Kleinhans Community Association Summer 2004 Newsletter


A rare opportunity to participate in an interior architectural tour of Kleinhans Music Hall will happen on August 14, 2004 at 9:30 AM through the work of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kleinhans Community Association.

KLEINHANS MUSIC HALL INTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL TOUR FUNDRAISER TO BE HELD AUG. 14, 2004 The New York Times hailed Kleinhans Music Hall as the “most influential by far” of all the buildings that have been built in Buffalo in the last 75 years. While many people have attended events at Kleinhans Music Hall, few have taken the time to learn about or appreciate the artistry of the building itself.

Through a collaboration between the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall Management, Inc. and the Kleinhans Community Association, a rare opportunity will be made available to learn about and tour the exterior and interior of the building as a fundraiser for neighborhood improvements. The 2-hour tour is planned for Saturday, August 14, 2004 and will begin at 9:30 AM. Tour attendees will learn about the history of Symphony Circle, the site of Kleinhans Music Hall, how the music hall was built and learn about some of the design characteristics and materials used in the building. The tour will then move inside the building to view the famed music hall’s interior.

“Kleinhans Music Hall is a national historic landmark, the highest designation granted to a structure in the U.S. and has significance to all Americans,” says Christopher Brown, president of the Kleinhans Community Association, which is helping to organize the tour. “This is a perfect time to see Kleinhans Music Hall, because its $12 million restoration has just been completed. It’s the first time ever that the restored works of Eliel and Eero Saarinen, designers of Kleinhans and Frederick Law Olmsted, park designer and creator of Symphony Circle, have co-existed at the same time,” added Brown.

James D. Newman, chairman of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra board of directors, is supportive of the efforts to promote Kleinhans Music Hall as an architectural jewel and to bolster the surrounding community. “Because Kleinhans is in the midst of one of Buffalo’s most vibrant neighborhoods, we appreciate the efforts to ensure that BPO patrons experience a clean, attractive and safe environment when they visit Kleinhans Music Hall,” said Mr. Newman.

Tour size is limited, please call (716) 884-1914 for reservations. The cost of the tour is $15 and will be held rain or shine. Tour attendees should meet at Symphony Circle outside of the Music Hall at 370 Pennsylvania St.

The tour will benefit Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc., a not-for-profit Community Development Corporation based in the Kleinhans neighborhood and created to stabilize Buffalo’s neighborhoods through redevelopment and affordable housing. Proceeds will be used for improvements to the first block of Plymouth Avenue, a blighted block of homes near Kleinhans Music Hall.

KCA members, neighborhood residents and friends have already raised nearly $2000 to support this effort!

SUMMER 2004

42 Plymouth (left) will be featured in a celebration on July 24, 2004
at 9:30AM to announce the new home of Heart of the City Neighborhoods
and the contributions of neighborhood resident Candace Church.

Meeting Schedule. We will continue to meet on the 3rd Saturday morning of each month, 10:15AM , at Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc. 42 Plymouth Ave. The next few KCA meetings are:

Mark your calendars and hope to see you there!

** Please note that there will be no KCA during the month of July because of a neighborhood architectural walking tour. See you in August! **

Kleinhans Neighborhood Featured in Summer Historic Walking Tours The Campaign for Buffalo History, Architecture and Culture will be sponsoring a walking tour of the neighborhood on the following date:

Saturday, July 17, 2004 9:30AM

The cost of the tour will be $6 for members and $8 for non-members. Learn more about your neighborhood - meet on the corner of College and North Street. You can also visit the Campaign's website by clicking here. The Campaign's tour will be led by KCA president Christopher Brown.

Also, the Preservation Coalition of Erie County will offer the Fargo Neighborhood Tour on

Saturday, August 7, 2004, 9:30AM
The cost of the tour will be $6 for members and $8 for non-members. You can also visit the Preservation Coalition's website by clicking here.

Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc. New Home at 42 Plymouth to be dedicated on July 24, 2004. Please join your neighbors for the dedication of Heart of the City's new home at:

PLACE: 42 Plymouth Avenue (between Hudson Street and Pennsylvania Street)

DATE: Saturday, July 24, 2004

TIME: 10:30 AM

The house is also on the GardenWalk, which will kickoff at 11:00AM on the same day.

The new offices are a wonderful contribution to the neighborhood and fulfill the dream of Candace Church, a longtime resident of the area who passed away unexpectedly in 2003. Candace's partner, Dinah Gamin, brought Candace's dream to life as she spearheaded and financed the purchase and rehabilitation of a former drug house into a beautiful new home for Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc.

The historic house, built in 1855, now serves as a base for Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc. a not for profit housing agency that is working to reclaim the first block of Plymouth Avenue among other projects they have in the works.

The neighborhood will be featured during the GardenWalk and brochures will be made available detailing the history of the neighborhood and featuring various houses available for purchase.

Candace Church, along with Dinah Gamin have made a lasting positive change in the Kleinhans neighborhood, having renovating or purchasing 4 properties over the last quarter century. 335 Pennsylvania Street, 42 Orton Place, 43 Plymouth Avenue and 42 Plymouth Avenue have all been purchased and transformed through their efforts.

Please join your neighbors and celebrate the contributions of Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc., Candace Church and Dinah Gamin.

Kleinhans Neighborhood Featured in 10th Annual GardenWalk, July 24 & 25, 2004 10AM - 4PM This year's GardenWalk features more Kleinhans gardens than ever before, including several first time gardens. Be sure to attend! Maps are available at the Coit House, 414 Virginia Street, or you can get them online by clicking here.

Once again, the Kleinhans Community Association will be selling GardenWalk T-shirts and offering water, maps and a smiling face at our Information Booth located at 350 Pennsylvania Street on the corner of Normal Ave. We still need volunteers to staff the booth. If you can help, please contact Chris Brown at 884-1914.

32 St. John's Place May Be Spared Demolition Several people are interested in saving 32 St. John's Place, the fire-damaged historic shingle style house on the street. Ellicott District Councilmember Brian C. Davis along with neighborhood advocates and the Allentown Association toured the house with a prospective purchaser on June 9, 2004. Negotiations are in the works to save the house from destruction. Keep your fingers crossed!

Orton Gardens Featured in Buffalo News Article and Awarded Beautification Grant Orton Gardens, the community garden at 20 Orton Place, was featured in the Buffalo News article entitled "A Growing City" on June 6, 2004. A picture of the garden was published in the paper and was mentioned as a successful garden. The garden will be featured in the GardenWalk and was also awarded a $300 grant that will be used to purchase mulch and to improve the appearance of the entrance to the garden. Congratulations to all who volunteer their time and our 14 community gardeners (several of whom are new this year)!

First Block of Plymouth Avenue to be Focus of Beautification Effort in August 2004 Heart of the City Neighborhoods along with the Kleinhans Community Association was awarded a grant from SICA for $500 to be used to clean up the first block of Plymouth Avenue.

Heart of the City Neighborhoods Inc., New York State Incentive for Commuinity Action and the Kleinhans Community Association are partnering to beautify the first block of Plymouth Avenue from Hudson Street to Pennsylvania Street. During the month of August 2004, we will be working to remove graffiti, clean up litter and other beautification efforts.

Our goal is to make the street a cleaner and better place to live for all residents and visitors. But we need your involvement to make the effort a success. We need: Volunteers to get involved (especially youth from the neighborhood); and ideas for ways to make the street more attractive, cleaner and a better place to live.

Letters were written to residents of the area to include them in the process to make Plymouth Avenue a better place to live for all residents. If you can help with this project or have ideas on how to make Plymouth Avenue a better place to live, contact Chris Brown at 884-1914 or send an Email to cbrown4884@aol.com.


Mitch Soto (left) and Kim Weber, both of Hudson Street,
help to clean up Hudson Street from Cottage Street to Wadsworth Street.

Hudson Street Cleanup Successful As part of the Great American Cleanup, on May 8, over 20 neighborhood residents and members of youth groups braved a rainy Saturday morning and cleaned up Hudson Street from Cottage Street to Wadsworth Street. The effort took only a few hours and the results were remarkable. More cleanups will be scheduled in the future. What a wonderful way to meet your neighbors and make a meaningful difference to your community!

Kleinhans Neighborhood To Be Prominent in the Allentown Association's 2004 Secrets of Allentown Featuring Richard Waite On Sunday September 26, 2004 the Allentown Association will again host its annual Secrets of Allentown interior house tour. This year, to compliment the feature article of Richard Waite in the Winter 2004 edition of Western New York Heritage Magazine, the tour will feature architecture in Allentown designed by architect Richard Waite. There will also be a lecture scheduled on Saturday, September 25, 2004 to give more information about Richard Waite and the architecture of Allentown. For more information or to be part of this important event, please call 884-1914. You can also visit the website by clicking here.

Housing Changes Several neighborhood properties are scheduled to be auctioned in October at the City of Buffalo tax auction if their taxes are not paid in time. They are:

  • 257 HUDSON - GERWITZ GREGORY
  • 258 HUDSON - GERWITZ GREGORY R
  • 263 HUDSON - BROWN MICHAEL & MYRNA
  • 266 HUDSON - GRABIANOWSKI RICHARD
  • 306 HUDSON - SADOWSKI HENRY J
  • 357 HUDSON - GERWITZ GREGORY
  • 383 HUDSON - MARTINEZ CESARIA
  • 117 PLYMOUTH - FADHIL MOHAMMED

Kleinhans Community Association
c/o 34 Orton Place, Buffalo NY 14201, 884-1914
Visit our web site on the Internet: http://kleinhansca.org

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Last updated: July, 2004