Photo of the Day: 33

Roehrer Avenue and Kingsley Street (google map).

The debris has been cleared. What's left behind in the wake of demolition is oceanic emptiness. Disinvestment is directly linked to the development of inner city expressways.

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: 32

Jefferson Avenue and Landon Street (google map).



In the hot summer afternoon sun this abandoned gas station becomes a favorite neighborhood spot to catch some shade and play dice.  I'm reminded at times of Ed Ruscha's Twentysix Gasoline Stations when I see these former gas stations on the City's East Side streets.

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: 31

Kingsley Street and Willow Place (google map).



When a neighborhood's houses disappear new pathways between streets appear. Sometimes they start off as footpaths and later become the City's newest mid-block dirt roads, following a course to the next 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: 30

William and Detroit Street (google map).

One of the last remaining retail buildings on this stretch of William Street.  Max Sloan will tell you how every household need could be obtained within a few blocks of here when he was younger.  Sloan's is a holdout on the City's East Side, a real Buffalo treasure that's not to be missed.

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: 29

Castor Alley (google map).



Once an integral part of Buffalo's fabled industrial dynamo and providing convenient access and delivery to Pratt Street's factories, Castor Alley remains one of the City's few cobblestone lined alleys. Today the city's latest urban farming experiment is set to unfold nearby.

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: 28

Wasmuth and Genesee Street (google map).



There's an entire flotilla of small boats stranded on the urban prairie.  They serve as markers of neighborhood poverty, dis-investment and institutional neglect.  In two months they'll be forgotten. The tall grass of summer will provide cover for another year.

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: 27

Jefferson Avenue and Dodge Street (google map).



Jefferson Avenue was a dense residential, retail and commercial corridor on the City's East Side. Nearby, the Buffalo Bisons last played in 1987 at the storied Rockpile Stadium and home to the Buffalo Bills 'till 1972.  Today the ghost signs of Jefferson Avenue still remain.  These signifiers of decline and decay dot the 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: 26

Jefferson and Peckham Street (google map).



In the summer fresh fish is sold from this garage. The sign changes during the course of the year. Practices like these, a precursor to pop-up retail and today's DIY, are rapidly disappearing on the East Side. I remember driving an elderly neighbor to a regular location - long gone now - and picking up her weekly bottle of hooch.

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: 25

North Fillmore and Leroy Avenue (google map).



This significant mixed-use corner commercial building was the former Liberty National Bank building and was designed by Dietel & Wade, the same firm that designed Buffalo's City Hall. While future plans for this place remain uncertain, the building remains in good condition.

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: 24

Prenatt and Owahn Place (google map).



The Schoellkopf Power House built in 1917 is one of the last remaining structures and a reminder of the colossal complex last known as Buffalo Color.  Located on the Buffalo River it was once the country's largest producer of synthetic aniline indigo and other dyes. With so much potential for reuse, this industrial relic remains empty.

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: 23

Urban and Kehr Street (google map).



Buffalo's East Side was a bicycling hub during the first part of the 20th century.  The Brown Administration's commitment to help build this century's bicycling culture reached the East Side with the recent striping of bicycle lanes on Fillmore Avenue.  Promoting bicycle transportation is healthy for everyone.

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: 22

Jefferson Avenue and Northampton (google map). 

Storefront churches are common in the City's East Side neighborhoods. They're often located near more mainline houses of worship, a pattern that's repeated in many Rust Belt cities. Chilean photographer and sociologist Camilo Vergara's work How the Other Half Worships (2005) is helpful in understanding this phenomenon.

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" 21

Goemble Avenue and Hazel Place (google map).

Mid-block demolitions are decimating large parts of the City.  This Walden and Bailey neighborhood is continuing to experience the bulldozer's bureaucratic and physical impact on a regular basis. Gradually and then seemingly overnight, the familiar streetscape of a dense compact neighborhood becomes feral.

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

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222 Howard Street: Opportunity or Landfill?

This single-family home at 222 Howard Street (google map) has a date with the wrecking ball.  It appears solid, has a number of new improvements - roof, siding and chimneys.  Commissioner Comerford has recently agreed to a temporary stay. It's been languishing in zombie-property land for the last five years.

222 Howard has been in the same family since 1958, it's been well cared for and maintained.  I tracked down a surviving family member in Texas and the house is available for $1. The rub is that the City liabilities - taxes, water, etc... - are close to $6000.  While those have to be paid, there's probably an opportunity for the right buyer to negotiate a payment plan with the City.  Council Member David Franczyck has agreed to assist.

   

When you're visiting the neighborhood you'll quickly notice the density of new-builds and the impressive period homes nearby.  222 Howard is steps from transit and is located a few blocks from Common Roots Urban Farm.  The two adjacent vacant parcels pictured above are City-owned and would certainly add to project's strength.

If you're interested in pursuing this as a residence or investment property, please contact me. Take a moment and spread the word through your social networks.

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Photo of the Day: 20

Northland and Dutton Avenue (google map). 

Once a vital part of Buffalo's industrial colossus, Northland Avenue was home to one of the nation's largest employers, Curtiss-Wright.  Today the factories more closely resemble bombing targets and are owned by the City's politically connected developers. The employee parking lots are empty. 

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

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