fixBuffalo

8/21/2006

Offermann Stadium - 1956

I snagged this photo copy of a b&w print from the Historical Society ten years ago. It's been on my office bulletin board and above my desk for the last nine years. I believe the picture is from 1956.

click image for additional details

There are times - like tonite, I just returned from a 45 minute walk around the neighborhood - when all I see are the ghosts of how this neighborhood used to be. The hollowing out of my little corner of Masten has reached epidemic proportions. A quick look at the block of Woodlawn Avenue along the right field wall clearly shows twenty-five homes. Today there are only fourteen. Five are occupied. And 18 of the 21 sets of row houses have vanished...

The City owned and now abandoned 'Woodlawn Row Houses' appear with a white roof towards the bottom right. Check out the spectacular sets of row houses just across the street and behind the Offermann score board. Here's a little history about the site...

In addition to the row houses, two professional baseball stadiums were located here. In the Fall of 1888 Olympic Park was moved by horse and wagon from the corner of Richmond Avenue and Summer Street and became the home of the Buffalo Bisons until Offermann Stadium was constructed on the site in 1924. Offermann Stadium's grand stands were designed by noted Buffalo architect Louise Bethune. The last game was played on September 17, 1960. Offermann Stadium was demolished later that year and Woodlawn Jr. High School opened on the same site in 1962. Today (summer 2006) the site is being renovated again, this time as the future home of Performing Arts High School.

More about Frank Offermann and Buffalo Bison's best hitter and first baseman, Luke Easter...real soon...

See also - Baseball in Buffalo...

update...8/22/06 See aslo David Steele's BRO piece - A NIMBY's Worst Nightmare - reflections on Offermann Stadium and the high density mixed use development here in this little corner of Masten. Great comments.

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

Yamasaki's Buffalo

Before heading over to see Oliver Stone's movie, World Trade Center yesterday afternoon, I spent a few moments walking around the M & T Center (technically it's still the East Side...) on Main Street in downtown Buffalo. One of my former students had tipped me off to Buffalo's connection to the WTC back in 2001. Both were designed by Minoru Yamasaki (1912 -1986).

The only other Minoru Yamasaki creation that has been destroyed - which was a good thing - were the Pruitt-Igoe Housing Projects in St. Louis, back in 1972.

Here's a link to Buffalo's tall buildings, including the M & T Center, comparing their relative height, dates and other useful data.

8/20/2006

'Lyth Cottage' - on the urban prairie

This little house on the urban prairie is architecturally and historically one of the most significant structures in the Hamlin Park Preservation District and remains the only other residential structure in Hamlin Park that incorporates architectural elements that were manufactured just around the corner at the J. Lyth & Sons Tile Company.

16 Harwood Place --------- ---------- 183 Northland Avenue

We can now call this little house - Lyth Cottage as it's located directly behind the main house at 183 Northland Avenue which was built by Alfred Lyth in 1872. According to a 1941 Courier Express article, "Harwood Place Memorial," we learn,

In the old days, the Lyth home [183 Northland Avenue] was considered suburban. The large house was surrounded by extensive lawns, gardens and orchards.

The Lyth family, according to the same article, built two houses on Harwood Place and 16 Harwood was one of them. Here's the map detailing the proximity of 183 Northland Avenue and 16 Harwood Place.

Was Buffalo really home to the country's first tile company? When John Lyth arrived in Buffalo in 1850 with his wife, the former Mary Ann Harwood, he brought the terra cotta tile technology and know how that he'd developed in England with his brother, Francis Lyth. By 1857 John had acquired the tract of land just south of present day Northland Avenue between Purdy and Jefferson. Here's the 1881 map showing the location of his operations one block away from the current site of Canisius College's Kessler Center. Harwood Place, named after John's wife, was once a driveway into the Lyth estate and by 1894, 16 Harwood Place as the pink square on this 1894 map clearly shows, was built. In 1886, the land was deeded to the City and Harwood Place became a City street. And from the same Courier Express article we learn that the extensive stables between the Lyth House and Cottage were home to the horses used to haul the finished tile products to Buffalo's canal boats and trains.

This is the view of the J. Lyth & Sons Tile Company from an 1873 company catalog.

Various pictures of the same 1873 catalog clearly show the array of terra cotta and tile products produced at what various newspaper accounts reveal is the country's first tile factory. And business was booming after 1871. The Chicago Fire show cased the need for fire-proof building materials that Lyth & Sons delivered. In addition to these industrial products Lyth & Sons manufactured a wide range of ornamental brick and terra cotta tile products that were widley available and adorn many late 19th century homes here in Buffalo, NY including the Lyth House at 183 Northland Avenue.

click image to enlarge

As I walked the Hamlin Park neighborhood recently, I noticed a few other brick single family homes. They appear to have been built much later and lack the specific architectural detail that make Lyth House and Lyth Cottage so significant. A few of them have terra cotta tile roofs and are located next to Humboldt Parkway, at the opposite end of Hamlin Park from the former Lyth Estate.

click image to enlarge

Fortunately, Harwood Place lies within the boundary of the City's largest historic district, Hamlin Park. Any new construction - even a new McChurch - that might be considered for Harwood Place, is subject to Preservation Board approval.

Unfortunately, the City of Buffalo has been the owner of 16 Harwood Place since 1997. You wouldn't know it by driving by as there is no 'for-sale' sign nailed to the boards. Remember the City also owns this other historic place nearby. It's why I started blogging...

Soon...more about the extraordinary life of John's oldest son, Alfred L. Lyth (1843 - 1924), some problems involved in understanding his legacy and the first residents of 16 Harwood Place.

update...8/23/06 Lyth Cottage...Inside

East Side Views...

Cool...from the roof of the Buffalo Museum of Science via Deeva at the716.com. Nearby, at MLK Park, we'll be having lunch before peddling by some of these churches on Buffalo's East Side during the third and last leg of the Tour dé Neglect, September 2nd.

Churches Skyline

To learn more about Buffalo's parish history the book to get is: Buffalo's Catholic Churches: Ethnic Communities and Architectural Legacy (2003) by Dr. Martin Ederer who teaches history at Buffalo State College. He rings the bells at St. Ann's on Broadway, too.

One of my favorite roof top shots, is here & here - from 669 Genesee Street. I remember visiting the place last summer and getting lost counting the number of steeples...

'Lyth Cottage'...on the urban prairie...

16 Harwood Place --------- ---------- 183 Northland Avenue

In the old days, the Lyth home [183 Northland Avenue] was considered suburban. The large house was surrounded by extensive lawns, gardens and orchards.

The Lyth family, according to the same article, built two houses on Harwood Place and 16 Harwood was one of them. Here's the map detailing the proximity of 183 Northland Avenue and 16 Harwood Place.Was Buffalo really home to the country's first tile company?

When John Lyth arrived in Buffalo in 1850 with his wife, the former Mary Ann Harwood, he brought the terra cotta tile technology and know how that he'd developed in England with his brother, Francis Lyth. By 1857 John had acquired the tract of land just south of present day Northland Avenue between Purdy and Jefferson. Here's the 1881 map showing the location of his operations one block away from the current site of Canisus College's Kessler Center. Harwood Place, named after John's wife, was once a driveway into the Lyth estate and by 1894, 16 Harwood Place as the pink square on this 1894 map clearly shows, was built. In 1886, the land was deeded to the City and Harwood Place became a City street. And from the same Courier Express article we learn that the extensive stables between the Lyth House and Cottage were home to the horses used to haul the finished tile products to Buffalo's canal boats and trains.

This is the view of the J. Lyth & Sons Tile Company from an 1873 company catalog

click image to enlarge

Unfortunately, the City of Buffalo has been the owner of 16 Harwood Place since 1997. You wouldn't know it by driving by as there is no 'for-sale' sign nailed to the boards. Remember the City also owns this other historic place nearby. It's why I started blogging...

Soon...more about the extraordinary life of John's oldest son, Alfred L. Lyth (1843 - 1924), some problems involved in understanding his legacy and the first residents of 16 Harwood Place.

update...8/23/06 Lyth Cottage...Inside

8/19/2006

Writely is now open...

One of my favorite web 2.0 tools is now fully up and open to new subscribers. Check out Writely, today. It's another amazing product from the good folks at google. It's an online word processor and cool collaborative tool. I was able to make the full-text of Chris Hawley's Midtown plan available using Writely - which is way worth checking out.

Midtown: Posised for Renaissance

I frequently post Partner's for a Liveable WNY newsletters and archive Buffalo News articles using Writely, too. Excellent tool...here's the announcement from Jen at the Writely blog...

This week, we have finished inviting everyone who's been patiently on the waiting list, and have reopened registration to the public. If you haven't already, now is the time to sign up for the Writely beta!

Why have we reopened now? Maybe it was because we just won a very nice product review on CNET ... or maybe it was that ten-billionth person who emailed us to say, "Hey what's UP? When will Writely open again?" Well, in fact, now Writely is truly ready to open its doors to everyone, so let's just do it!

8/17/2006

Little House on the Urban Prairie - Part II

Remember this little house on the urban prairie at 16 Harwood Place? I dusted off a few files at the Central Library and have clearly identified the architectural detail here at 16 Harwood Place as having been manufactured by the country's first industrial tile factory located - a stone's throw away - here on the City's near East side from 1857 to 1922.

Here's a close up from the 1873 company catalog on the left and the detail found at 16 Harwood Place today.

click image to enlarge

More about the three generations of the Lyth family business, saving 16 Harwood Place and two sets of detached masonry row houses near this Eastside neighborhood.

Could 16 Harwood Place be the only brick or masonry residential structure in Buffalo's largest Historic District, Hamlin Park?

Beirut 'n Buffalo

I've heard many people - at Elmwood Avenue cafes, suburban refugees and recently some Buffalo ex-pats now gainfully employed and loving life in Charlotte - describe Buffalo's East Side in terms reminiscent of bombed out Beirut, a world away in Lebanon. I've heard Postal Service employees refer to everything East of the Linwood Avenue line as "Beirut"...

So, here's a suggestion - thinking out loud now - why not contract with Hezbollah to rebuild the hollowed out portions of Buffalo's East Side? You know the urban prairie and 1000's of burned out, abandoned and vacant places that make the City's East Side a no-go zone for most of Buffalo. Infact the New York Times, yesterday, had a piece about the efficacy of Hezbollah's capacity to meet the needs of the Lebanese population. I also heard a real pundit, on talk radio today, suggest that Hezbollah should replace FEMA as the first responder to places like Katrina ravaged New Orleans...

If Hezbollah can rebuild Beirut, think of what they might do for Buffalo...

8/16/2006

High Price of Red Tape...

They City took possession of this house at 125 Woodlawn Avenue last October. Sure it could be fixed and the owner, well he booked South a few years ago. Rather than pursuing the owner for the demolition, the City has contracted with an asbestos removal company (on East Delevan Avenue, yeah right...) for $8600 to remove some siding! This, of course doesn't include the price of the actual demo. I'll make sure to take pics of the remediation at 125 Woodlawn Avenue.

click image to enlarge

Had this property been properly secured last fall, the copper plumbing and 5 year old heating system and new vinyl replacement windows wouldn't have grown legs and walked away. Why is the City taking over these sorts of properties and not pursuing the owner for the demolition cost. There's a really stupid pattern going on here where the City takes over a property liabilty and compounds the problem by spending tax dollars to remedy the problem. Doesn't the City have a Law Department that could pursue a few derelict property owners. Does the City of Buffalo need new laws to pursue old debts?

Sure, taxes should be paid. Yet in hundreds, perhaps 1000's, of situations like this here on the City's East Side, where the most the City could collect off a property such as this in a good tax year is $600-700, why are we spending 25x this amount (asbestos removal plus 10-12K in demolition costs) rather than pursuing these owners using existing means?

Last time I checked - last month - Hamilton and Lydia Woods of Redwood City, CA still haven't received a bill from the City of Buffalo for the demolition of 242 Koons Avenue - February 2005. City of Buffalo residents paid a demolition contractor $7800 for an emergency demolition at that address. How far would you go to collect? Most business owners I know would have filed a judgement long ago.

Kaminski Park

I checked out Buffalo's newest urban park yesterday afternoon. You'll remember Waldemar Kaminski and the millions he donated to Roswell Park. Well, there's a two-acre park here that's named after him on the City's near East Side. While walking through Kaminski Park I unexpectedly met-up with Chris Byrd, the guy behind the scene at Buffalo's other blog devoted to East Side events and issues, Broadway Fillmore Alive. Chris is also the pulse behind the Performing Arts High School PTO/alumni organization. He grew up around the corner from Kaminski's and recounted how the store was an everyday stop for people living in the neighborhood.

Waldemar Kaminski (1917 - 2006)

click image to enlarge

The park is filled with wooden benches, a walking path and it's the sort of place where every tree and planting is carefully placed in memory of a loved one. Check it out during lunch and take your time to check out the surrounding area. I did that with über planner Stevan Stipanovich in March - Walking with Stip and in January near Allen Street - Connecting Both Halves.

Here's the statement from Roswell Park that appeared shortly after Mr. Kaminski died. Debbie Schussel, one of my daily reads - you'll only want to read her if you consider yourself open minded and tolerant - blogged about Waldemar Kaminski, too - An Unsung American. Buffalo's own BRO had a short piece last week about the Wellness Block Party in Kaminski Park, right here.

Make sure to check out Chris Byrd's first time at Kaminski Park.

8/15/2006

Byron TV

Cool new sign at Artspace. Buffalo's Mayor Byron Brown did his thing for the HGTV cameras last week and Mark Sommer from the Buffalo News covered the story, right here. The HGTV RestoreAmeric a site is worth checking out for preservation related events and issues. Cool videos...it's where Byron's video will be preserved for posterity!

I heard Buffalo's own Susan Hunt may have had something to do with this promotional event. Don't you think Byron looks as comfortable behind the camera in the Buffalo News pic as he did promoting a summer reading program last year. Remember?

St. Vincent's...again...

On the way to the post office - on Ellicott Street, as the 14209 PO at Main and Northampton is closing operations - this morning I checked out St. Vincent's again. Looks like at some point in the past 10 days another large chunk of the structure supporting the soffit gave way and collapsed. The portion of the structure on the far right, at the north end of the building, collapsed three weeks ago which promted the City to erect the sidewalk barricade made out of plastic tape, which of course is now long gone...

Three weeks ago I posted - St. Vincent's...Falling Dow n - which was picked up by BRO writer and Chicago based architect, David Steele. He wrote - This Building Must be Saved - the next day. Make sure to check out the 50 plus comments over there.

At the current rate, St. Vincent's will collapse sooner than I expected. And so it goes...

8/05/2006

Hiatus...

I'll return in ten days or so. Nothing 'till then.

Meanwhile, think about what we can do about this totally awesome place? Any ideas?

BAVPA Reconstruction - End Week 6

August 5, 2006 - Day 41

This week a secure construction fence was installed site securing the site. Only works, I guess if the gates are secured - on Saturday afternoon no one was at the site and the gates were wide open. Additional work on the foundation and the emergence of the foundation work for the new performance wing - on the Ferry Street side - is taking shape. This addition is pictured in the above template pic and shows up as the darker brick following the roof lines of the existing auditorium. In this same template pic the new art wing is depicted on the far right and the science wing, towards the left, has the new second floor windows.

click image to enlarge

See BAVPA Reconstruction Archive for additional details and updates.

Important - Emergency Relocation?

I received the following post card in the mail this week. And this afternoon - before jetting off - I handed my hold mail card to Marvin for the last time. When I return home, I will have to pick up my mail at Ellicott Station. Some retail mail services will still be available here, but commercial services, package pick-up and business services like certified mail you gotta go downtown beginning Monday.

click image to enlarge

Last week I wrote about the Main Street PO moving...right here! Lots of good links there to the community discussion last year when I was tipped off to another PO relocation effort from 14209. Some detailed links to community meeting minutes and additional links to postal service regulations that suggest PO's are immune to local zoning. Lovely pics of Buffalo's newest 'suburban' post office buildings, too.

Last week station manager Marvin Randolph gave me a tour of the facilities at Northampton and Main. The cavernous parking area in the basement is rather unusual for Buffalo as there is room for the entire fleet of postal vehicles here. We felt some vibration - from the construction work happening right next door at Artspace. I've learned that Coe Place residents feel this, too. Marvin pointed out two spots on the ceiling where some surface plaster fell away from the concrete structure. I walked away thinking that this superficial stuff is totally the sort of thing neighbors to a multi-million dollar construction project might expect and have to deal with as good neighbors. Marvin had the air tested a few weeks back, too. Totally negative on the dust and any thing blowing around.

I'm certainly not a structural engineer...yet an Emergency Relocation....please. Seems like something else going on. I mean just when the neighborhood is beginning to really happen, the post office picks up and moves. Totally stealth. I believe it is was the only example of a unique urban post office that occupied an existing building here in Buffalo. Mark Pagano, the owner of the building, hasn't been informed of any move when I spoke to him last week.

Don't worry about Marvin. When I handed him my 'hold-mail' card this afternoon he assured me that he still had a job. He just didn't know where...

__________________________________________________________________________

Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq