Green Building Forum

"A Blueprint for Change"

Presented by Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc., in conjunction with the Partnership for Public Good and the UB School of Law
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 FROM 4:30 TO 6P.M.
KARPELES MANUSCRIPT MUSEUM, 220 NORTH STREET
A one-hour cocktail reception will immediately follow

Keynote Speakers:

Ann Petersen
Homeownership Coordinator for the City of Schenectady
Dave Sadowsky
Architect, P.C., of Petersburgh, New York

Petersen and Sadowsky were instrumental in the Universal Design/Green/Affordable Housing prototype project that was completed in Schenectady last year. The project, which created a prototype for an environmentally friendly home to be sold to low-income buyers, won the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s highest award for housing excellence in 2008.

Panelists:

Kevin Connors, eco_logic STUDIO
Sam Magavern, University at Buffalo Law School
Joseph McIvor, Energy Smart Communities, Buffalo Niagara Builders Association
Nathan Rizzo, Vice President, Solar Liberty Energy Systems, Inc.

The focus of the forum will be to inform contactors, housing agencies, and public officials about the benefits of producing energy efficient and environmentally responsible housing. To guarantee a seat at this free event, please register at hocnevents@gmail.com. For more information and information on advertising in the program, contact Susan Peters at (716) 882-7661.

More Volunteer Opportunities

Spring is just around the corner, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff needs your help! Docent training will begin in just a few weeks, on March 21st. And there are several other volunteer opportunities as well. Graycliff is located in Derby, NY, just 20 minutes south of downtown Buffalo. We hope that you will join us! Please reply to 716/947-9217 or E-mail us.

The CVB’s newly-created Concierge Services Program is underway. This program will aim to provide convention delegates to our city with an enhanced level of service. Our first convention that will receive this heightened attention will be the New York State United Teachers Assocation (NYSUT) who will be in town April 1-4, 2009. Much like our efforts with the NCAA Tournament, we want to have volunteers stationed outside of the Convention Center to hand out restaurant maps and provide restaurant information to these delegates. We are going to rely on staff and industry volunteers to handle this specific task. Please leave a comment to this post if you are able to assist us on Friday April 3rd from noon - 2pm. Your assistance is needed and appreciated. Secondly, NYSUT will also be organizing a pub crawl on Friday night starting from the Convention Center and heading towards the Chippewa district. Once again we will be looking for volunteers to assist. This volunteer opportunity would start 7:00pm. Please contact us if you are also able to assist at this time.

In preparation for its grand reopening in the spring of 2009, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site will hold an orientation for new tour guides. A multi-session training program is scheduled to begin on March 3rd from 5:00-7:00 PM at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Holy Trinity is located at Main and North, directly across Main from the Anchor Bar. It is only about two blocks from the Site, and off-street parking is available off Main. Training sessions will include content on Theodore Roosevelt, the Pan-American Exposition, and 1901 America, as well as interpretive skills training. Additional sessions are scheduled for March 10th, 17th, and 31st, 5:00-7:00 PM, with an additional one to two sessions to be scheduled after exhibit installation is completed. Please call 884-0095 to register. If you are interested in being a docent at the TR Site but will not be able to attend, please call to leave your name and contact information, and we will contact you about future trainings.

Docent Training 2009

Best of luck to the 75 students in this year's Docent Training Class. For ten weeks the class will go to different locations to learn about the history, environment, culture, and architecture of the Buffalo-Niagara area.


This week's class was at the Chapel in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Buffalo Tours is partnering with Forest Lawn, the Roycrofters, and Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper to train docents this year.


Some of the students also stay for an optional lunch. Saturday's lunch was at The Place at Lexington and Ashland and we had a great time. We'll see you on tour this summer!

Upcoming Nash Lectures

From The Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition:

Conversation on 'Urban' Cancer at the Michigan Street Baptist Church

The 6th enstallment of the Rev. Dr. J. Edward Nash Lectures at the historic Michigan Street Baptist Church, 511 Michigan Avenue in the City of Buffalo, is set for February 21, 2009 from 2:45pm-4:45pm. The discussion, to be lead by Dr. Wesley Hicks of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, will touch on issues regarding cancer in the urban enviornment. The Nash Lectures, aimed this season at engaging the community, has goals set on preserving the past through cultivating the future. The rest of spring 2009 series is as follows:

Dr. Peter K.B. St. Jean, PhD
Capital Investments in our Future:
A comprehensive look at Urban Education
Saturday, March 21, 2009

In preparation for each lecture it is recommended that individuals who plan attendance visit the text The Secret History of the War on Cancer by Devra Davis (for the February 21st talk) and Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough (for the March 21st lecture).

Each book is available at your local Buffalo Public Library branch as well as Talking Leaves Books Locations on Main Street and on Elmwood Avenue.

The Michigan Street Baptist Church, at 511 Michigan Avenue, and its 150+ years of history, pre-dates both Olmstead's Park and Parkway system and the coming of Frank Lloyd Wright to the City of Buffalo. Standing as a physical landmark the church has harbored fugitive slaves en route to freedom and played host to abolitionists in the likes of Henry Highland Garnett and Fredrick Douglas and civil rights advocates such as Booker T. Washington and Ms. Mary Talbert. We would like to engage you in the history of transformative conversation for which the church is known.

The Michigan Street Baptist Church is located at 511 Michigan Avenue between Broadway and William Streets in Buffalo, NY. Each lecture is free and open to the public. The lectures will run from 2:45pm until 4:45pm. For more information on the church's history visit www.themichiganstreetbaptistchurch.org or contact Bishop William Henderson at 847-6015. In order to RSVP the lecture series e-mail theloraineproject@gmail.com or call Mr. Rose at 347-482-6980.

Group Tours

Our website now has information on group tours. Consider incorporating one of these in the calendar for your organization.

Harbor Cam Goes Live

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation has a live camera on the waterfront. If you want to see boats, pedestrians, and the demolition of the Aud in real time, check out this page and then "click here to view live camera."

Pierce-Arrow Museum Expansion

Fifteen million dollars of construction is planned for the auto museum in fall. Read more in The Buffalo News. Thanks to the CVB for the notice.

2009 Awards Program

Preservation Buffalo Niagara, Buffalo's newly-created preservation organization, is issuing a call for nominations, seeking exemplary historic preservation projects from throughout its seven county region.

Preservation Buffalo Niagara and the Buffalo Preservation Board will announce their respective awardees at a luncheon in downtown Buffalo on May 8th. Guest speaker will be Peter Brink, executive vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Call For Nominations

Description of Award Categories

Nominations Form

History of Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier Awards

Our Spring Lecture and Tour Series

Buffalo Tours is presenting a series of lectures and tours focusing on local history, architecture, and preservation. As a joint project of Buffalo Tours, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, and the Roycroft Campus Corporation, the program is part of a record breaking docent training class where nearly 100 participants are training to become tour guides in Buffalo Niagara. Five events from March 14 to April 18 are open to the public.

Representatives from groups as varied as the Naval Servicemen's Museum, the Darwin Martin House, the Buffalo Audubon, and the E. B. Green Society are also providing support. Each event will begin at a different venue. Attendees interested in volunteering in any of the four main organizations may sign up at the events.

All events are from 10:30-12:30 Saturday mornings and admission is $20. Members of Preservation Buffalo Niagara, the non-profit parent organization of Buffalo Tours, need only pay $10. Visitors may become members on site. All events are subject to change; please visit BuffaloTours.org for details.


Buffalo Tours Spring Lecture and Tour Schedule

March 14 at the Naval and Servicemen's Museum:

Queen City Downtown tour
A two-hour walking tour from the Erie Canal to the Theatre District
Presented with support from the Naval and Servicemen’s Museum

March 21 at St. Paul's Cathedral:

"Buffalo History in a Nutshell"
Presented by Fred Schrock, Education Coordinator of Buffalo Tours
Tour of St. Paul's with Martha Neri
Presented with support from St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral

March 28 at City Hall Council Chambers:

“E. B. Green: The Greening of Buffalo”
Lecture by Catherine Faust and Kevin Rung
Presented with support from the E. B. Green Society
A special one-hour tour of City Hall
Presented by David Granville of City Hall

April 4 at the Minnie Gillette Auditorium, ECC City Campus:

“The Rise of the Tall Office Building and the NeoClassical Revival”
A two-hour Buffalo architecture tour
Presented by architectural historian Martin Wachadlo

April 18 at the Statler Towers:

“Lost Genesee Street”
A special walking tour between the Statler Towers and Electric Tower
Presented by Marla Bujnicki, Preservation Buffalo Niagara Board
member

Elmwood Village Public Forum February 10

Dear Friends of the Elmwood Village:

The City of Buffalo Common Council Legislative Committee will hear comments from the public regarding our Elmwood Village Design Standards next week Tuesday, February 10th at 2pm in the Common Council Chambers of City Hall.

Now more than ever, a strong united voice of support from our Association membership, Cultural Institutions, foundations, businesses, and property ownersmust be heard. The Elmwood Village Design Standards were developed through extensive community outreach and guided by local Urban Design professionals at Flynn Battaglia Architects. More than 500 residents, businesses, and property owners participated in our planning process.

The Elmwood Village Design Standards define the community’s vision for an appropriate, sustainable, and beautifully urban neighborhood while providing developers and building owners with a clear set of development guidelines. Implementing these Standards into law will help future development projects in the Elmwood Village move more quickly and seamlessly while maintain the urban character of our community.

We are so very close to our goal of implementing these much needed Design Standards for the Elmwood Village into law. Please take 1 hour out of your busy day to attend the Common Council Legislative Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 10th at 2pm in the Common Council Chambers of City Hall. Your attendance and voice will help protect and improve our neighborhood for generations to come!

I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, February 10th at 2pm!

Sincerely,

Justin Azzarella
Executive Director
Elmwood Village Association

Lincoln's 200th Birthday Celebration

Abraham Lincoln only turns 200 once! Meet on the History Museum’s portico for a ceremony at the bronze statue of Lincoln led by members of the Buffalo Civil War Roundtable.

Sunday, February 8 at 1:30 p.m. Free and Open to the General Public