This is where the other half worships.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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6/01/2014
Photo of the Day: 84
Broadway Avenue and Krettner Street (google map).
This is where the other half worships.
This is where the other half worships.
5/31/2014
City of Buffalo: For Sale - Week 3
725 Humboldt Parkway has been city-owned since 1957. According to BringingBackBuffalo the Second United Presbyterian Church sold the building for a staggering $120,000 to the City of Buffalo. Today, according to the same source, $760k of funding is currently being sought for environmental clean-up and restoration as a possible condition of a future sale. $500K of those funds were secured in municipal bonds.
Inflation adjusted that 1957 sale exceeds 1M today. This is rather interesting sum as planning for the Kensington Expressway, 20' from the church's front door, was well underway. Does anyone know where that congregation moved? Was this sale part of a larger pattern where the City provided relief to property owners along the Kensington Expressway's planned route?
This is one of six city-owned commercial properties the City of Buffalo currently has listed for sale. Here's the official listing. Because this property is located in the Hamlin Park Historic District, a potential renovation project is eligible for Historic Tax Credits.
If you are interested in taking a closer look at 725 Humboldt Parkway please contact the City of Buffalo Division of Real Estate.
Related posts:
Inflation adjusted that 1957 sale exceeds 1M today. This is rather interesting sum as planning for the Kensington Expressway, 20' from the church's front door, was well underway. Does anyone know where that congregation moved? Was this sale part of a larger pattern where the City provided relief to property owners along the Kensington Expressway's planned route?
This is one of six city-owned commercial properties the City of Buffalo currently has listed for sale. Here's the official listing. Because this property is located in the Hamlin Park Historic District, a potential renovation project is eligible for Historic Tax Credits.
If you are interested in taking a closer look at 725 Humboldt Parkway please contact the City of Buffalo Division of Real Estate.
Related posts:
- City for sale: week 1, week 2
- Fixing the Kensington (part 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Photo of the Day: 83
Northampton Street and Kehr Street (google map).
The urban prairie grows one parcel at a time.
The urban prairie grows one parcel at a time.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/30/2014
Photo of the Day: 82
Fillmore Avenue and Girard Place (google map).
Fillmore Avenue streetscape improvements are almost complete.
Fillmore Avenue streetscape improvements are almost complete.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/29/2014
Photo of the Day: 81
Person Street and Schlenker Street (google map).
People used to live here.
People used to live here.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/28/2014
My weekly fix - week #2
Another dose of urbanity...
Exactly what the City of Detroit is doing with abandoned houses and "blight" is the subject of a feature length article in today's New York Times. Detroit Urged to Tear Down 40,000 buildings has an interactive map showing the extent of the problem and is based on a house-to-house and block-by-block survey. This is the sort of intelligent planning that needs to be accomplished in other cities including Buffalo.
Speaking of mapping, this amazing site is starting to get some traction in the Queen City. Why Don't we Own This - Buffalo is based on the technology used in Detroit for some of the intelligent social networking and mapping that's informed that city's inrem tax foreclosure and property auctions. It's a service provided by Loveland Technologies.
via Copenhaganize there's a new graphic depicting how we can visualize street improvements and in turn make them bicycle and pedestrian friendly. The post includes a link to Mikael Colville-Anderson's Tedx Zurich talk on traffic safety and Bicycle culture, here. It's riveting, especially if you have two wheels.
Alexander Remnev has taken selfies from the tippy-top of some of the world's tallest buildings. Boston.com has the scoop about his recent vacation venture in Dubai. Simply jaw dropping vistas.
Artfarms is set to open its first installation at the MichiganRiley Urban Farm. The public sculptural work of local artist Michael Beitz will be unveiled this Saturday between 1-5pm. Brooklyn-based architect David Lagé is the driving force behind Artfarms. Buffalo News art writer Colin Dabowski's is already covering this, here.
Finally, Brussels Express (2012) is a short film available for free via Vimeo. It's a meditation on Bicycle cultural in one of Europe's most congested cities and is sure to prompt debate about the role of car culture in cities that remain overly reliant on cars.
Related: Week #1
__________________________________________________________________________________Artfarms is set to open its first installation at the MichiganRiley Urban Farm. The public sculptural work of local artist Michael Beitz will be unveiled this Saturday between 1-5pm. Brooklyn-based architect David Lagé is the driving force behind Artfarms. Buffalo News art writer Colin Dabowski's is already covering this, here.
Finally, Brussels Express (2012) is a short film available for free via Vimeo. It's a meditation on Bicycle cultural in one of Europe's most congested cities and is sure to prompt debate about the role of car culture in cities that remain overly reliant on cars.
Related: Week #1
Photo of the Day: 80
Genesee Street and Bissell Avenue (google map).
The City of Buffalo has owned the the former Wings of Love Baptist Church since 2009.
The City of Buffalo has owned the the former Wings of Love Baptist Church since 2009.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/27/2014
Photo of the Day: 79
Broadway Avenue and Wilson Street (google map).
"Broadway's dark tonight, a little bit weaker than you used to be..." - John Rzeznik (2000)
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
"Broadway's dark tonight, a little bit weaker than you used to be..." - John Rzeznik (2000)
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/26/2014
Photo of the Day: 78
Emslie Street and Bristol Street (google map).
A former convent lies abandoned on the city's East Side.
A former convent lies abandoned on the city's East Side.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/25/2014
Photo of the Day: 77
Masten Avenue and Riley Street (google map).
This is where the other half worships.
This is where the other half worships.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/24/2014
(another) Humboldt Parkway Church For Sale
The congregation of Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist church has departed the city for their new home a few expressway exits East in Cheektowaga, a six acre campus on Maryvale Road. The Challenger wrote about the congregation's 2010 move in a November 2011 issue, here. I only recently noticed the for sale sign and called to check on the asking price. The phone number is disconnected.
Constructed by the city's rapidly expanding German population, the Emmanual Evangelical Reformed Church opened for religious services in 1895. The towering Humboldt Parkway church replaced a wooden chapel that was first constructed in 1883.
This is the second house of worship now available for sale along the "bathtub" section of the Kensington Expressway. Mike Puma recently wrote about the $300,000 price drop on St. Francis de Sales church across the great divide from Cedar Grove.
Leaving behind and abandoning legacy houses of worship is not new. It happens frequently on the East Side. fixBuffalo readers may recall the plight of 41 Spruce Street and its standing demolition order, now missing stained glass windows and inviting (now open) front door. This is the story that's unfolding when some African-American congregations decided to leave the inner city and move on. The tragic development unfolding right now at Sacred Heart Church on Emslie Street is quickly becoming the last chapter in a story that is becoming all too familiar.
The future of this Humboldt Parkway landmark remains uncertain.
related posts: fixing the Kensington (part 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Constructed by the city's rapidly expanding German population, the Emmanual Evangelical Reformed Church opened for religious services in 1895. The towering Humboldt Parkway church replaced a wooden chapel that was first constructed in 1883.
This is the second house of worship now available for sale along the "bathtub" section of the Kensington Expressway. Mike Puma recently wrote about the $300,000 price drop on St. Francis de Sales church across the great divide from Cedar Grove.
Leaving behind and abandoning legacy houses of worship is not new. It happens frequently on the East Side. fixBuffalo readers may recall the plight of 41 Spruce Street and its standing demolition order, now missing stained glass windows and inviting (now open) front door. This is the story that's unfolding when some African-American congregations decided to leave the inner city and move on. The tragic development unfolding right now at Sacred Heart Church on Emslie Street is quickly becoming the last chapter in a story that is becoming all too familiar.
The future of this Humboldt Parkway landmark remains uncertain.
related posts: fixing the Kensington (part 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Photo of the Day: 76
Broadway Avenue and Sherman Street (google map).
After decades of population decline Broadway Avenue's housing stock continues to deteriorate and today more closely resembles impoverished parts of rural Appalachia.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/23/2014
Photo of the Day: 75
Smith Street and Paderewski Street (google map).
Many East Side neighborhoods are now food deserts.
Many East Side neighborhoods are now food deserts.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/22/2014
Photo of the Day: 74
Genesee Street and Grey Street (google map).
Buffalo's urban prairie seems serene along this stretch of Genesee Street.
Buffalo's urban prairie seems serene along this stretch of Genesee Street.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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5/21/2014
Photo of the Day: 73
Newton Street and Hilton Street (google map).
Midblock stores once served an important role in many East Side neighborhoods.
Midblock stores once served an important role in many East Side neighborhoods.
Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day.
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