Buffalo undergoes an urban renaissance
Canadians love to visit the Queen City, but its upgrades now make visits even better
BUFFALO, NY.— Torontonians love Buffalo. We love shopping its malls. We love flying out of its airport. And of course, we love those wings. But now there are two more reasons for Torontonians to show some Buffalove: Larkinville and Canalside.
These are two of the city’s hottest outdoor attractions that are bringing locals and tourists alike to parts of the city that had once been derelict and deserted.
“Buffalonians are excited by what’s happening,” says Newell Nussbaumer, a community activist and founder of Buffalo Rising, the city’s premier online resource for news and information on all things Buffalo. That was not always the case. Buffalo’s fortunes were built in its manufacturing plants and steel mills. When these industries collapsed in the 1980s, so did the Queen City. The downtown emptied out. Businesses left, as did residents. Buffalo lost half its population.
“Today, we’re meshing the old with the new,” says Nussbaumer. “Many of Buffalo’s old buildings are still standing. Nineteenth-century factories are being converted into 21st century live/work/play spaces.” And more people are moving downtown than at any other time in the past 70 years. Nowhere is this urban renaissance more notable than in Larkinville.
Located on the site of the former Larkin Soap Company in Buffalo’s earliest industrial zone, Larkinville is a new, expanding neighbourhood of restored warehouses and historic buildings centred around Larkin Square. The square is an open air gathering space teeming with social, cultural and recreational activities. Think Distillery District with food trucks, live music and South Beach-inspired patio furniture.
The brainchild of prominent local developer Howard Zemsky, Larkinville’s success is a tribute to his vision for a revitalized neighbourhood and his determination to make it happen.
“Thanks to events such as Food Truck Tuesdays and Live at Larkin Wednesdays, thousands of people are showing up any night for great food, live entertainment and family fun,” says Leslie Zemsky, the Square’s “Director of Fun.”
Two miles to the west on the shore of Lake Erie, stands Buffalo’s other go-to destination: Canalside.
More than eight hectares of parkland, promenades and waterways, the area is a celebration of Buffalo’s maritime heritage. As the “portal to the west,” Erie Canal Harbor was a pivotal link in transporting people and products from the East Coast to the burgeoning western territories of the 19th century.
“Stand on Immigrant Steps, the original spot where, on a comparative basis, more immigrants to America landed in the 1800s than at Ellis Island,” says Thomas Dee, president of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, the state agency charged with redeveloping Buffalo’s waterfront. “Or ride a paddleboat on one of the historically aligned canals.”
Bike trails, walking paths, fitness classes, concerts, and winter curling and ice skating are just a few of the activities on offer.
And, if you didn’t get your Timmy’s before crossing the border, don’t fret. A flagship Tim Horton’s, complete with hockey memorabilia, is located at the new Harborcenter, in the heart of Canalside.