads and discussed preliminary issues. Plans were made to meet as committees and get right down to business.

I did have a brief opportunity to present Judge Nowak the Petition to Save The Woodlawn Row Houses. I think it's the textbook case of "demolition by neglect" here in the city...we'll see how it goes.

I signed up to work on the Evaluations Committee with Scot Fisher. I'll be reporting back as to how this and the other committees develop over the next few months.

***NEW***

Make sure to check out the slide show Newell put together that documents
some of the splendor inside Buffalo's City Hall. He's got a couple
snaps of the skylight in Council Chambers where we met the other nite.
And if you haven't see Buffalo Rising yet, do it now!
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Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq