Unbuilt Buffalo

[Dan]

Reflecting on Audubon Village and the Amherst that could have been, I wondered about other unbuilt large-scale projects that could have changed the face of the region. Those that I can think of off the top of my head include:

* Complete Olmsted parks and parkway system (late 1800s)
* Grand Union Station (late 1800s)
* Audubon Village (1930s)
* Buffalo City Hall tower extension (provisions in design of original structure)
* The completed Audubon New Town (extending north of I-990 to Tonawanda Creek Road) (late 1970s)
* The domed stadium in Lancaster (early 1970s)
* Several expressways: mainly the Crosstown Expressway, Lancaster Expressway, Outer Beltway, and the West Side Expressway. (1960s-1970s)
* Marine Midland Tower 2 (late 1960s/early 1970s)
* High rise office tower on Main Street at the southeast corner of Main and Eagle (late 1980s)
* Adelphia Tower (late 1990s/early 2000s)
* ABC - Amherst-Buffalo Corridor, a dense Toronto-style arrangement of high rise apartments in Northeast Buffalo (early 1970s)
* Main Street Mall and the full heavy rail transit system (early 1970s)
* Niagara Jetport in Pendleton: replacement for Buffalo International Airport (early 1970s?)
* All-American Canal (1950s-1970s)
* New Hyatt Regency tower (late 1970s-early 1980s)
* New York Central electrification of the Buffalo-NYC rail corridor (1920s)
* Peace Bridge signature span (late 1990s-early 2000s)
* McKinley Mall second level (late 1980s)

Any others that you can think of?

[The One]

Looks like Rumpy will have his hands full in Buffalo I'm waiting for his response to this laundry list of issues......

[bflo_la]

Dan,

A few others...

* Seaway Tower(s) (was to be located next to HSBC) mid 80's

* New convention center and hotel tower (M&T's Washington street sea of parking) late 90's

*50 story waterfront condo (Rendering sooo not believable) - early 2000's

* The Save Your Unborn Baby Watefront Arch

* World Trade Center (plans 1 and 2) was to have been located within the vicinity of the Peace Bridge --- one or two towers, one possibly 50-60 stories

*35-45 story tower proposed for an empty lot next to Pilot Field - late 80's

*The original UB Amherst plan - conceptually considered at one time to be constructed as one building.

[jsk1983]

I'm sure some of you have seen this before, but this is a map from a 1954 Erie County Planning Report.



This image is from 1966-67 Biennial Report for the Town of Amherst. Pretty sure it was never built.

[joshking2]

The indoor amusement park on the waterfront. circa 2004.

[jsk1983]

I was at the Walden Super Flea a few weeks ago and came across a booklet on the proposed Humboldt Park Music Hall from I'd assume the 1930s. I believe this was an E.B. Green work but was obviously never built. The booklet includes renderings, floor plans, sight plans, etc. I just moved so I'm not sure where it is but I'll scan it and post it when I do.

[Dan]

Bumping the thread with the Buffalo City Tower. Its death is old news, but still ...

http://www.buffalo-city-tower.com/

[Seana]

Bumping the thread with the Buffalo City Tower. Its death is old news, but still ...

http://www.buffalo-city-tower.com/

Are you inclined to believe that Issa had seriously intended to see the project through--or rather that he was a flamboyant flipper from the start?

[jsk1983]

Are you inclined to believe that Issa had seriously intended to see the project through--or rather that he was a flamboyant flipper from the start?

Being from Buffalo I was a bit cynical from the start. Of course not everything proposed here in Chicago (i.e. Chicago Spire) gets built, but still it seems like its worse in Buffalo.

[Dan]

A few more to add to the list:

* Villa Park - Frederick Law Olmsted-designed development in North Buffalo (late 1800s)



* Magical Land of Oz amusement park - Wheatfield (1990s)



* Renaissance Village - TND in Cheektowaga (2000s)



* Lake Erie Park - now the former site of Bethlehem Steel in Lackawanna (late 1800s)
* E-Zone - planned indoor amusement park on the waterfront (1990s)
* Ransom Oaks - only a very small portion of the planned community in Amherst was built (1970s)
* Riverhaven - large planned community in Grand Island (1970s)
* Largest golf resort in the world, Fort Erie (1920s)

A correction: plans for the All-American Canal, also called the Niagara Ship Canal, began in the 1790s, making it the longest-term unbuilt project in Buffalo's history.