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:

• 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.  

Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day. 

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Photo of the Day: 82

Fillmore Avenue and Girard Place (google map).



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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Photo of the Day: 81

Person Street and Schlenker Street (google map).



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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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

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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.

Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day. 

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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. 

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Photo of the Day: 78

Emslie Street and Bristol Street (google map).



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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Photo of the Day: 77

Masten Avenue and Riley Street (google map).



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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(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)

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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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Photo of the Day: 75

Smith Street and Paderewski Street (google map).



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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Photo of the Day: 74

Genesee Street and Grey Street (google map).



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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Photo of the Day: 73

Newton Street and Hilton Street (google map).



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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My weekly fix - part 1

If you're addicted to urban life go ahead - read, click and comment.

Suburbia, before the fall - In a series of photographs Andrew Borwowiec critically examines a major demographic shift, the unsettling of the suburbs. Borwowiec's new book The New Heartland: Looking for the American Dream (May 2014) should probably be on your reading list.

Thinking of switching up your transportation and trading in your car or truck for something more sustainable? You're not alone. Check out these photographs of where unsold cars get parked. With some staggering numbers, Zero Hedge has the story - Where unsold cars go to die.

In the Atlantic's CityLab Richard Florida reviews a longitudinal study on urban poverty released earlier this month by Joseph Cortright and Dillon Mahmoudi - The Overwhelming Persistence of Neighborhood Poverty.  Florida also mentions a Cleveland Fed study about gentrification happening in super cities like New York, Boston and Washington DC.  Not Buffalo, NY.

Also in CityLab check out Sarah Goodyear's latest, The Most Dangerous Cities for Pedestrians. Between 2003 and 2012 47, 025 pedestrians were killed by cars in the United States.  Should pedestrians where helmets?

Finally, the film of the week goes to City of God (2002) directed by Fernando Meirelles. Set in Rio de Janeiro's favela in the late 60's through early 80's, the plot revolves around two boys lives where one becomes a drug dealer, the other a photographer. The film is cast with non-professional actors that add to its rich authenticity. City of God is available free online here with English subtitles.

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City of Buffalo: For Sale - Week 2

1532 Genesee Street (google map) has been owned by the City of Buffalo since 1993. It formerly housed the city-run Genesee Moselle Counseling Clinic - DSAS that provided substance abuse treatment services to neighborhood residents.



This is one of six commercial properties the City of Buffalo owns currently listed in the MLS system for sale. Here's the listing. This building is currently being monitored by Preservation Ready Sites and is currently listed as an at risk building. In addition, Addiction Help Line still refers people to this location.

If you are interested in taking a closer look at 1532 Genesee Street please contact the City of Buffalo Division of Real Estate.

Update: Do not call the number on the city's For Sale sign. That number is associated with a retired city employee. The outgoing message indicates that calls will not be returned.

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Photo of the Day: 72

William Street and Sherman Street (google map).



Former gas stations are a signifier of neighborhood decline 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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Photo of the Day: 71

Herman Street and Sycamore Street (google map).



This fenced in double lot was a vegetable garden for decades and was planted and tended by the kindest soul. Today it's a dandelion field. Neighbors told me that the man who lived in the yellow house died. Records indicate that his house sold at the city's tax auction for $500. His gardens are still visible via google satellite.

Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day. 

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Photo of the Day: 70

William Street and Stanton Street (google map).



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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Photo of the Day: 69

Bailey Avenue and Manhardt Street (google map).



Bailey Avenue is lined with small and often struggling independently owned businesses.

Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day. 

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Photo of the Day: 68

Dewey Avenue and Canton Alley (google map).



A neighborhood resident passes the city's Belt Line on a misty spring morning.

Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day. 

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Photo of the Day: 67

Fillmore Avenue and Fougeron Street (google map).



Fillmore Avenue street and sidewalk 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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Photo of the Day: 66

Genesee Street and Sherman Street (google map).



The DIY economy thrives on the streets of 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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Photo of the Day: 65

Inter Park Avenue and Fillmore Avenue (google map).



Some East Side neighborhoods are 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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City of Buffalo: For Sale - Week 1

1363 Sycamore Street (google map) has been owned by the City of Buffalo since 2007.  This two-and- one-half-story brick house and retail storefront was previously known as Randi's Red Door Cafe.



Ruth Johnson opened a neighborhood diner here in 1995 in a well documented struggle to purchase the property from the City of Buffalo. The Buffalo News covered the story here in November 1995 and the sale a month later here after two local attorneys provided their assistance.

Currently the property is NOT listed on the City's website as a city-owned property that's available for sale.  It last sold for $2500 almost 20 years ago. 1363 Sycamore Street is currently being monitored by Preservation Ready Sites as a property at High Risk. Here the details.

If you are interested in taking a closer look at 1363 Sycamore please contact the City of Buffalo Division of Real Estate.

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Photo of the Day: 64

Coatsworth Alley and Hamburg Street (google map).



A dirt street 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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Photo of the Day: 63

Fillmore Avenue and Sienkiewicz Street (google map).



Storefront churches are 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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Photo of the Day: 62

Oberlin Street and Sycamore Street (google map).



Finding fresh and nutritious food is a daily challenge for the neighborhood's remaining residents.

Photos from this series are cross-posted on fixBuffalo's facebook page and archived here - Photo of the Day. 

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Photo of the Day: 61

Ruhland Avenue and Sycamore Street (google map).

A product used for shelter in third world slums is often used as roofing material 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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