Tue. June 10, 2003 6:00 PM
Mark your calendars and hope to see you there!
44 Plymouth Ave. In Housing Court (second from left)
The owner of 44 Plymouth Avenue is scheduled to appear before Hon. Henry Nowak,
City of Buffalo Housing Court, 50 Delaware Ave., on April 23, 2003 at 9:30AM.
Several residents
have voiced concern about the property and hope that the housing court deals sternly with the
violations. The house has been the site of many problems over the past year, including a
shooting
over a neighborhood dispute on 8/19/2002 and major FBI-led drug trafficking arrest on
12/20/2002. Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc.
continues to monitor the progress of the US
Attorney's case against the owner of 44 Plymouth. Heart of the City Neighborhood may be
interested as a redevelopment partner
should the Federal government seize it.
Anyone who is interested in showing support should write a letter to Judge Nowak or appear in
court on April 23, 2003, 9:30AM.
15 Plymouth Avenue Becomes First Rehab Project on Plymouth Reclamation Project
In January 2002, Heart of the City's Board of Directors and staff worked collaboratively with the
Kleinhans Community Association (KCA) to create an action plan for the Kleinhans section of
Buffalo's Lower West Side, a stable and diverse community of many ethnicities, income levels
and professions. KCA and HCN identified the first block of Plymouth Avenue, between Hudson
and Pennsylvania Streets, as the area in most need of attention and endangering the stability of
the bordering Kleinhans and Fargo Estates neighborhoods - two of the most successful, middle
income areas in the Lower West Side. Abandonment, decay, the drug trade, and sheer age have
all taken their toll on this block. Through the Plymouth Avenue Block Reclamation Project,
Heart of the City will do more than clean up a blighted block; it will create an integrated,
mixed-income neighborhood where low-income and moderate-income individuals and families
will have a critical interest in the community. The Lower West Side of Buffalo will be a
neighborhood where people of all ages and hues take pride in their property, their street and their
neighborhood. It will be a place where involvement, advocacy and celebration will incorporate
everyone. Western New York will begin to see the Lower West Side as a treasure, not a
wasteland.
After 5 years of planning within the KCA and a year of meetings with Heart of the City
Neighborhoods, the Plymouth Block Reclamation Project is finally taking form. Consider the
following completed or pending projects:
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306 Hudson Street (NW corner Plymouth and Hudson) - Heart of the City
Neighborhoods is working with the owner of the building and the city of Buffalo
in an attempt to gain ownership of the site. It is planned to complete much needed exterior
repairs and acquire the vacant lot west of the site on Hudson Street
for green space and parking.
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314 Hudson Street - With the use of private funds, 314 Hudson Street received an entire
exterior renovation in the fall of 2002.
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18 Plymouth Avenue - The large frame mansion acquired
two years ago by Jan Hoopengarner and Maggie Reeves is continuing
to be renovated and the owners hope to have the house occupied in 2003. Jan and Maggie (and
their husbands) have worked very hard to preserve
the exterior architectural integrity of the property and keep it maintained.
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11 Plymouth Avenue - Joe Delaney, the architect working on the Plymouth Reclamation
Project is designing a new period-sensitive
porch which will compliment planned improvments to be made at nearby 306 Hudson Street and
15 Plymouth Avenue.
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15 Plymouth Avenue - The long-time
home of Josephine and Chuck Villa was acquired in a unique partnership between
Heart of The City Neighborhoods and West Side Neighborhood Housing Services. The house
closed in March, 2003 and a buyer
has already been found. The house will be renovated into a 4-bedroom single family home and
many improvements, both in and out, are
being planned.
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136 Cottage Street - Rich Morrisroe of Heart of the City Neighborhoods, met with
David Bourne, Rochester businessman
who purchased 136 Cottage at a recent auction. Rich offered HCN's assistance and shared the
vision of the Plymouth Block
Reclamation Project.
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21-23 Plymouth Ave. - Purchased by a neighborhood resident, he has plans of saving
both houses which have been
neglected for many years.
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43 Plymouth Ave. - An abandoned house was razed and a
lovely garden created in its place in 2001. Recent changes include
completion of parking spaces for neighborhood houses.
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42 Plymouth Ave. - May be purchased and renovated by a neighborhood resident with
private funds.
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44 Plymouth Ave. - Continued pressure for cleanup of the property continues.
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34 Plymouth Ave. - Fire damaged, it is likely to be razed in 2003.
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Bus Shelter - A new artistic bus shelter on the northeast corner of Plymouth Ave. and
Pennsylvania Street
was completed in late 2002 thanks to the efforts of Ann Angelo and the Plymouth Pennsylvania
Revitalization Project.
With all of these planned improvements, the first block of Plymouth Ave. should be significantly
improved in 2003!
Garden Walk Important to Kleinhans Neighborhood
The annual Garden Walk will be held on July 26-27, 2003 and brings thousands of visitors to the
area. Thank you to everyone who
shares their gardens on the walk. It's not too late to sign up - we need more people representing
the KCA area on the Garden Walk.
The deadline is the end of April. If you are interested, please
fill out a Garden Walk application. It's important to the neighborhood!
Mozart May Be Moving To Symphony Circle
A former Buffalonian now living in Virginia has begun an effort to move the bust of Mozart
from an obscure location
in Delaware Park to Symphony Circle.
The proposal, as spearheaded by Mr. Michael J. O'Donnell, was discussed at our February 2003
KCA meeting and was unanimously supported by the membership. We believe that the statue of
Mozart, like Verdi and Chopin before him, would be perfectly suited to be moved to the grounds
of the world renowned Music Hall. The move should give better appreciation of the beautiful
statue since its present location is obscure and inaccessible. The Music Hall and surrounding
community are visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors annually thanks to Music Hall events
and other neighborhood cultural attractions including: Karpeles Document Manuscript Museum,
Allentown Art Festival, the Garden Walk, etc. Mozart's presence will certainly inspire visitors
and residents alike by adding beauty to the neighborhood.
Many residents expressed their opinion about the proposed move in an enthusiastic way and here
are some of their comments: "I'd love to see Mozart moved to Kleinhans. It took years of
wandering before I even noticed the statue in its very odd location in the park/on the roadside.
Mozart and his likeness both deserve better than that. I'm all for the move..." "I support the
move. The trio of Verdi, Chopin and Mozart will be beacons to the Kleinhans neighborhood.
And let their work ethic, gifts and talents inspire all of us who work to make our neighborhood,
our Buffalo, be the best they can be..." "I think Symphony Circle would be a great place for
Mozart. Moving him to Kleinhans would illustrate: 1.) there are many people out there, even
away from Buffalo, that want to show their heart for the city; 2.) good things can be
accomplished in our neighborhoods without government funds, perhaps inspiring others to do the
same for their favorite cause or neighborhood; and
3.) it reinforces the notion that Kleinhans is forever the home of the BPO..." "I totally support
the proposal to relocate the Mozart statue to Kleinhans Music Hall. I do not believe that the
present location serves to give sufficient exposure to the monument, nor do I believe that it
contributes significantly to its present environmental context. The Music Hall location will
provide the Mozart statue with a more meaningful context and, likewise, the statue will
contribute positively (along with Verdi and Chopin) to the weight of the Kleinhans site as a
WNY focus of serious music..." and finally, one resident shared, "Clearly, Wolfgang belongs
with his friends Frederick and Guiseppi!"
Our community is very thankful to Mr. O'Donnell for initiating this move and offering to incur
costs associated with the move of the monument and is equally thankful to Mr. David Granville,
Executive Director of the Buffalo Arts Commission for considering the move. We hope the
Commission will find favor in this proposal and will move Mozart to the Pennsylvania Street
side of Kleinhans Music Hall if it is possible to do so and is in the best interest of the monument.
KCA Yard Sale Held Allentown Art Fest Weekend
Neighborhood residents are joining forces to have a combined yard sale to be held on Saturday,
June 14, 2003. If you are
interested in participating, contact Dot Brown, 884-5695.
11 Plymouth Ave. Submitted for Landmark Status
To be used as a template to help protect at-risk unprotected historic properties, a landmark
application was submitted in 2003 for 11 Plymouth Ave. Thanks to
the Preservation Coalition of Erie County, the application is posted online. Click here to view (Adobe PDF
format).
Despite neighborhood efforts to stabilize at-risk properties, several abandoned homes are
threatened with demolition.
322 Pennsylvania (top), was abandoned by its former owner after several years of neglect. 34
Plymouth (bottom), suffered
a fire and was under-insured by its owner. An advertisement for Topor Demolition on the I-190
Expressway (center) advises
owners of demolition as an alternative to housing maintenance. Sadly, demolition may be the
fate of these two homes unless another
creative solution can be found. Loss of housing density continues to be a threat to neighborhood
sustainability.
Abandoned Neighborhood Houses Headed for Demolition
Despite attempts at saving some neighborhood dwellings, the following properties that have been
abandoned for several years
will likely be demolished in 2003:
-
322 Pennsylvania Street - Active file with Ron Sokolowski. MD. Next inspection
4/9/03. Neighborhood residents observed National Fuel at the house and according to
National Fuel, they were turning the gas off
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32 St. John's Place - Not in imminent danger of demolition but there are the
occasional rumblings.
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359 Hudson Street - A quandary as the owner signed a demo consent form and has been making
payments but the preservation board has not released it for demo. The property is deteriorating
rapidly, particularly the roof and stairs.
-
34 Plymouth Ave. - Active file with Bill Mara - Last inspected 3/17.
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257 West Ave., adjoins 289 Pennsylvania St. - Active file with Kevin Coyne- Next inspection date 4/9/03
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269 Pennsylvania Street - Active demo. Permit secured 10/16. Next inspection 7/24/03
New Signs Welcome Neighborhood Visitors
Thanks to the effort of Joyce Berg and the City of Buffalo Division of Public Works,
neighborhood welcome signs were installed
on every block in the KCA in March, 2003.
Symphony Circle located on Great Public Spaces
The restoration project of Symphony and Ferry Circle has been listed on the web site, Great
Public Spaces, hosted by Project for Public Spaces.
Be sure to check out this page.
Hudson Street Part of Great American Cleanup, May 3, 2003
As part of the Great American Cleanup, the KCA is sponsoring a Hudson Street spruce-up
between Cottage Street and Wadsworth Street
on Saturday, May 3, 2003 at 10AM. We will meet in front of the School 36 Playground at Orton
Place. Please bring a rake
and gloves. Bags will be provided. If you can help, please contact Dawn Drummer at 884-1344.
Normal Ave. and Orton Place Change Direction
On March 11, 2003, several traffic changes took place in the neighborhood. Normal Avenue was
made two-ways between
Pennsylvania Street and Porter Avenue. A stop sign was placed on Pennsylvania Street at
Normal Avenue. The purpose of
this change is so that the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra can fill up their parking lot on Normal
Avenue faster and decrease
traffic jams on Richmond Avenue.
In a related note, residents of Orton Place and St. John's Place petitioned the City of Buffalo to
change the traffic direction of
Orton Place. In the proposed change, Orton Place will be one way (south) from St. John's Place
to Hudson Street and one way (north)
from St. John's Place to Pennsylvania Street. After the proposed change, the only way to access
Orton Place will be from St.
John's Place and exit from St. John's Place will either be to Hudson Street (left turn) or
Pennsylvania Street (right turn). The purpose
of this change is to prevent Orton Place from becoming a cut-through from Porter Avenue. The
proposed change has
received the support of Brian Davis and Nick Bonifacio, Ellicott and Niagara District
Councilmen (respectively). It is hoped to have
the change complete in Spring 2003.
Property Transactions
Several important and wonderful housing transactions have recently taken place. 317 Jersey
Street, an abandoned house purchased in 2002, was
completed restored by its owners and is now being marketed as a single family residence. The
beautiful renovation project
is sure to attract a caring family to the neighborhood.
370 Hudson, a long-abandoned house, was purchased at city auction in October 2002 by
neighborhood resident Mitchell Soto.
3 St. John's Place, a beautiful but vacant brick mansion at the corner of Wadsworth
Street was recently purchased by an owner-occupant who plans to
fully restore the house to its former glory.
New Trees To Be Planted on Orton Place, Hudson Street
Working with the City Forestry Department, two trees are planned to be planted in the
neighborhood in 2003. A new tree
is to be planted in front of 34 Orton Place and on Hudson Street in front of the School 36
Playground. Neighborhood
residents have pledged to care for the newly planted trees. Resident Joe Gerace has
supplemented City of Buffalo funding
to have a rare tree planted in front of 34 Orton Place.
30 Applications Sent Out for Weed and Seed Repair
In the Summer of 2003, the City of Buffalo Weed and Seed division is working with a
Christian-based ministry to repair a number of homes
in the City of Buffalo. The KCA distributed 30 applications to neighbohood residents who may
be in need. Disabled and senior
residents were given careful consideration. If the applicants are selected to receive the home
repairs, they will be performed
free of charge to the owner.
Birge Mansion Meeting Held March 8, 2003
Members of the KCA, Richmond Neighborhood Community Association, Allentown
Association and Symphony Circle
Steering Committee met with Larry Ribits of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra regarding the
status of the Birge
Mansion and Millonzi house on Symphony Circle. Residents expressed their concern and
willingness to help in any
way to stabilize the properties. The BPO stated that both properties are for sale and the orchestra
hopes to lease
space back from the new owner of the Birge mansion, but may also consider space away from
Symphony Circle. The BPO
is asking $150,000 for the Millonzi house and $299,000 for the Birge mansion. Both properties
require significant
immediate investment over and above the purchase price.
22 Orton Place Featured in Allentown Newsletter
Neighborhood residents John and Cyndy Allen purchased fire-damaged and abandoned
22 Orton Place and have been
restoring it for the last 2 years. It was recently discovered that the house was built by a relative of
Buffalo's first
mayor, Ebenezer Johnson and has a colorful history. The restoration effort was featured in the
March-April edition of
the Allentown Neighbor, the newsletter of the Allentown Association. The Allens, who
are reducing the density
of the house from 8 units to 3 units, hope to have the property ready for occupancy by summer
2003.
2003 Trash and Street Cleaning Information
The following is the listing of street cleaning and bulk trash for Ellicott and Niagara Districts for
2003:
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Street Cleaning
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Niagara District
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June 1, 2003
-
August 3, 2003
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October 5, 2003
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Ellicott District
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June 8, 2003
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August 10, 2003
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October 12, 2003
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Bulk Trash Pickup
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Niagara District
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Ellicott District
Public Hearing on Hope VI Phase III
A public hearing will be conducted by the city Planning Board in Room 901, City Hall, Buffalo,
NY, 9:00am
Tuesday, April 8, 2003. The purpose of the hearing will be to consider the design and
site plan
for the proposed construction of 40 homes distributed over 40 scattered sites to the neighborhood
bounded by Porter Avenue
to the north, Virginia to the south, Efner/Busti to the west, and Plymouth/Wadsworth to the East.
Plans
may be examined in room 901 City Hall weekdays between 9:00am and 4:00pm and at the
hearing. All persons who wish to be
heard will be heard. There are no sites planned to be built in the immediate KCA area,
however.
New Trash Barrel on Hudson Street To Be Installed
The KCA has approached Ellicott District Councilmember Brian Davis about the installation of a
trash barrel on
Hudson Street at School 36 playground. Mr. Davis has agreed to provide the barrel and Dawn
Drummer, of 330 Hudson
Street, has agreed to change the liners in the barrel. It is hoped that the installation of this barrel
will help
to cut down on the amount of litter on Hudson Street, especially in the vicinity of the One Stop
Party Store, 309 Hudson Street.
KCA Applies for Crime Prevention SICA Grant
The KCA has applied for a $500 mini-grant to help eliminate neighborhood drug trafficking.
COPS Station Open House
The newest Buffalo Police Department COPS (Community Oriented Policing Satellite) station
will hold an open house on Monday, April
14, 2003, between 2-4PM at the Medical Campus COPS, 927 Main Street.
The station's prime service area will include the Fruit Belt and Medical Campus as well as
Allentown east of Delaware
Ave., however Mary Ruchaczewski, site coordinator of the station, stated that they will handle
calls from Allentown west of
Delaware Ave.
For more information, contact Michele
Graves, 851-4112.
Wadsworth Street Looking up!
Several recent developments on Wadsworth Street are encouraging! Cornerstone Associates has
acquired 21 and
45 Wadsworth and is renovating the properties.
A new art gallery, Tantrum, has recently opened on Wadsworth just south of Hudson
Street and has added much
color and culture to Wadsworth Street.
3 St. John's Place, on the corner of Wadsworth and St. John's is slated to receive
improvements after a recent
sale deal is closed.
All in all, exciting things are happening on Wadsworth Street!
Architect Richard Waite Conference Planned in 2004
In conjunction with the Mark Twain Museum of Buffalo which recently moved into its new
home at 249 North St., the KCA and other volunteers are looking to sponsor a fund-raiser
conference on great international architect Richard Waite. Waite lived for many years in the
Kleinhans neighborhood
at 361 Pennsylvania Street. He designed a number of neighborhood structures as well as notable
commercial buildings
in Buffalo and Canada between 1874 and the turn of the 20th Century.
The conference is planned with a site tour, and the KCA area will figure prominently in the
event. In the KCA
neighborhood, Waite designed 355, 357 and 361 Pennsylvania Street. If you are interested in
helping with the event,
please contact Chris Brown, 884-1914. It is planned for the late summer of 2004.
Architect Richard Waite designed these lovely homes in the KCA neighborhood.
Orton Gardens Cleanup Planned for May 17
A clean-up and general weeding session is planned for Saturday, May 17, 2003 at 10AM. We
will spruce up the garden
and make sure that it is looking its best. Orton Gardens, at 20 Orton Place, is scheduled to be on the Garden Walk at the
end of July. Please
help if you can. If you have questions, please call Chris at 884-1914.
KCA Web Site Continues Outreach Mission
The KCA website continues to be a great ambassador for the neighborhood. A recent unsolicited
e-mail stated "I was impressed by KCA's website and your organization's mission
statement. So much, in fact, that I am a little less timid about buying a
home in an urban neighborhood that many of the people in my office, for
example, consider to be on the frontier."