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Best Museums in Buffalo


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2 hours ago, Rockpile233 said:

If you enjoyed the Martin house check out the other home FLW did for the Martin’s in Derby, Graycliff.

 

 

 

There’s also the Heath house on Soldiers Circle and the Davidson house on Tillinghast ( both private residences), the Blue Sky Mausoleum at Forest Lawn, the Fontana Boat House, and the FLW filling station, which he designed for Buffalo but was never built - Jim Sandoro finally built it inside the Pierce Arrow Museum.

 

It’s a crying shame Buffalo demolished the Larkin Adminstration Building in 1950...

 

https://buffalonews.com/2016/06/11/buffalo-know-lost-larkin-administration-building/

 

 

B7D46F51-CE3D-4F00-B930-D4F31DDA7A54.jpeg

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2 hours ago, Another Fan said:

I’ve been to the Pierce Arrow one to look at the old cars.  Wasnt a bad way to spend an hour or two.  I forgot who it was named after but I was at The Frank Lloyd Wright house by the Zoo.

 

Any other good ones?  

 

You would be referring to the Darwin Martin house - he was president of the Larkin Company here in Buffalo.

 

The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society on Elmwood and Nottingham is interesting - the have the actual gun that was used to assassinate President McKinley.

 

Also, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site (Wilcox Mansion) on Delaware, run by the National Park Service, if you like that sort of stuff.

.

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50 minutes ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

It’s a crying shame Buffalo demolished the Larkin Adminstration Building in 1950...

 

Add to that;  The Erie County Savings Bank, Grosvenor Library,  Bethlehem Steel admin building, etc.

 

 

Those were beautiful old buildings, replaced by ‘modern’ monstrosities in the name of urban renewal.

 

In 1969 some shmuck consultants from Cambridge MA (Arthur D . Little) convinced our wise city leaders that we needed a downtown shopping mall.  Erie Cty Svgs Bank, a gorgeous old edifice, was demolished to make room for Main Place, which now sits almost empty.

 

At the same time, the mall completely altered Buffalo’s historic street plan, which was laid out by Joseph Ellicott and loosely based on Pierre L’Enfant’s design for Washington DC.

 

Here’s another gem that burned and wasn’t saved, the old Pierce Palace Hotel, that used to grace the West Side...

 

http://blog.buffalostories.com/torn-down-tuesday-pierces-palace-hotel-in-1880/

 

 

3260427E-BEEB-4A2D-AE6D-9F90A8F99C54.jpeg

 

 

They also tore down the old Fargo Mansion (founder of Wells Fargo and American Express).

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Statler goes soon - Croce isn’t doing anything except letting it fall apart.

 

Thank God for the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation - at least someone is trying to save the place.

.

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1 hour ago, The Senator said:

 

There’s also the Heath house on Soldiers Circle and the Davidson house on Tillinghast ( both private residences), the Blue Sky Mausoleum at Forest Lawn, the Fontana Boat House, and the FLW filling station, which he designed for Buffalo but was never built - Jim Sandoro finally built it inside the Pierce Arrow Museum.

 

It’s a crying shame Buffalo demolished the Larkin Adminstration Building in 1950...

 

https://buffalonews.com/2016/06/11/buffalo-know-lost-larkin-administration-building/

 

 

B7D46F51-CE3D-4F00-B930-D4F31DDA7A54.jpeg

 

That thing looks like some sort of a cubist Sumerian temple.  

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1 hour ago, Buffalo716 said:

Buffalo has over 50 private and public art galleries and tons of museums to boot!

 

I neglected to mention the Karpeles Manuscript Library (Buffalo has two - one on Porter Ave. and one on Elmwood and North), the numerous Underground Railroad and African American Heritage Sites (Michigan Ave. Baptist Church, Broderick Park, Nash House, Colored Musicians Club), Burchfield Penny, etc., etc...

 

https://stepoutbuffalo.com/wny-museums/

 

https://www.michiganstreetbuffalo.org/

.

 

 

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     I always liked the Buffalo History Museum, which apparently is now what the old Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society is called.  I spent much time there in grades 7 and 8 in the library doing research.  Local history has always been interesting to me.

      I was last in the Buffalo Science Museum in probably the early 90s, enjoyed it as well.  

     I’ve got to get out more.

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2 hours ago, The Senator said:

 

Those were beautiful old buildings, replaced by ‘modern’ monstrosities in the name of urban renewal.

 

In 1969 some shmuck consultants from Cambridge MA (Arthur D . Little) convinced our wise city leaders that we needed a downtown shopping mall.  Erie Cty Svgs Bank, a gorgeous old edifice, was demolished to make room for Main Place, which now sits almost empty.

 

At the same time, the mall completely altered Buffalo’s historic street plan, which was laid out by Joseph Ellicott and loosely based on Pierre L’Enfant’s design for Washington DC.

 

Here’s another gem that burned and wasn’t saved, the old Pierce Palace Hotel, that used to grace the West Side...

 

http://blog.buffalostories.com/torn-down-tuesday-pierces-palace-hotel-in-1880/

 

 

3260427E-BEEB-4A2D-AE6D-9F90A8F99C54.jpeg

 

 

They also tore down the old Fargo Mansion (founder of Wells Fargo and American Express).

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Statler goes soon - Croce isn’t doing anything except letting it fall apart.

 

Thank God for the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation - at least someone is trying to save the place.

.

 

THAT is one magnificent piece of architecture. 

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19 hours ago, Augie said:

 

That’s certainly where my list would have started.

 

 

 It’s unfortunately also where it would have ended. 

 

There's also the Burchfield Penney art center right across the street.  Can realistically spend a day in the area, walking the 3 museums and Delaware Park, while only crossing 3 or 4 streets

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22 hours ago, The Senator said:

 

Those were beautiful old buildings, replaced by ‘modern’ monstrosities in the name of urban renewal.

 

In 1969 some shmuck consultants from Cambridge MA (Arthur D . Little) convinced our wise city leaders that we needed a downtown shopping mall.  Erie Cty Svgs Bank, a gorgeous old edifice, was demolished to make room for Main Place, which now sits almost empty.

 

At the same time, the mall completely altered Buffalo’s historic street plan, which was laid out by Joseph Ellicott and loosely based on Pierre L’Enfant’s design for Washington DC.

 

Here’s another gem that burned and wasn’t saved, the old Pierce Palace Hotel, that used to grace the West Side...

 

http://blog.buffalostories.com/torn-down-tuesday-pierces-palace-hotel-in-1880/

 

 

3260427E-BEEB-4A2D-AE6D-9F90A8F99C54.jpeg

 

 

They also tore down the old Fargo Mansion (founder of Wells Fargo and American Express).

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Statler goes soon - Croce isn’t doing anything except letting it fall apart.

 

Thank God for the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation - at least someone is trying to save the place.

.

Is the Buffalo Savings Bank building downtown with the golden dome still standing? If it is still in existence what is it being used for? 

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28 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Is the Buffalo Savings Bank building downtown with the golden dome still standing? If it is still in existence what is it being used for? 

 

It is.  I live a half block away and have an excellent view from my windows.

 

After BSB closed, it was HQ for a bank called ‘Gold Dome’ (go figure), now it’s part of M&T Bank and doing well.  The dome was recently regilded with gold leaf.

.

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Mark Twain manuscripts and other items are in the city to be partaken in if you are so inclined.

 

 

Not sure if the Morton Feldman U of B archives are accessible, he's a favourite of mine from the 20th century, sparked by a feature in The New Yorker where his response to a rehearsal of a 4 hour string quartet he composed, was "you were too ***** loud and too ***** fast!!!!"

 

 

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2 minutes ago, The Senator said:

 

It is.  I live a half block away and have an excellent view from my windows.

 

After BSB closed, it was HQ for a bank called ‘Gold Dome’ (go figure), now it’s part of M&T Bank and doing well.  The dome was recently regilded with gold leaf.

.

Thanks for the info. 

 

What are the prospects for One Seneca Tower? The developer , Douglas Jemal, is a can do developer who has had many projects in restoring old buildings in DC. He has taken on a gargantuan project and will do this sizable project in stages. He has a lot of credibility in getting his challenging projects completed. 

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17 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Thanks for the info. 

 

What are the prospects for One Seneca Tower? The developer , Douglas Jemal, is a can do developer who has had many projects in restoring old buildings in DC. He has taken on a gargantuan project and will do this sizable project in stages. He has a lot of credibility in getting his challenging projects completed. 

 

Jemal has made tremendous progress.  He insists the initial phase of redevelopment will be completed by end of summer and will be  to receive office, retail, and residential tenants.

.

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On 4/19/2019 at 3:34 PM, The Senator said:

Also, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site (Wilcox Mansion) on Delaware, run by the National Park Service, if you like that sort of stuff.

 

Went and saw that last fall before the Pats* game, definitely interesting if you're into that part of history. 

 

We also did the City Hall Observation Deck, there are some panels up there about the history of the area as you look out the windows. 

 

https://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/businesses/buffalo-city-hall-observation-deck/

 

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10 minutes ago, Just Jack said:

 

Went and saw that last fall before the Pats* game, definitely interesting if you're into that part of history. 

 

We also did the City Hall Observation Deck, there are some panels up there about the history of the area as you look out the windows. 

 

https://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/businesses/buffalo-city-hall-observation-deck/

 

 

Cool!  Great way to see Buff Town from every overhead angle.  On a clear day you can easily see the mist from the Falls.

.

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I always thought the Buffalo Science Museum was cool.  I haven't been in a long time now but I have some great memories going there when I was kid with the Cub Scouts and for school field trips.  I even remember they had this event in the Cub Scouts where we got sleep overnight there and they had all kinds of activities and stuff....Wow just had some major nostalgia flashbacks there!

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Definitely NOT that guy who cut his wife's head off in Orchard Park a bunch of years back.

 

Oh... Wait!  You said museums.  Museums!

 

Is Old Fort Niagara considered a "museum?"  Go there:

 

https://www.oldfortniagara.org

 

fortniagara_350.jpg

10612531_10152705179029850_5605578475736

FB_IMG_1505321377980.jpg

^^^Look, reenactment of the first "identity aggression" in the "New" World!  When will it end!

 

 

FWIW.  The French flag that flies over Old Fort Niagara is the colonial French flag of that period (when The French controlled the fort).  I sh... ...it you not:

 

92383c5b0c08d443d516a2f93ff5c34bd9625594

 

/smh /snicker /snicker /snicker

 

?

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9 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Definitely NOT that guy who cut his wife's head off in Orchard Park a bunch of years back.

 

Oh... Wait!  You said museums.  Museums!

 

That was a weird one - guy was founder and CEO of Bridges TV, an Islamic television network.  Cut his wife’s head off, then went down to the OP police station and reported  her dead.

.

9 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

FWIW.  The French flag that flies over Old Fort Niagara is the colonial French flag of that period (when The French controlled the fort).  I sh... ...it you not:

 

92383c5b0c08d443d516a2f93ff5c34bd9625594

 

/smh /snicker /snicker /snicker

 

?

 

Hysterical! ?

.

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1 hour ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Definitely NOT that guy who cut his wife's head off in Orchard Park a bunch of years back.

 

Oh... Wait!  You said museums.  Museums!

 

Is Old Fort Niagara considered a "museum?"  Go there:

 

https://www.oldfortniagara.org

 

fortniagara_350.jpg

10612531_10152705179029850_5605578475736

FB_IMG_1505321377980.jpg

^^^Look, reenactment of the first "identity aggression" in the "New" World!  When will it end!

 

 

FWIW.  The French flag that flies over Old Fort Niagara is the colonial French flag of that period (when The French controlled the fort).  I sh... ...it you not:

 

92383c5b0c08d443d516a2f93ff5c34bd9625594

 

/smh /snicker /snicker /snicker

 

?

I love old fort Niagara!

 

beautiful place

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On 4/19/2019 at 9:54 AM, Another Fan said:

I’ve been to the Pierce Arrow one to look at the old cars.  Wasnt a bad way to spend an hour or two.  I forgot who it was named after but I was at The Frank Lloyd Wright house by the Zoo.

 

Any other good ones?  

The Buffalo History Museum is always interesting and they have some great exhibits right now including one on Buffalo sports   http://www.buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/Exhibits.aspx

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