fix buffalo today: November 2006

Transfiguration Moment...

6 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/30/2006 at 6:33 PM.

Still mesmerized by the beauty, decay and opportunity that Transfiguration Church is beginning to represent. More to follow.

photo courtesy of Sean Galbraith, Toronto.

Follow this link for additional information.

__________________________________________________________________________
Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq • my flickr
buffalo olmsted parks conservancy

Down By the River...

3 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 6:30 PM.

While checking out the Buffalo River Wednesday afternoon, Ohio Street canoe launch, I spotted the Lansdowne again that's currently berthed at BIDCO. Forgot camera, sorry folks. The first pic, from September 2006 canoe trip, Part I and Part II - shows two rail cars, converted once to a restaurant in Detroit and later submerged in Erie, PA...used to look a bit different. Chip from Rochester, NY - regular fixBuffalo reader - sent in the other picture recently, how these rail cars looked, back in the day.

Chip also wrote...

The cars (there may have been 10 or 12 all told) were built by Pullman in 1947 for the Milwaukee Road's "Hiawatha" passenger trains, which ran west from Chicago to Minneapolis & Seattle. This was the Milwaukee Road's equivalent of the New York Central's 20th Century Limited; luxury accommodations. In the 1960's, as US rail passenger service was in decline, the Milwaukee Road sold a number of the cars to the Canadian National, which used them into the 1990's on overnight passenger trains operating between Montreal & Halifax.

Been down to the river a few times this year always different. McArthey's - nearby, great place for lunch or Friday nite fish fry. Live folk music Friday nights, too. And what trip to the "womb of Irish Buffalo" wouldn't be complete without visiting Mazurek's Bakery!

Saturday Morning - Tour Reminder...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 6:19 PM.

Every Saturday...if weather's bad, just come on by the Sonic Café and we'll chat about the neighborhood. Newell and the BuffaloRising crew were great to include a post this week about a recent tour.

Backyard at Artspace
Tours in the Neighborhood
Saturdays at 11am

Regular 11am Saturday morning tour of the neighborhood - Backyard at Artspace. Meet-up in the Sonic Café area and plan on walking down Coe Place, around Ellicott, Northampton and Holland Place and Dodge if we have time. Plenty to see and learn about in an hour.

While talking about various developments and issues here on the City's near East side, we'll be stopping along the way to take pictures of the amazing amounts of architechtural detail. I'm always seeing something new. Make sure the batteries are charged in your digital camera, cup of coffee and we're off for an hour in what is soon to be Buffalo's coolest new neighborhood.

Saturday's at 11am...e-mail me or just show up. Here's the map!

Back Wednesday...?

4 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/28/2006 at 12:21 AM.

Blog free Tuesday continues...

Working on back patio - yes, Preservation Board approved - and a few other outdoor projects while the weather still holds.

If you haven't already downloaded Firefox 2.0, you really should. FixBuffalo and the rest of the web works best with it. Try it!
And if you still haven't clicked thru Olga'sTransfiguration Church pics, here you go. Favorite spot is this view from the choir loft. This shot of an intact Joseph Mazur mural should remind all of us of the importance of rescuing this art before it's gone and forgotten. I mean, who is going to save Jesus?
Blog free Wednesday, too probably...for Buffalo River canoe trip. Here's the posts from a few recent paddles - May 2005 and September 2006.

Drive By...Photos

1 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/27/2006 at 11:56 PM.

Caught up with Newell as we ducked out of the public hearing at County Hall late Monday afternoon. I usually see this guy in the driver's seat shooting up the City with the BuffaloRising cam so we made some time and caught-up about the local 'sphere and some City stuff down at the Pearl Street Grill. While Newell has like totally perfected the art of driveby photography - I've got to come clean and with my own as I'm not always grabbing pics with my feet on the ground either.

The urbanistically unique and design challenged Merriweather Library from the driver's seat.

And some of my favorite street art, down on Dodge Street, too. Side view mirror in the way as proof.

All time favorite is my blog free Tuesday photo - sandpilechild... Be on the look-out, you'll never know just when and where Newell will be...he's everywhere!

Double Opportunity...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 10:16 PM.

I've been watching this one for awhile and just got the ML listing for 61 Glenwood Avenue from Ryan Pierce over at Polis Realty. 61 Glenwood is just a few blocks away from Artspace and around the corner from Performing Arts High School [quikmap]. I grabbed these shots Sunday afternoon.

click image to enlarge

This 3/2 double appears to be in very good shape and recently received tons of love in the form of new vinyl windows, back porch and glass block windows all the way around in the basement. Looks like a newer roof, too.

click image to enlarge

This is a bank foreclosure and Ryan can be reached at 716.881.1200 x209. He knows the neighborhood really well. And the bank only asking 14K. For comps sake, just a few blocks away 38 Northampton was on the market less than 60 days. And look at what you'll see from the front porch! Cool.

City Sale...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 2:39 PM.

Had a few people ask about the City's recent in-rem auction results last week. I was there last month for a short bit and saw some amazing action on one west side property and now live on a block here in Cold Springs where three more homes are owned by the City, too.

First wrote about the results of what we here in the City know as in-rem 40, the city's recent tax foreclosure aution, right here in Mapping Foreclosures earlier in the month. Great gis mapping tools available in that post.

If you want to check out a specific property, I've organized the auction's results in an on-line and searchable spreadsheet - City of Buffalo - in rem 40.

Transfiguration, again...

8 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 2:38 AM.

Thinking about Transfiguration this weekend and located the picture on the left Sunday evening. It appears to be from the mid 1940's - the height of Catholic Buffalo that I wrote about recently here - Dalai me this...

click image to enlarge

Chuck LaChiusa's Buffalo as an Architectural Museum has a link to Transfiguration Church, documenting photographically some of the amazing architechtural detail - here. He also links to a brief history of the church and parish development written by Joseph Napora. The Polish Geneological Society of NYS has another history of the church.

Urbaneyes and others have reminded me of lower level green style re-development for places such as Transfiguration. Here, Christ Church Greyfriar in London - once destroyed during the Blitz in 1940 - remains standing, in part as a City park and part private residence. The other bombed out church, still standing in Europe on one of my favorite streets, the Ku'damm, is Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. It was built during the same time as Transfiguration and destroyed in 1943. And considering Transfiguration's bombed out apocalyptic interior, we just might have two possible models, in lieu of complete demolition.

Christ Church Greyfriar

Local ecclesiastical artist Joseph Mazur (1897-1970) is responsible for the creation of the murals that are now literally falling off the church's walls. Sean Galbraith from Toronto captured the condition of these murals recently with this photograph. Mazur is also responsible for a more secular piece - the Chopin Monument which was on the grounds of the Buffalo Museum of Science until it was removed from the East Side and to its current home in Kleinhan's Circle on Richmond Avenue.

For additional back ground about issues raised here make sure to check out comments in my Journey to Avoid Housing Court - Part 3 from February 2006 and in David Steele's February 27, 2006 BuffaloRising post, A Peek at Heaven and Possibly Hell.

It's only going to get worse in the months ahead for buildings such as Transfiguration. It's going to be pushed further to the back burner as Bishop Kmiec prepares to close additional architectural treasures, mostly on the City's East Side.

Spent considerable time this weekend with two of Buffalo's finest video and film people on the inside...check back soon. Breathtaking...(possible soundtracks include Mahler's 2nd, this - sort of apropos, no? - or maybe even recently found, Rufus... ;)

Smart Decline

Published by fix buffalo on at 2:36 AM.

Was reminded Sunday afternoon of an article distributed a few weeks ago at the unveiling of Blueprint Buffalo by Michael Clarke and the folks at LISC - Buffalo.

In a recent issue of Governing Magazine writer Christopher Swope interviews elected officials and policy wonks about what's happening in Youngstown, OH. The result, a short article - Smart Decline - dealing with with various aspects of the planning/development conundrum confronting a shrinking city like Youngstown, OH.

If Youngstown has made peace with its smaller self, however, its policy makers are still grappling with the key question: What does it mean to manage shrinkage in an intelligent way? Volumes have been written about how to implement “smart growth.” But what about smart decline? read the rest

Two longer q&a's with the same article - one with Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams and the other with Hunter Morrisson, Director of Urban and Regional Studies at Youngstown State University. While the site - Governing.com - is full of useful planning and development material, the associated blog - 13th Floor - is worth a closer look.

____________________________

See also - Getting Smarter about Decline...includes links to Blue Print Buffalo. For those of interested in issues involving "brownfield reclamation" see Learning from Others. Make sure to check out LISC - Buffalo and National Vacant Properties Campaign for addtional information regarding issues and major public policy initiatives involving abandondment, vacancy and the management of decline.

Inside, again...

4 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/24/2006 at 1:47 AM.

I visited Transfiguration Church on Sycamore Street a few times this past week. While urbaneyes and I rang two of the three bells still high in the belfry and spent considerable time marvelling at the extraordinary beauty of what remains of the church's interior - others were shooting.

Jay Morrison of Toronto and Mat from the DK PhotoGroup were around. Jay's photo's - flickr slideshow - and Mat's - also, flickr slideshow - are really extraordinary and capture the unique beauty of one of Buffalo's most forgotten religious ruins at this moment in time. Olga was around, too. Check out her work - here, on livejournal.

Inside Transfiguration, finally...contains references and links to the sale of this church and recent Housing Court history. Sean Galbraith's work - another DK Photogroup member - is featured in that post. Amazing, bookmark the page and pass it around.

Still wondering how things like this happen. I mean the City's most progressive housing court advocate, Judge Nowak - probably in the history of Buffalo - has never seen the file on this building in his court room. Get this, in three years - index #869/97. And Common Council President David Franczyk, who lives just around the corner from Transfiguration Church - is silent and has spent more time trying to save Perrysburg - you just won't believe this - than he has in his own neighborhood. Oh, almost forgot, there's a Polish Bishop here in Buffalo, Bishop Kmiec, too. No Polish heartstrings to pull on this one. Strange, I know yet the storefront church directly across the street from Transfiguration is in significantly better condition.

Would love to listen to my favorite Mahler, Symphony #2 - Die Auferstehung, feet up in the choir loft here at Transfiguration sometime, soon. Way appropriate especially considering which poet Mahler embraces for inspiration on this one.

BAVPA Reconstruction - End Week 21

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 12:35 AM.

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November 23, 2006 - Day 151

The Art wing was framed in this week. In the banner sketch right here the new Art wing is on the far right. The BAVPA flicker photo archive provides a quick review of the past 150 days construction progress.

See BAVPA Reconstruction Archive for additional details and updates. BAVPA - flickr photo archive.

Tour this Saturday...11am

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/23/2006 at 10:26 PM.

Backyard at Artspace
Tours in the Neighborhood
Saturdays at 11am

Regular 11am Saturday morning tour of the neighborhood - Backyard at Artspace. Meet-up in the Sonic café area and plan on walking down Coe Place, around Ellicott, Northampton and Holland Place and Dodge if we have time. Plenty to see and learn about in an hour.

Saturday's at 11am...e-mail me or just show up. Here's the map!

Back soon...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/22/2006 at 12:27 AM.

Taking a few days off. Couple day trips and some work around the house. Reading and preparing a longer piece about the work of Camilo Vergara, too.

Learning from Others...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/20/2006 at 9:52 PM.

One of the most interesting and unexpected portions of last Thursday's gig - Getting Smarter about Decline... - was the introduction of vacant and former industrial sites to the conversation and equation about vacancy and urban decline. This afternoon Michael Clarke - LISC Buffalo - sent me a copy of Eric Hodderson's observations and commentary about European Union Urban Policy. He mentioned Hoddderson's work Thursday afternoon towards the end of the presentation. I've made a few small formatting changes and archived his June 2006 writing here:

European Union Urban Policy – Observations and Commentary

Here, Hodderson focuses his attention on the brownfield reclamation efforts in the heavily industrialized area of the Ruhrgebeit in Germany. This area is better known as Emscher Landschaft Park. A few additional links illustrate many of Hodderson's points.

The slide shows are very easy to navigate and will provide a good visual orientation to the project's scope.

Emscher Landscape Park - main site, English language version
Emscher Landscape Park Slide Shows - various slide shows, German language
Emscher Landschaftspark - master plan, German language only - .pdf file

Here's the google satellite image of the area that Hodderson visited. I've visited the area a few times and the Ruhrgebiet is probably the most densly industrialized landscape I've ever experienced. If any fixBuffalo readers have visited this part of Germany and have some Emscher pix to share, let me know...

Getting Smarter...Websites

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/19/2006 at 10:10 PM.

On Thursday I attended the afternoon session sponsored by LISC-Buffalo and The National Vacant Properties Campaign of the unveiling of Blueprint Buffalo. Wrote about it here - Getting Smarter about Decline...

I spent some time Sunday afternnoon cruising the bibliography of both parts of the report - Policy Brief and Action Plan - and realized that the .pdf version wasn't hyperlinked [full text - Blueprint Buffalo-Action Plan]. So rather then hunt and peck for them, thought I would include them here, as they appear in the bibliography.

Here's the (almost, rest in a few days - check back) complete list of websites mentioned - archived here.

BAVPA Reconstruction - End Week 20

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 10:09 PM.

November 18, 2006 - Day 146
The last of three additions - the new Art Wing - began taking shape this week with the erecting steel structure. Lots of early morning clanging steel construction happening here.

Make sure to check with BAVPA Alumni/PTO for additional details about what's going on.

See BAVPA Reconstruction Archive for additional details and updates.

Cyburbia...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 9:25 PM.

Cyburbia is a constantly evolving site. Excellent forums and plenty of opportunity for feedback and information about planning and development issues in Buffalo and beyond.

Welcome to the Internet's most active urban/town planning-related bulletin board! Cyburbia Forum members include planners, students and others from around the world who are interested in the built environment.

At the top of the pile right now is a post about HGTV - which I've written about before in a post called, Byron TV as a future episode relates to Artspace - and urban revitalization, right here.

In June of '05 I posted this about the planned 14209 PO re-location in the forum section. Great responses that added significantly to the debate at the time.

Consider joining or start lurking, today!

LISC eNewsletter

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/17/2006 at 6:34 PM.

The most recent e-Newsletter from Local Initiatives Support Corportation (LISC) just arrived. Very interesting election analysis as results will impact urban planning, housing and various land use issues. Conference announcments, too! The eNewsletter is richly linked. Check it out here - November LISC eNewsletter.

LISC-Buffalo is part of the brain-trust that I posted about yesterday - Getting Smarter about Decline...

I've archived it here, in the new LISC-archive.

Smart City...This Weekend

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 1:04 AM.

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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...

Sustainability strategies for cities take many forms. This week, our guests will tell us about two of the most interesting.

Charles Loomis and Juliet Geldi are two members of the design team that conceived Waterwork for Philadelphia. They won the international competition, Urban Voids, staged by the Van Alen Institute and the Philadelphia City Parks Association to develop a compelling vision for the city's vacant lots. Also on their winning team in the competition were Gavin Riggall and Chariss McAfee.

Kenneth Yeang is determined to make high rise buildings green. His new book, Ecodesign: A Manual for Ecological Design, promotes deep green strategies for cities. Ken is a principal in the architecture firm of Llewleyn Davies and Yeang, headquartered in the U.K.

Sustainability is our topic this week on Smart City.

Listen to host Carol Colletta - list of additional stations/times - 3pm on Saturday and 7pm Sunday on WNED - 970 in Buffalo, NY. Past Shows are archived and the newsletter is published regularly.

Smart City is underwritten by Buffalo, NY's own Hyde Family Foundation...thanks George!

Again...this Saturday - Neighborhood Tour

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 1:04 AM.

Backyard at Artspace
Tours in the Neighborhood
Saturdays at 11am

While talking about various developments and issues here on the City's near East side, we'll be stopping along the way to take pictures of the amazing amounts of architechtural detail. I'm always seeing something new. Make sure the batteries are charged in your own digital camera, cup of coffee and we're off for an hour in what is soon to be Buffalo's coolest new neighborhood.

Saturday's at 11am...e-mail me or just show up. Here's the map!

from 28 Coe Place...

2 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/16/2006 at 9:43 PM.

I fell in love with Coe Place more than 10 years ago. A good friend lived on Coe - urban planner, bicycle mechanic and voracious reader and bread maker, introduced me to Paul Theroux and re-affirmed the importance of V.S. Naipaul's critique on various global issues - and reminded me of the importance of establishing a sense of place, despite the area's larger struggles at a time when I needed it most.

And of course it just so happens that two of the most exciting and pivotal projects in the recent history of Buffalo were conceived and are beginning to appear at the same time - Artspace and Performing Arts HS - sort of sister projects that present a unique promise of re-establising the City's near East side. One near Coe Place and the other across from my spot in Cold Springs, just a few blocks apart.

The City's Preservation Board has already agreed to help block the demolition of 28 Coe Place - will work very hard with anyone who has a plan, probably about 30-40K in financing to turn the place around. Let me know. Will do all that I can to get you in there if you want to become a resident of this community that is poised to thrive by the time Artspace opens next year.

Geoff Kelly has a nice piece about Tuesday's action on Coe Place in the most recent issue of Artvoice that seems to be appropriately called, Sleeper Cell! Mark Odien, from WNYmedia.net dropped by after midnight for an interview. Here's his post and the Youtube video - very nice piece Mark. Thanks. And Gabe got Chained to Coe up over at BuffaloRising.

The important thing now is to find someone who wants to make 28 Coe Place home. Stop by and take a look!

Oh and thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello the other nite. Nice socks for my toes, spicey cider from Coe Place neighbors, awesome clam chowder from the Sonic Cafe and mozarella sticks from BK - didn't know. Total yum...

Will stay with this one...

Getting Smarter about Decline...

10 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 9:10 PM.

I had the unique opportunity to attend the public release of Blueprint Buffalo - Regional Strategies and Local Tools for Reclaiming Vacant Properties Thursday afternoon at the Larkin Building. The report contains a critical assessment of existing intstitutional and public policy initiatives on the one hand and examines strategies used in other weak market cities that experience the abandonment and vacancy that is becoming increasingly more common place in post-industrial cities like our own.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC-Buffalo) and The National Vacant Properties Campaign have collaborated and presented a compelling set of documents that need to be critically read, examined and absorbed by the elected, annointed and community leaders in Buffalo and across the region. Moments ago I received e-copies of both reports from the folks at LISC which I've archived, over in my e-snips.

Blueprint Buffalo - Policy Brief [.pdf]
Blueprint Buffalo - Action Plan [.pdf]

The Blueprint Buffalo uses James Q. Wilson's work as a point of departure.

if the first broken window in a building is not repaired, then people who like breaking windows will assume that no one cares about the building and more windows will be broken. Soon the building will have no windows...read the rest, 2/13/06 Wide Open...Only in the 'Hood.

Two adjacent houses on Woodlawn Avenue, opposite new Performing Arts High School
seem to illustrate Wilson's urban critique. Ironic that Buffalo Fiscal Stability Board
member and treasurer, the Rev. Richard Stenhouse's organization owns the property
on the right. The City of Buffalo, one on the left. Pictures from 2/06. Way worse, today.

I first learned about the National Vacant Properties Campaign, in Februrary 2005 shortly after I started blogging - right here. And seemed to be the only one in the audience this afternoon who knew some of the devestating images of Detroit that made it into the presentation along with some more familiar images of Buffalo, NY. The Buffalo News first mentioned the emerging work presented this afternoon in October 2005, that I'd previously archived, right here. I followed that up with this post.

I've been fortunate to have had numerous discussions with Michael Clarke (LISC-Buffalo) during the past year and recently developed an on-line correspondence with one of the writers of these two reports, above - Lisa Schamess. Very, very insightful. I link there to some of her other work and first novel.

We have to get smarter at handling decline, fast. I've mentioned the highly effective emergency medical strategy of triage numerous times while thinking and writing about vacancy, most recently here - Heartbreak in the 'Hood. We can't save everything. We have to become smarter and more strategic in how we handle housing and land use in Buffalo. A comprehensive inventory would be a good first step towards getting our hands around the issue.

Thinking about the City as person - borrowing from the ancients who knew a thing about politics and the soul somewhere in Greece - if the patient is bleeding to death, doesn't make much sense treating an in grown toe-nail, does it? One of my conversations with Lisa recently included a humbling exchange between the personal and larger political (community wide) issues. Bottom line - that was echoed today - it's very easy to deny that abandonment and vacancy is happening. Dealing with these issues on an individual basis is hard, on a collective basis, perhaps impossible. Yet if we don't get smarter - like cutting our losses and begin land-banking - who will? It'll be more difficult next month and next year.

update...Blueprint Buffalo bibliography, hyper-linked - right here...

Back on Wednesday...

3 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/14/2006 at 2:01 AM.

Blog free Tuesday continues...

Apologize for the recent lack of posting. Dealing with some sort of seasonal flu thing and haven't been doing the overnite positng. Back in top shape in few days. Lots of stuff piling up updated demolition pics here in Cold Springs and shots of a very unique arts instiution in the Fruit Belt that has managed to slip my radar until recently.

A few new additions to My Vinyl Collection - more Vergara and a recent find in my own neighborhood - the coolest late 19th C. horse stables and carriage house that I've somehow missed these past 10 years.

Join Us on Coe Place...Tuesday Afternoon!

6 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 1:37 AM.

Today Eliot Spitzer, Governor-elect, arrives in Buffalo, NY for the first time since his resounding win in New York State last week. In the spirit of reform that he has promised on the campaign trail, housing activists across Buffalo will be focusing Mr. Spitzer's attention on the shadows, the places no one wants to see or help - in a meaningful way - alleviate and change.

As Eliot Spitzer visits Buffalo to celebrate the victory of his reformist agenda, residents of Coe Place in Buffalo and other concered citizens from neighborhoods across Buffalo will begin their effort to save two historic properties from the vicious neglect of a state agency--the MBBA--charged with helping streets like Coe Place turn around. Neighborhood residents will be joined by members of community groups including PUSH, friends and readers of Fix Buffalo Today, local preservationists and Michele Johnson - East Side Housing Advocate to initiate a housing "strike" against the agency and to demand action by Governor-elect Spitzer and Mayor Brown. The action will begin at 5 PM at 28 Coe Place.

Housing Strike on Coe Place - Full Text Press Release!

The Brown administration has failed to respond to 1500 problems created by an agreement inked by the City of Buffalo and MBBA. Two of those problems exist on Coe Place, which I've written about recently - here.

PUSH Buffalo and others are helping to organize an action on Coe Place Tuesday afternoon at 5pm. Please join and explore ways we can shake these two houses - 28 and 39 Coe Place - from the callous grip of MBBA.

Our sincere hope is to engage Governor Spitzer, upon his return to Buffalo, in a meaningful dialog about reforming the agreement between MBBA and the City of Buffalo. There are at least 1500 reasons why he would want to.

Additional MBBA information - right here • MBBA in Buffalo - link to spread sheet listing 1500 properties • Coe Place Archive.

BAVPA Reconstruction - End Week 19

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/13/2006 at 11:16 AM.

November 13, 2006 - Day 141

An amazing amount of work has been accomplished this past week. The Science Wing is taking shape and the new Art Wing has a concrete floor that was just poured. Walked around the school on Saturday afternoon and snapped this pic of the new main entrance on Ferry Street.

Will have some fascinating shots of the masonry work taking shape at the new main entrance later this week. A very high level of craftsmanship happening. Very nice work.

See BAVPA Reconstruction Archive for additional details and updates.

Inside Transfiguration, finally...

11 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 12:43 AM.

People often ask me, "So, you really think this building can be saved?" Two words roll off my tongue. Granite Works. It's my mantra.

Transfiguration would have been one hundred years old this year and was a featured stop of the recent T our dé Neglect. I've stopped thinking about trying to save Transfiguration. Now, it's a protracted battle over who is going to front the demolition cost. Tax payers or local attorney? And get this, the guy's mother has an outstanding Housing Court warrant, four years old. He named her president of the corporation. Wonder if she knows? Since starting in Housing Court, Judge Nowak has not seen the file in his court room. Really beginning to wonder why?

It's a lost cause and sad reminder of the deep structural issues facing a weak market city with a declining population. Mix in some Diocesan malfaesance, a Council President living close by who supports Casino development while simultaneously abandoning the unique urban character of his Broadway Fillmore district's heritage buildings - remember the Wollenberg, burned down just six weeks ago - and a floor full of lawyers at City Hall working with an Inspections Dept. that can not seem to locate the responsible party (local attorney, living a few blocks away from City Hall) well, you get this, a photograph taken Sunday afternoon.

Sean (check out his site, wow!) from Toronto's most progressive urban exploration and visual documentary heritage group - DK PhotoGroup - was in town with a few photographer friends over the weekend and went inside.

Here's the flickr slide show: Inside Transfiguration.

The Transfiguration Church, three miles from Elmwood, was first written for Housing Court on March 13, 1997. In the last 8 years Transfiguration has journeyed through Housing Court 61 times and the file, case #869/97 has seen four seperate Housing Court judges. Judge Broderick passed the file to Judge Devlin who tossed it to Common Council President David Franczyk's brother and finally Judge Fiorella issued a warrant for Pauline Nowak [no relation to Judge Nowak] on September 25, 2002. She's an officer of Paul Francis Associates, Inc., the party that bought the crumbling church from Bishop Mansell in October, 1995.

Here's that post from December 2005 - Sign of Things to Come - contains pertinent background information regarding the Dept. of Inspections attempts to nab the perp. You won't want to miss this lovely e-mail exchange between said local attorney, William Trezevant and moi.

Really zen about losing this one. It's the 400-500K demolition bill that Buffalo residents will have to fork over when the place is written up for an emergency demolition at some point that I'm pissed about. Bill, what say you? I'll be here, every Saturday morning. Just love your campaign slogan when you ran for Ellicott District Councilman a few years ago.

For additional background on Transfiguration see the following posts:

Journey to Avoid Housing Court - Part III • Addtional photos • DK's Sattler Theatre
DK's Orphaned • Saving Transfiguration • Imagine this?

Vergara Sunday

1 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/12/2006 at 10:50 PM.

While searching out Vergara and photographing a few church buildings here in Buffalo recently, I've recognized an emerging pattern. Many of the churches Vergara describes exist side by side and next to older more established structures, places perhaps that may be traditionally described as, churches. Sometimes both structures appear as though they are headed towards ruin and lack the resources necessary for good maintenance.

The Sunrise Church of Christ, here at the corner of Sherman and Sycamore [quikmap] is representative of this side by side sort of mix. Both buildings pictured here belong to Sunrise Church of Christ. No idea yet what congregations worshiped here prior to Sunrise's ownership.

I first visited this church back in January of 2005, here and after a brief check of Housing Court records found that nothing was happening in court or with the smaller church builiding next door. I remember neighbors telling me that a few parishoners would meet occasionally next door at this spot in what I've assumed may have been the mance, back in the day as the congregation can no longer support utility payments next door. Here are three more views from June 2005.

What's telling today about the neglect here is the tree limb resting on the gutter. The storm was a month ago and the limb is still where it fell that night. Like the tall grass you will see in front yards all over the City late in May and early June - places where no one cuts grass any longer as no one really cares for the property any more - downed tree limbs and branches resting on porches and front yards are quickly becoming the new markers of abandonment, decay and vacancy here in Buffalo, NY. Especially in places like this where no one goes anymore.

SkyscraperPage

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 5:18 PM.

Skyscraper City is another site full of development and urban issues that are organized geographically and international in scope. Excellent converstion and very good links and comments in a few of the Buffalo based threads here in the Northeast and Midatlantic portions of Skyscraper City. Cool threads about what's happening in other parts of the world, too - Dubai, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Wanna know how things are going in the UK over in Manchester? Check it out - Manchester Metro Area.

One of my favoite forums is devoted to city scapes, right here. About 200 different conversational threads happening. Poke around and explore. Skyscraper City has weekly photo contests, too.

First wrote about Skyscraper City back in August, 2005 - right here. Very cool pics of Buffalo. One from the Liberty Building that I've got to get to.

Coffee & Chocolate in Midtown...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/10/2006 at 12:19 PM.

Behind Literacy Volunteers is one of Buffalo's coolest collection of architectural treasure - St. Vincent's. Been writing about that and Cash Cunningham's pro-active stewardship recently - right here. Well next week we have an opportunity to support Literacy Volunteers and indulge into two of my favorites - coffee and chocolate, right here in rapidly emerging Midtown.

The auditorium behind the Squier Mansion is currently owned by Cash Cunningham and is available for rent. Tracy Diina has been raving about the space for a long time. It'll be my first time inside. Come on over, indulge and check things out. Supporting Literacy Volunteers is always a good thing. Tracy is one of the near East side's most indefatigable supporters...

Here's the link - St. Vincent's Female Orphan Asylum - from Chuch LaChiusa's Buffalo as an Architectural Museum.

Saturday's at 11...Begins This Saturday!

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 6:33 AM.

I'm switching up my Saturday morning routine. Bagels on Elmwood is swapped with coffee and bannana walnut muffins at the new Delta Sonic Café, across from Artspace. It's been a 15 year run on Saturdays on Elmwood near Auburn. It's time.

Backyard at Artspace
Tours in the Neighborhood
Saturdays at 11am

Regular 11am Saturday morning tour of the neighborhood - Backyard at Artspace - begins this Saturday November 11th. Meet-up in the café area and plan on walking down Coe Place, around Ellicott, Northampton and Holland Place and Dodge if we have time. Plenty to see and learn about in an hour.

While talking about various developments and issues here on the City's near East side, we'll be stopping along the way to take pictures of the amazing amounts of architechtural detail. I'm always seeing something new. Make sure the batteries are charged in your own digital camera, cup of coffee and we're off for an hour in what is soon to be Buffalo's coolest new neighborhood.

Saturday's at 11am...e-mail me or just show up. Here's the map!

Church with Vergara

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 2:13 AM.

Many of Vergara's churches exist where most people fear to tread. Spotted this one on Sycamore Street, just East of Sherman last weekend.

The building sits by itself, pretty much alone on the urban prairie. The only church I've ever photographed that doesn't have a single front window. I've photographed about 40 of these churches so far and this the Church of the Living God is the one that I find myself most attracted to. It's bleak. And I find myself rather curious to know who might be showing up for worship because. It seems so remote.

This church is just a block away from where a tragedy occurred earlier this year that I covered in - Buffalo's Death Row. Some readers have tried to convince me that abandoned, partially boarded, derelict and vacant houses pose about as much threat to public safety as parking lots do. Thinking is that people get killed in parking lots, so why should an abandoned house receive any special consideration. Really disagree.

I remember the people I met here and who lived in this neighborhood were really chatty and unusually friendly depite my appearance, atleast according to some that I look like 5-0. These folks kept wanting to explain how "they" should be doing this...and how "they" should be cleaning this up. Who knows. Maybe they'd given up. Don't know. Just tried to take it all in as I slipped down the alley to photograph the door that was still open. Couldn't look inside. It was still open last weekend four month's after Yvonne's death.

From a few blocks further East the ruins of the 100 year old Transfiguration Church cast a long shadow over this neighborhood, too. I'll be picking up on this theme where small and obviously struggling places - where the other half worships - exist along side larger and more prominent places we call Churches.

HUD's 203K - What do you know?

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 12:01 AM.

New fix reader left a comment this morning in the recent post about 1000 Demolitions from the other day. Wants to know about experience readers here may have had or are having with HUD's 203K Rehab Program.

The Section 203(k) program is the Department's primary program for the rehabilitation and repair of single family properties. As such, it is an important tool for community and neighborhood revitalization and for expanding homeownership opportunities.

Please share your experience or leave e-mail address in comments if you want to stay private. Bankers and mortgage people reading this, let me know if you participate. And contractors, too.

Any additional innovative re-hab financing programs available?

Mapping Foreclosures

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/09/2006 at 12:58 PM.

Just in from the Geography and Planning Deptartment at Buffalo State College is a very useful tool to help understand the shape of in-rem tax foreclosure proceedings in Buffalo, NY. This very unique mapping tool - running on GIS, similar to Erie County's - is a fantastic way of showing what's happening in our City.

Here's the direct link: City of Buffalo Property Auctions. The source data is available right now in a limited format. I'll migrate the data into a "social spreadsheet" later today so as to make it widely available. Follow this link, from the Geography and Planning Dept for a brief tutorial, if you are not familiar with the functionality of this sort of GIS mapping application.

update...Friday Morning...115am

I've migrated the data set - previously available only to subscribers of a public Yahoo group, Buffalo Issues Alert - to a "social spreadsheet" that is viewable and searchable. It looks and feels like a spread sheet, here the results: City of Buffalo - in rem 40.

The results are presented in three major groups - sold, adjourned and struck back to the City. Of the 1578 properties on the auction list - 621 have bids that were accepted, most probably here the deals will happen and title will transfer and an 394 properties were adjourned. The remaining 563 were taken by the City. I believe this is the largest property grab by the City in recent memory. Veteran observers, please chime in.

Three of the newly acquired City properties are on my block of Woodlawn Avenue and have been on my personal demolition list - for various reasons, including the fact that they present a public health hazard, are wide open and sit directly across the street from the 30 million dollar renovation at the future home of Performing Arts High School. Will be watching.

Coe Place & Block Club Meeting...Today!

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/08/2006 at 11:57 PM.

If you are interested in the latest happenings around Coe Place, Ellicott, Northampton and parts of Dodge Street by all means show up at Belmont Shelter Thursday, late afternoon...

Got this flyer in the mail...

In addition to Susan McCartney's remarks, I imagine folks from Belmont may be available to discuss their plans for the Ward House, at 19 Coe Place. The September Meeting was cancelled - right here. My first block club meeting on June 22, 2006 came just moments after the Preservation Board Meeting involving the Ward House. You may remember the application for demolition of the Ward House was tabled, in favor of a public meeting. Feeling the heat from "Friends of Coe Place" and most neighbors Belmont officials withdrew their application. A few days later, Belmont installed a flag pole and a flood light, that illuminates the Ward House at night.

At that time Artspace had just broken ground a few days before - here - and Performing Arts followed just a few days later - here. A fast moving four months over in Midtown on the City's near East side.

Meetings at Belmont are always very interesting.

Neighborhood Tour...

4 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 4:50 AM.

Meet-up today at 4pm at the Delta Sonic Café across from Artspace...a few people have expressed an interest in checking out some of the houses I've been writing about recently.

Interested? E-mail me or just show up...sorry for the late notice.

Memory and Masten Park

4 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 4:08 AM.

A few blocks away, down Masten Avenue, from my spot in Cold Springs is Masten Park [quikmap]. Visited recently and usually find that it's mostly way under used. Ultimate frisbee going on the other day. Classes from City Honors High School use the park, too.

that's St. Mary's on Genesee Street, on the right

The main entrance here is at the end of Eaton Street, just a block from Best. This stone wall - way cool here, too is what's left of the Buffalo's main source of water, the old Buffalo Resevoir that was situated here before Masten Park.

This video photo montage [via Youtube, what you do when you don't have a tv, like me] of the former nearby War Memorial Stadium, is especially haunting and a reminder of just how vibrant this neighborhood was, well...check out the aerial scenes at the 2 minute mark, wow. Excellent music selection accompanying this short from Chris Byrd at IndaBuff. Really nice Andres Segovia piece on Chris's blog, right here.

The earlier vibrancy of what this neighborhood was continues to motivate me. Imagine, as a child growing up here, having Offerman Stadium and War Memorial separated by a ten minute walk or a two minute bike ride. Nothing has shaken me and inspired me more to participate in this neighborhood's re-birth recently than the serendipity involved in finding a book at 204 High Street a few weeks ago. Here, showing a few photographs from that book, a few scenes from this very spot in Masten Park almost fifty years ago - Dalai me this.

blogging Artspace...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 4:07 AM.

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Buffalo bloggers are slowly getting Artspace. All things Buffalo, just got a look around with his UB law and planning class. Check it out - A Sneak Peek at Artspace.

Sort of hidden and hard to find on-line, here's the Artspaceusa-Buffalo Artist Lofts website and sort of static, too in need some tweaking as a few commenters have mentioned, here. A little blog, with announcements and room for comments, rental information in .pdf format would be a very good thing along with news from other Artspace projects, cool...

More in Artspace Construction Updates...

SkyscraperPage

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 4:06 AM.

I've been a fan of SkyscraperPage since I started blogging, two years ago. The banter in the forum's section is ususally well informed and frequented by people on the street living close to the various projects discussed.

The forum over at SkyscraperPage called, Northeastern States has some great threads about Buffalo area development. This thread - Post your Ghetto Pictures - contains six long pages of pix spanning various North American and European cities. Pithy commentary and loads of cool links. Stuff you may not find anywhere else. Guess we don't have it so bad in Buffalo, by comparison. The Diagrams page is way cool, too.

First mentioned SkyscraperPage in August, 2005 - here.

Back Wednesday...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/07/2006 at 12:38 AM.

Blog free Tuesday continues...

Other stuff around the house - fixing leaky mansard gutter, test drive and reading Vergara. Few hours devoted to finishing up over-due draft copy of rather unique homesteading project for the City's near East Side around the Artspace Backyard area...very soon.

If you still haven't switched to Firefox, why wait? You should. Another reason, new and enhanced version of FireFox 2 just appeared on the scene. Get it right here and switch today. Web works way better with it. Some of the new extensions and tools are really amazing. Give it a shot. Bottom line...more efficient desk top and workspace.

And if you ever thought about embedding (hot linking) links in a comment or wanted to play around with bold and italics in a comment stream over at BuffaloRising or any other blog - they work the same - here's an awesome cheat sheet covering some basic html, right here from Page Resource. This section is a 30 second guide to hot linking. Never done it before, easy! I challenge the person who left some comments in my last piece - About Blogging - to add the embedded links they referred to.

And it's election day. Anyone know Eliot Spitzer's plan for MBBA and the scheme that was cooked up here, in Buffalo involving 1500 houses? Let me know...

2 Girard - Last Time...

14 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 12:00 AM.

I started keeping track of 2 Girard Street [google map] in March, May, July and November 2005 and most recently this past February. I still find this house fascinating. The almost magical quality of the turret had to engage children for hours and days, along time ago when places like this were still valued. Sadly, Sunday afternoon was the first time I'd imagined a "vinyl victorian" here on this corner, Humboldt Parkway's first.

click image to enlarge

I've been to Housing Court a couple times. Owner in Atlanta never showed. And while talking with Judge Nowak last February about the plight of 2 Girard, I sensed his frustration as I showed him the pictures and pleaded for a stay. He denied it. The place is tenacious. I thought it was going down months ago. There was some interest last year, prior to the City taking possession. Solid roof and the place still sits very straight.

Maybe this place is fated. Imagine for a moment what Richmond Avenue would look like if a highway was photo-shopped into the middle. As long as it stands there's some hope. Any takers? Tours on request. Let me know. Like a few others over here, I'll help you build a case to rescue this from the City's hands.

Here's the listing on Craigslist - 2 Girard, Buffalo NY

1000 More Demolitions

5 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/06/2006 at 10:31 PM.

Seems like the bull-dozers, wreckers and demolition contractors are getting ready to tear down 1000 more houses here in Buffalo, NY. According to Monday's Buffalo News, the demolitions are getting green lighted and while deadlines were not mentioned, 8 million dollar NY State (grant - wow, like free money) is funding this bust on blight.

Buffalo is on track to tear down a record number of vacant eyesores, the city's economic development chief told an accountability panel Friday. Richard M. Tobe predicted that 1,000 decaying properties will be demolished by the end of the fiscal year in June. This figure would be three times higher than the average number of annual demolitions since 2002.Still, with an estimated 10,000 properties throughout the city that should be torn down, Tobe said Buffalo's demolition blitz will have to keep at its current pace for the next decade. read the rest

Sure wish I could peer into the all knowing Citi-Stat crystal ball and discern which places are getting wrecked. So much for transparency, I guess. Oh, almost forgot. Good thing we're using computers now to track this stuff. According to the article there are exactly approximately 10,000 structures ready for demolition in the City of Buffalo.

On a positive note, Rich Tobe did mention that discussions involving City workers doing the demolitions are being considered. Yet, I got lost in the logic of using City crews for special demolitions as somehow being more cost-effective than using City crews for regular demolitions. Then again, what do I know. I'm just a guy with a camera and a keyboard.

Maybe I should consider starting up a demolition company. Hmmmm...

More here - To Demo or Not to Demo - from February, 2006

Eyes Wide...Open

2 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 4:23 AM.

Since childhood, I've been fascinated with looking out windows - bedroom, car or school, didn't matter. Imagining the world beyond my immediate environment quickly became an important way to interpret and transform what's here and now, direcetly in front of me and often standing in the way. Elementary school and later still in high school, there were new challenges and I'd find myself looking out the window with what must have seemed like a vacant stare to my teachers, masking my boredom with increasing regularity during the school day. At times imagining myself seeing things beyond the available horizon yet somehow comforted knowing that what I was seeing was dynamic, vibrant and capable of keeping me sane. Long wind up, I know...

I returned to the recently remodeled East High School on Northampton Street Sunday afternoon. (See - School House Project, for additional background.) This is what I saw.

click image to enlarge

This is the corresponding view from the porch, next to the open window at 773 Northampton, looking across the street towards the recently remodeled East High School.

Imagine, just for a moment, looking out your classroom window and seeing this. The disappointment and diminishing set of expectations internalized by students here, must be - has to be - profound. A parallel somewhere between the lives we lead and the fragmented spaces we see is working and shaping our minds. The metaphor of the soul - in harmony and discord - with the city, developed by poets thousands of years ago must ring true still today as school children absorb the abandonment and vacancy they see through their windows developing and taking hold in their own lives.

Part of the reason why I started blogging was to actively participate in changing the way my neighborhood looks, the way it is. You know the drill, abandoned, boarded, derelict places...so not good for our physical and probably psychic health, too. That's why I'm working to document, show and change things over here in my little corner of Cold Springs in Masten. Which of course brings us to Tuesday's election.

Word is that Eliot Spitzer will probably be New York State's next governor elect sometime Tuesday evening. Met him a couple times over at Canisius College last year. Seems like a smart guy. Yet never had the opportunity to ask him about MBBA and his take on places like this - 773 Northampton (just learned that 813 Northampton, same block is held hostage by MBBA, too - it's boarded and secure) and the lives of students leaving Buffalo.

Anyone know what Eliot's plans to do with MBBA? I'm sure a few students at East High School, as they imagine thier own lives and think about staying or leaving Buffalo, are wondering - in their own way, too.

________________

All about MBBA - 1500 Buffalo, NY Properties held hostage by MBBA - Searchable Website.

Saying Goodbye?

3 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 4:16 AM.

Went back today on bike tour with fixBuffalo readers and took another look at some of my favorite spots on East Utica. I first started posting about East Utica in April after walking the street from Michigan to Humboldt Parkway in late March. fixBuffalo readers may remember this post from April and the follow up with a flickr slideshow. David Steele, BuffaloRising contributor and Chicago based architect wrote a compelling piece about 194 East Utica after seeing my first pix and swapping countless e-mails. Why is this House Doomed? - contains a short slide show you won't want to miss with music, well just listen for yourself. Comments, too.

Today, with a re-awakened interest in the architectural detail that houses on East Utica and the surrounding area present, we stopped for a few minutes and admired 194. You'll quickly notice that the curved ornamental glass window has been swiped. Here's what it looked like in April, right here. The rear door had been forced open, here allowing all sorts of additional detail from this amazing place to disappear into the broad day light.

The City of Buffalo is still the owner of record here at 194 East Utica [google map]. If you are interested in making this place your home I'll do everything I possibly can to help you navigate the maze of shaking 194 from the City's hands and placing it in yours. If you plan to live here, I'll help you make the case with the City to get this house into your hands for $1 - let me know. Tours of 194 and the neighborhood, on request.

flickr slideshow - 194 East Utica, April 2006. See also 557 East Utica, between Celtic Place and Humboldt Parkway.

Suburban - Sycamore Street

2 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/05/2006 at 10:23 PM.

Along Sycamore Street, a few blocks from downtown, I felt like I was lost in suburbia poking around this neighborhood. Lots of suv's, a few pools and more than a few lots laced with plastic fences.

This house is like so representative of Buffalo's rapidly emerging "vinyl vernacular." It's what happens when builders turn their backs to street life and client's have forgotten what makes a neighborhood successful. Look around your own neighborhood in the next few days. If anyone can find me a corner house, built before 1950 here in Buffalo that lacks fenestration, like this one and sits on a corner lot like this - you get a free pizza from me at Buffalo's only brick oven pizzeria, right across from Artspace at the Delta Sonic Café. Try and find one, send the pic and eat some awesome pizza. Wager stays open for next 72 hours.

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. Mcguire: Plastics.

See My Vinyl Collection for additional inspiration.

Artspace Construction Update - November

5 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 10:15 PM.

Had a chance late Friday afternoon to check out contruction progress behind Artspace at 1219 Main Street. Here, some structural work for the new Townhouse Commons is rapidly taking shape.

HHL is doing the design work. Big fan of their spaces especially the new computer lab at Buffalo State College and the recent addition out at the Center for Inquiry in Amherst. I get a half dozen e-mails/week from people interested in renting space here at Artspace. Hope to have links to how to do this, real soon.

Interested in the surrounding area, make sure to check out City's planning document for the Artspace area - Organic Revitalization - Artspace Buffalo.

update...Monday evening.
Grabbed this shot Monday afternoon. Compare to this photo, August 2005. Sure I noticed the lower gas prices today, too.

More in Artspace Construction Updates...

BAVPA Reconstruction - End Week 18

2 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 10:01 PM.

November 5, 2006 - Day 133

The new science wing took shape this week. Work began at a very early hour on Monday morning. This is the second of three new additions to the 44 year old school building that will become the future permanent home of Performing Arts High School.

view from fixBuffalo roof!

This new science addition, that looks like an erector set project with a yellow extension ladder sticking out of the roof, is also depicted in the banner sketch, above on the right hand side. That's the Ferry Street view looking south. The larger art addition, way on the right is next.

See BAVPA Reconstruction Archive for additional details and updates.

Imagine...

5 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 12:20 AM.

Just behind Artspace, in Masten's Cold Springs neighborhood, [quikmap] is an area full of interesting and unusual live/work space opportunities. I've recently introduced a local artist to 73 Glenwood Avenue, here at the corner of Michigan. He just passed on this mixed-use building - 2 bedroom apartment upstairs, gallery/work space downstairs with an attached two bay garage and work space. He told me today that he needs something larger, yet loved the price tag - $19,900.

The two interior shots are only part of the package. The vacant lot next door comes with the deal, too. Split utilities, new boiler and it's located smack in the middle between Artspace and Performing Arts HS. Subway is a block away at Utica Station. Excellent south facing back side for solar application and roof top garden! Way cool tin ceiling here, just waiting to be exposed.

click image to enlarge

Sort of non-descript, I know. Yet, imagine something like this, below over on Grote Street. I met-up with Jim, the owner of this really cool spot and as you can see he's turned his building at 51 Grote into a labor of love, right at the corner of Peter Street. After getting a tour of the building's interior with Jim recently I immediately wanted to "cut and paste" 51 Grote to an empty lot along Michigan Avenue.

click image to enlarge

Then I got thinking. Jim's place wasn't cool when he started. It's taken a few long years to turn it around. Yet imagine the possibilties of being sandwiched between two of Buffalo's coolest new projects - Artspace and Performing Arts [quikmap] for less than 20K over her at 73 Glenwood. The apartment needed some cleaning, couple windows and paint - that's all. Not bad to get started.

If you are interested in pursuing this further, let me know. Be happy to walk around the neighborhood with you and introduce you to some other really cool projects. Here's the listing for additional details. Bet this goes in the next 30 days!

28 Coe Place - Saved for Now...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/04/2006 at 11:45 PM.

Just heard from the Preservation Board that 28 Coe Place is offically off the demolition list. It was on and has been removed. I'd like to thank everyone who called and sent in letters of support. Way to go, "Friends of Coe Place." First mentioned 28 Coe Place here and recently here. Very nice collection of comments here and here about 28 Coe Place.

The high level of interest in Coe Place is really a no-brainer as the rapidly developing Artspace complex, right next door is inspiring increased confidence in the real estate market on the City's near East Side. This is good news.

While the property at 28 Coe Place is still encumbered by liens placed on the property by MBBA in a scandalizing stupid ponzi like scheme, what's needed now is for someone - anyone - to step forward to make this place their home. I'll commit a high level of energy to anyone willing to take up the task. Interested? Let me know.

Additional MBBA information - right here! MBBA in Buffalo - link to spread sheet listing 1500 properties. Coe Place Archive.

Beep...Beep...

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 6:50 PM.

The storm is over. Big clean-up, too. Saw these two resting near favorite coffee shop earlier in the week. Which was also the scene of this earlier post, just a few short weeks ago.

I'll continue to link to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy at the bottom of every post for the next few months and encourage other Buffalo based bloggers to do the same. If you know of any additional organizations that are neighborhood specific or that span the City in re-planting efforts, I'd like to know.

Urban Erosion...at work...

1 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 6:32 PM.

When I first spotted these two pieces of abandoned construction equipment on the City's east side last summer, over on Hickory Street, near William I thought something's happening. Digging, foundation work. I took a closer look and realized that mother nature's rust and "urban erosion" had rendered these two, pretty much dead. I spotted additional construction equipment in a make-shift salvage yard on six acres of land that's still for sale off Kensington.

Closer to home, over on Holland Place I've been wondering about the dozer and trailer for awhile. First noticed it parked here about 10 years ago. Finally, I stopped and asked about it earlier this week. Gary was out working on his car and asked me if I was the same guy who's always walking around the neighborhood taking pictures. I said, "Past two years." He smiled, shook my hand and told me the rig belongs to his father who still manages to get around in a wheel chair. He went on to tell me that the radiator experienced that "urban erosion" and disappeared into the night. The rig and trailer hasn't moved in thirty years.

This is not just an East side phenomenon. While exploring parts of Crowley and Chandler Street over in Riverside recently, friend and I spotted this rig, rusting away.

Probably all sorts of other pieces of heavy equipment just sort of sitting and falling apart around Buffalo. Seems like something way out place. Yet at some point these pieces belonged to someone's buisness. Probably just scrap now, too. Let me know if you spot anymore...

Vergara's Churches

2 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/03/2006 at 4:47 AM.

fixBuffalo readers are getting a dose of Vergara, here and recently here. The other day while walking my neighborhood I saw things I'd noticed but really hadn't seen in the past. I'd just gotten my hands on Vergara's How the Other Half Worships (2005) and went looking.

The church on Ferry Street is less than a block away from the new home of Performing Arts HS. I've always imagined there to be a coffee shop downstairs or some combination of live/work space for someone. I'd never seen it as a place of worship, until this week.

click image to enlarge

These two churches sit opposite one another on Masten, near Southampton. And again, I've no idea if these churches are active and really open on Sunday or even if the utilities are turned on. I'll be checking this out, soon.

This last church is on Purdy Street and is located next door to my first favorite vinyl victorian. Again, never saw it when I was photographing the vinyl or ever considered that people might still worship here. Didn't cross my mind.

This interest, inspired in part by Vergara's work, in places of worship is still an attempt to know and understand this small and struggling neighborhood that is beginning to wake-up, slowly on the City's near East side. I'm rather fortunate in all this. For the past 10 years, I've been listening to the gospel music from Antioch Baptist Church, 50' from my second floor office window. On Wednesday evenings, especially in the summer, the gospel music rehearsal for Sunday's service stops around 11pm...then there's jazz, long into the night. It's a small church, in a very unassuming one-story brick building. Wonder what goes on in some of these other spots.

About Blogging...

2 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/02/2006 at 10:54 PM.

As I blogger, I find it fascinating how people stumble upon this little blog over here in the Springs. Was comparing data with two local bloggers recently about traffic and search engine results. We agreed that traffic spikes late in the morning and again in the evening. Seems like people are just getting into work or are back at home and looking for something to do.

Today I noticed that someone stumbled upon fixBuffalo while searching "lunch buffalo" via google and ended up at McArthey's Pub. I've been there a few times and am beginning to explore the First Ward on a regular basis. About 20% of my traffic ends arrives through a google search.

We all agreed that blogging has flattened out information, made it accessible and easy to magnage. Aside from getting phone calls from local reporters, which never used to happen, still not sure about blogging's relationship to the main stream media. Wish Buffalo News writers had a blog behind their work like their colleagues do in Toronto - Toronto Star Blogs. My views are still rather agnostic. Wrote this back in February about blogging and linked to Financial Times writer Trevor Butterworth's work, right here. Excellent set of comments on the relationship between blogging, public opinion and media. Meanwhile we'll have to settle for Donn Esmonde's work via Youtube, priceless.

Wonder if they ever made it to McArthey's Pub. Make sure to visit Mazurek's when you're in the neighborhood. I visit a couple times/week. Great spot.

Smart City...this weekend

0 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 10:53 PM.

Did you know that in the United States Congress, there is a task force on Livable Communities? Is your Congressman a member? Earl Blumenauer is. He represents Portland, Oregon and the people of the 3rd district in Congress, and he founded the House Livable Communities Task Force. He travels the nation advocating for the changes he believes are needed to make our communities better places to live. Congressman Blumenauer is the keynote speaker at this week's Rail~Volution national meeting.

Joining him there is Greg LeRoy. He is founder and director of the nonprofit center, Good Jobs First. Greg says that his studies show that too many public subsidies for business are working against the goals established for them and counter to livable communities.

First mentioned Congressman Blumenauer back in June 2005, right here. Was on the phone with his office to learn more about the Post Office Accountability Act he'd authored, back when the Postal Service was contemplating a move from their location in Midtown on Main Street next to developing Artspace.

Listen to host Carol Colletta - list of additional stations/times - 3pm on Saturday and 7pm Sunday on WNED - 970 in Buffalo, NY. Past Shows are archived and the newsletter is published regularly.

Smart City is underwritten by Buffalo, NY's own Hyde Family Foundation...thanks George!

More...BuffaloCrime.org?

1 Comments Published by fix buffalo on 11/01/2006 at 5:07 AM.

Few comments and reader submissions on the recent BuffaloCrime.org post. Wasn't ment to coincide with the Buffalo News story about City residents thinking that Buffalo Police are being out-gunned. Coincidence. Just did.

The flexibility and interactivity at ChicagoCrimes.org is numbingly simple. The manner in which the data is then presented is easily understood and takes advantage the graphically sensitive google maps interface. Simple.

For example. Click into ChicagoCrimes.org and scroll down to Battery. Click and scroll down to any of the different crimes involving battery. I chose knife/cutting instrument and then clicked on the first case, HM666291. Once you drill down very quickly through those three layers you can back out and look at all the crimes in that particular zip code - 60651, and crimes that happened on that date - October 17, 2006 very interesting graph. You can further aggregate crime data by either police beat or ward. Brilliant graphical interface, too.

Couple serious eyes-on the street fixBuffalo readers sent in the same links. Thanks, again. One site for NYC and the other Baltimore, MD home of Citi-Stat. Problems with both are apparent from the beginning. First, NYC Crime data is arranged in .pdf format. So not malleable. And it's arranged at the precinct level - not the street, zip code or citizen level. No way to aggregate and sift. Baltimore Crime data, similar problems. First up you've got to agree to a disclaimer, major stumbling block. The map interface is very difficult to read and takes forever to load and re-load. Same aggregating and sifting problems as NYC. Way to complex.

Simple or complex.

Here in Buffalo if someone send me the link - is there one on-line, or let me know who to goto person is who collects this data - perhaps there's a way around a City Hall fix for the dissemination and aggregation of Buffalo Crime data. Maybe a commercial solution. I mean lawyers love to advertize, right? Politicians, perhaps?

If you live somewhere other than Chicago, Baltimore or NYC let me know how crime data is stored and shared. Would like to collect models from other places.

Connecting

3 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 5:06 AM.

Lots of late nite chats recently with Lisa Schamess - editor, writer, teacher - living in Washington, DC. Lisa's blog spans the cultural landscape and is richly linked. Her website does, too. Observer and poet of things urban, Lisa found my little neighborhood blog earlier this year and is using some of my material for a major policy paper by a national organization that focuses on Buffalo, NY. Due out in a few weeks. She keyed into something I'd written at what I consider - perhaps future observers of things Buffalo, will too - to be Buffalo's turning point, those very dark times back in early 2005 when Artspace and Performing Arts could have gone south, and didn't. Very, very intelligent decisions. Lisa quotes from a February 11, 2005 post.

Citizen blogger David Torke recently commented on the $28 million construction of the new public high school in the Masten neighborhood, the Buffalo Academy of the Visual and Performing Arts, noting, "The transformative quality of the decision to locate BAVPA here in this little corner of Masten should not be underestimated. It is the long awaited bridge between the two Buffalos…. the connection between Buffalo's East side and the already well developed arts, educational and retail neighborhoods of the West side."

Long intro, yet the reason for this post - while chatting about Vergara's work recently, Lisa mentioned the work of photgrapher William Christenberry. Here's a piece from NPR, August 3, 2006. Make sure to listen to the 8 minute interview.

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The connection back to the work of Camilo José Vergara is Christenberry's sense of timing and place. He returns annually to the same spot adding a deeper sense of meaning as the landscape is transformed. Stuff we may sense and don't see yet it resonates with me as I observe the rapidly changing "hollowing out" and shifting street scapes in my neighborhood and other parts of Buffalo's East side. While most of his work is focused on southern heritage issues and Hale County, Alabama in particular, the deeper connection to Vergara is through Christenberry's collaboration with FSA photographer Walker Evans in Of Time and Place. Stir James Agee, one of my favorite American writers, into this mix. Really, very good.

Make sure to check out Borrowed Light [amazon reviews], Lisa's first novel. I'll be making the full report Lisa is working on available here, towards the middle of the month.

Two Views from the News

5 Comments Published by fix buffalo on at 1:26 AM.

Seems like we're still slogging towards fully understanding the problems involved in dealing with Buffalo's heritage buildings. Last week the Buffalo News ran an editorial regarding various problems associated with demolition by neglect.

Three grain elevators have been lost in little more than four months, the latest on the East Side on Oct. 1. Suspected arson was the cause of a fire then that cost Buffalo its last wooden elevator, but critics rightly say it really was yet another case of demolition by neglect.

Just 40 months ago, state Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Bernadette Castro celebrated the listing of the Wollenberg Grain and Seed Elevator in the national and New York State registers of historic places. "These are unusual structures, and whenever you (find them) there is sometimes automatic controversy until you start looking at their significance," Castro told members of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission. read the rest

In Tuesday's Buffalo News, Robert Preskop offers a different opinion.

The bizarre idiocy of our local historic preservationists never ceases to amaze me. After reading the Oct. 4 Buffalo News article titled "Fire loss of historic grain elevator is called another case of city neglect," I could not believe that some of these preservationists are infuriated over the loss of the decrepit, abandoned eyesore on Goodyear Avenue known as the Wollenberg Grain and Seed Elevator.

These preservationists need to wake up and realize that the city has more important responsibilities and pressing issues than some dilapidated, hideous, wood-and-sheet-metal pile of junk that dates from 1912. read the rest

While I certainly would agree with Robert regarding his point about not being able to save everything. A serious effort at strategizing and constructing a City wide preservation plan has not been placed on the table, that I've seen or heard about in the past. Triage is important. We will diverge in what metric and how to apply various catagories - really subjective - to the program. The central complaint that many community and preservation minded people are making with regard to Wollenberg was the moth-balling. It was never done. I'll leave the significance of this building to others for comments. Yet properly securing the building would have taken a couple grand, tops. Instead we fork over $68,000 for an un-necessary demolition. Robert, an ounce of prevention...remember?

Regarding Transfiguration Church on Sycamore that Robert also mentions. I'm so passed being upset regarding how a local attorney - William Trezevant, read lovely e-mail exchange between Trezevant and moi - has conveniently avoided Judge Nowak's wrath in Buffalo City Housing Court. Saving this place would require a major Sysiphean effort that no one is prepared to undertake. There's still an outstanding Housing Court warrant out for Trezevant's mother, the presumptive head of the non-profit corporation that owns Transfiguration. My wager is that this will be another tax payer demoltion, estimated to exceed 500K. Transfiguration has from the beginning - especially during the 1993-1995 period as the Diocese was abandoning and systematically looting the property - an enforcement issue. Period.

I'm still convinced if heritage property is marketed - agressively and creatively on a regional, national and international level (Toronto) - very good things are in store, especially for portions of forgotten Buffalo, the City's east side.

Robert, two words - Granite Works.

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