fixBuffalo

3/25/2007

What if...

...this chaos was located closer to Elmwood Avenue?

This is forgotten Buffalo, the Buffalo you see if you venture to the Galleria via Walden Avenue. Or, if you're a kid, it's halfway - five blocks away - between MLK Park and one of the City's newest schools, Harvey Austin School. Here's the map.

Did a LexisNexis search and found a few sentences in the Buffalo News from November 6, 2006.

HEADLINE: Warehouse burns: Four-alarm blaze GRAPHIC: Derek Gee/Buffalo News Fire-ravaged: A four-alarm blaze Saturday night extensively damaged the Bandag Tire warehouse on Walden Avenue between Roetzer Street and Wasmuth Avenue. Officials reported that one firefighter was treated for injuries in Erie County Medical Center. The cause is undetermined.

So for the past 139 days this place has been wide open [see slideshow]. According to City records, Empowerment Temple is the current owner of this structure at 202 Walden Avenue. In the past five years it appears to have been purchased at the City's tax sale for 7K in 2002 and later purchased by its current owner in 2004 for $1000.00....And according to Housing Court records - index #1676/2005 - it's been in front of Judge Nowak 19 times since the Fall of 2005.

This is about as bad as it gets here in Buffalo, NY. Can't really imagine things any worse. Even if you don't live in the City's Fillmore District, please call David Franczyk's office tomorrow and express your concern. Bob Sienkiewicz is David's chief of staff and can be reached at 851-4138.

Here's the slideshow...two and half miles from Elmwood...a world away!

Oh, and in case you are wondering - Tale of Two Cities - is a multipart series describing how we don't deal with fire damaged and burned out structures in the City, comparing the more prosperous areas of Buffalo and the poorer parts. Rather sad when you consider Walden Avenue is like a major street in "our" City. So, imagine the outrage if a more familiar two story structure burned on Elmwood - say where Louie's is located or the Lexington Coop.

This is day 139. Those buildings on Elmwood Avenue would have been demolished in 13.9 hours. I'll be checking on this property later this week, to see if there's any progress.

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Dodge Street Video...

Just in from Toronto...thanks Sean!

Make sure to check out DK PhotoGroup . For additional information about the German Roman Catholic Orphan Home visit the archive - right here. And by popular demand it's also a stop on this summer's Tour d'Neglect...

3/24/2007

Tour d'Neglect - Summer 2007

Tour d'Neglect - 2007 is now officially scheduled and sponsored for 2007! Meet-up and return at the Sonic Café. Tour is about 3.5 hours and winds through 8 miles of the City's East side. Tour d'Neglect is offered through Buffalo Tours and co-sponsored by the Landmark Society and the Preservation Coalition. Due to popular demand, I've added a 4th stage this year. Here the dates...

Sunday June 17 • Saturday July 28 • Saturday August 18 • Sunday September 9

Here's the map...

We'll be crossing this on the way back and slowly winding our way through the Fruit Belt, up Ellicott and back to the Sonic Café. The narrative - despite the neglect and decay - is one of opportunity and hope. No registration required, just show up the day of the tour. We'll be leaving promptly at noon. Bring a lunch, plenty of water and make certain that your bicycle is in good working order.

Seeing the City by bike, especially parts that are slightly off the radar like these, is really an amazing adventure!

Sub-Standard?

Buffalo Rising recently reported on Rocco Termini, Any Building Can Be Restored...

Rocco Termini does not give up. He will do whatever it takes to see through one of his development projects downtown - last week, he nearly got arrested.

While I certainly trust that the issues surrounding the very unfortunate death of 24 year old construction worker Jonathan Fundalinski at the Webb Building earlier this week will be fully investigated and any and all responsible parties will be held accountable, I had a chat this afternoon with someone who's finger is on the pulse of housing issues here in Buffalo, NY.

update 3/25/07...Rocco's day in Housing Court - index# 908/2006

He reminded me that Rocco Termini has been embroiled in controversy a world away from "new Buffalo" and his recent loft(y) projects. Last June Rocco was front and center in a Buffalo News article. It focused on various issues involving predatory lending in sub-prime mortgage land.

Given their income and poor credit, however, the Wilsons were repeatedly turned down for a traditional bank mortgage. Besides the car loan, they had credit card debt and medical bills for Wilson, who was disabled in a 1997 work accident. So they turned to their builder, Rocco Termini of Burke Brothers Construction. He suggested National City Mortgage, a broker that finds lenders for clients. National City, a Cleveland bank's subsidiary that had an office on Main Street in Amherst, contacted Fremont Investment & Loan of California. And Fremont, a mortgage company that lends to people with bad credit, loaned the Wilsons $78,600 in October 2001, with a $500 down payment. [read the rest]

I'll make it a point to stop in and see the Wilsons this week. According to City records they live a few blocks away in a house the Rocco built.

'Early Rocco'

Back in the Fall of 2005 while coordinating the 2006 Tour d'Neglect...I noticed this place on Emslie Street near Clinton. Upon further investigation I learned that this building - that I've come to know as 'Georgia Ghetto' - was one of Rocco's first projects in Buffalo, NY.

There are four of these buildings in this development that were originally built for veterans. I know, a whole world away from 'new Buffalo'...

update...just noticed this...make sure to see Newell's slideshow - Inside the Webb Building - from February 1, 2007.

3/23/2007

BAVPA Reconstruction - Week 38

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March 20, 2007 - Day 271

I've been balancing a few new projects recently and haven't been posting the regular weekly construction updates, I know. Sorry. Here a few from earlier this week. I understand the Performing Arts HS Principal, Kevin Kazmierczak is leading weekly interior tours. If you are interested in tagging along, please call the school for additional information - 816.3868

Cool view along Ferry Street...

And the edge of the new Art addition on Woodlawn...

click image to enlarge

See BAVPA Reconstruction Archive for additional details and updates.

3/22/2007

Summer Time Tours...

First week of Spring and already thinking of summer tours.

Good news about my Artspace Backyard Neighborhood tour...Saturdays at 11am. Buffalo Tours - co-sponsored by the Landmark Society and the Preservation Coalition - is picking up my tour and getting the word out to a larger audience about this amazing area of Midtown. More about their complete set of tour offerings for your summer schedule in a few weeks. I'll still be leading this Saturday morning event and pointing out some of the coolest homesteading opportunities on the City's near East side.

And back by popular demand - Tour d'Neglect 2007...details, dates and map sometime this weekend. If you missed it last year, these places don't last forever as you'll remember one of last summer's tour stops, the Wollenberg Grain Elevator burned down last October. It was the last remaining wooden grain elevator in the City of Buffalo...part of this summer's Tour d'Neglect will include a discussion of repurposing some of these buildings and making them once again part of vibrant City life.

In case you missed it - some highlights from 2006...

3/21/2007

Queen City Farm Visit...

Great meet-up on East Utica this afternoon...

Rod McCallum from Queen City Farm, is talking here with a number of people interested in getting this project off the ground.

Make sure to read a related post from Chicago based architect and Buffalo Rising contributor David Steele about the urban prairie. Great series of comments about land-use in our shrinking City.

First started writing about the place at 194 East Utica last April - right here...and 11 months later we're stitching together a plan. Really amazing! Connect with Rod to discuss how you might be able to contribute resources on a personal and/or professional basis.

Queen City Farm 187 West Utica Street Buffalo, New York 14222
c: 716-207-9327 p: 716-891-7912 f: 716-895-2058 rod@queencityfarm.org

People's Republic 411

Search engine from the New York State Board of Elections - right here!

Following the money trail couldn't be any easier. From Governor to Village Trustee and all the PACS, too. This on-line data base is so easy to use. Easier than sending email...

Lots of surprises here, I'm sure!

3/18/2007

Robert Moses Reconsidered

Robert Moses (1888 -1981) has been loved and vilified. Read this piece in the Wall Street Journal earlier in the week - The Man Who Remade New York - by Ada Louise Huxtable.

Right now there are three retrospective shows in New York about Robert Moses and his legacy. One of my all time favorite museums - The Museum of the City of New York is hosting Robert Moses and the Modern City. Columbia University's Wallach Art Gallery has Slum Clearance and Superblock Solution and the Queens Museum of Art has The Road to Recreation.

I spent some time this weekend comparing the parkway at Elmwood and Bidwell to the 33's obliteration of the Parade when we visited the Orphan Home down on Dodge Street. Wonder what Jane Jacobs (1916 - 2006) would have to say about the sort of revisionism and reconsideration of Robert Moses. Yikes...

Weekend Tour...

Never know who's going to show up for tours these days. Sunday afternoon included a bi-national group of intrepid explorers. And while we enjoyed a few cold hours down on Dodge Street - here - you can see that we were pretty much shut out of Transfiguration Church. Judging by the color of the boards and killer number of nails that were used City crews were dispatched recently to shut down front door access to this decaying structure.

Yet, we found a way...slide shows to follow as they trickle into my email...and yes we did manage to find our way into this famous East side landmark, too! The door was open...

Updates...Ed's slideshow • Derrick's slideshow (added 1130pm)

Update 3/23/07...like totally forgot to include the716's post about the afternoon's activities - thanks!

Guide to Buffalo Architecture...

If you haven't been checking out Chuck LaChiusa's über cool site - Buffalo as an Architectural Museum - you should. It's an ever expanding resource base to help you know and understand Buffalo's built environment.

Just got this week's update which includes the new Center for Excellence!

I'm working with Chuck to bring the full text of James Napora's Houses of Worship: A Guide to the Religious Architecture of Buffalo, New York to the on-line community. If you are interested in the history of any of Buffalo's church buildings, you'll find the answers here...we'll be completing the project in the next few weeks.

3/17/2007

Saturday Tour Update...

A few emails from fixBuffalo readers about Saturday morning tours. Yes...every Saturday morning, meet-up at 11am...here the details for the Artspace Backyard neighborhood tour.

A few slide shows from recent Saturdays - February 25, 2007 • March 3, 2007 • March 11, 2007

Come on over and see some amazing architecture and very unique urban homesteading opportunities...

3/16/2007

Another $1 Opportunity

Here's one more...

The City of Buffalo picked this up at last year's tax sale. 109 Woodlawn - an architecturally sort of non-descript 3/3 double - is directly across the street from the new home of Performing Arts HS and adjacent to this house that sold this past summer - 111 Woodlawn Avenue in less than one month!

While checking on this property and other City owned places on my block, I noticed that 109 was wide open. Before reboarding the back door, I quickly checked out the inside...interior slide show to follow. The house appears to be in structurally sound condition, newer roof and glass-block windows all around the basement.

If you are interested in this homesteading opportunity and purchasing this City owned property, let me know.

3/14/2007

Buffalo's Pain

Today's New York Times shines the national spot light on our "shrinking city" rather clearly...

BUFFALO, March 13 — For a city that has lost so much unwillingly over the last several decades — industries, prestige, jobs and more than half its population — perhaps it was inevitable that a decision to allow anything of great value to leave here willingly would be met with howls of protest.
In this case the wealth is cultural, a collection of antiquities and medieval and Renaissance art that has been given to, or bought by, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery here since its founding in 1862 and that, beginning next week [read the rest...]

If the City's most loved and respected cultural institution is selling off a portion of its collection to stay afloat...yikes, isn't that just another sign - added to the growing list - that our City is "shrinking." Even if the AKAG had handled the pr side of things a bit better, it's still a wake up call folks. We're not growing...Buffalo be shrinking.

Last week, I attended the public hearing in Common Council chambers chaired by Council President David Franczyk. Never seen so many people in Council Chambers and this time discussing "deaccession"...

Wonder if David Franzcyk should be encouraged to hold a public hearing about the condition of Transfiguration Church - right around the corner from his house on Fillmore Avenue. It's a place where the art - albeit religious art like this Joseph Mazur mural - is literally falling off the wall. Then again, no one would show up...

- C'est la vie...

Shrinking Cities - Interviews...

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On Smart City last weekend, host Carol Colletta interviewed...

Thorsten Wiechmann has studied decline in Dresden, Germany, Cristina Martinez-Fernandez's research is focused on shrinking cities in Australia, and Emmanuèle Sabot compares cities in the United Kingdom and France.

Here's a link to the audio file and recent interviews. All three were participants at the Shrinking Cities Conclave that was held in Berkeley on February 8-9, 2007 at the University of California. Here's the conference website. Abstracts of these three conference participants - right here.

Oh, and if you haven't listened to Jay Williams - 36 year old and first black Mayor of Youngstown OH was a guest on Smart City a few weeks ago. Here's that link and audio file - Learning from Youngstown!