Buffalo became a tourist destination for thousands of outsiders this past weekend, and, for once, they focused on some of the city's positive aspects rather than the amount of snowfall or the unemployment rate.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation – a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to saving historic places and drawing attention to unique architecture – chose Buffalo to hold its annual National Preservation Conference this year.
More than 2,500 "highly educated opinion-makers" (the highest attendance rate for a Preservation Conference in 10 years) arrived on Wednesday and stayed through Saturday to explore what Buffalo has to offer.
"If this was an audition, Buffalo now has a starring role," said Valecia Crisafulli, vice president of partnerships for the Trust in an article in The Buffalo News.
The conference was all about "keeping you at the cutting edge of preservation," and Buffalo was "the perfect laboratory for debating and examining the field's alternating currents," according to the conference's Facebook page.
The four-day conference had many events in store across the city for visitors and Buffalo citizens alike. Tours of historic sites – Lockport's Erie Canal locks, the Graycliff Estate in Derby, Frank Lloyd Wright's residence, the historic community around Kleinhans Music Hall, city parks, and even Forest Lawn Cemetery – were the highlight of the conference.
"I hope that people use [last] weekend as an opportunity to explore Buffalo, even if it just acts as a reminder that we have these great resources and potential," said Patrick Riedy, a senior English major and a resident of Buffalo for 21 years, in an email. "I especially hope people not from the area or not familiar with downtown maybe see this conference as a chance to assimilate and familiarize themselves with the city of Buffalo, not just the university or town of Amherst."
One event, Thursday night's "Museums by Moonlight," offered tours of local museums, art galleries, and even the Richardson Olmsted Complex – a historic former mental hospital that was a design partnership between architect H. H. Richardson and landscape designer Fredrick Law Olmsted. Thursday night was the first time in over a decade that the site was open for public tours.
Only a small section of the building was open to the public, as it is still in the process of being restored, but visitors were given a small peek into the former grandeur. Visitors were able to tour old psychiatric wards and were able to step inside the tiny "dorm" rooms that patients once inhabited.
Refurbishing the lofty ceilings, hardwood floors, vast staircases, and beautiful mosaic tile floors are the first steps in turning the former mental hospital into a luxury hotel. These small remnants of the iconic 19th-century architecture are being preserved in order to remember the past and educate future generations.
The complex – and other sites in Buffalo – are in the process of being stabilized, preserved, and restored by Preservation Buffalo Niagara, Buffalo's local arm of the National Trust.
Many Western New Yorkers are pleased that strides are being made to preserve such historic sites.
"I suppose I do [consider myself a preservationist], although I have never really thought to apply the label to myself," said Peter Williams, a UB graduate student in mental health counseling and a resident of Buffalo for 13 years, in an email. "Much of it is simply common sense if you consider the alternatives. When [you] value what you have, either personally or collectively, you must endeavor to preserve it. We have seen far too many architectural wonders here in Buffalo fall into disrepair."
Lectures and meetings highlighted issues such as the rejuvenation of Buffalo's East and West Sides, how to reconstruct Buffalo's public school system, and how to implement sustainable design into new and revitalized buildings.
Residents of the city and Western New York appreciated what attention this conference brought to Buffalo – for historical preservation of the city itself and other cities across the country. They want to see Buffalo restored to its former glory and bring Buffalo into the modern century.
"I would like to see Buffalo's legacy be one of togetherness," Williams said. "We are a city of good neighbors, and it is heartwarming to see Buffalonians come together to help each other. I'd love to have our city become an example of how to put aside petty, nominal differences and show the rest of the country how to achieve goals that are best for the common good as opposed to political divisiveness."
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
