Operation Student Safety

Please pick up a copy of the "UB Neighbor", at Allen Hall, if you haven't received yours by mail. Great article on the efforts of UB and the University Heights Community to hold landlords renting to students more accountable. Please advise Dan Ryan, Director of Off Campus Students Affairs of your comments and concerns. His number is 716-829-3536.

Templeton Park, University Heights

Gingko Tree, Templeton park -photo by patrick Willett

University Park Historic District- One of the finest neighborhoods in all of the city of Buffalo.

PBN newsletter article on this nomination (.pdf) portions of Larchmont Road, Niagara Falls Blvd, Radcliffe Road, University Ave, Allenhursst Road, & Pellhan Drive in Buffalo.
The University Park Historic District is a remarkable, intact example of an early 20^th century planned residential subdivision in the city of Buffalo. In the broad context of the city’s turn of the century development, the location and development of University Park reflects the importance of the streetcar and the rise of automobile use which determined much of the city’s expansion. The themes of suburbanization in the city of Buffalo are covered extensively in the National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF), Multiple Resources Associated with the Suburban Development of Buffalo, New York. For Residential Subdivisions to be added to the MPDF, the registration requirements state: The property type must represent the range of residential subdivision structures associated with the growth of the city into a new form during the period between the Civil War and World War II (1860-1945).

http://www.preservationbuffaloniagara.org/buildings-and-sites/preservation-resources/national-register-listings/

Housing Issues Addressed

The City of Buffalo and UB are collaborating on an effort to address issues relating to the housing stock in the neighborhood. "Operation Student Safety" has brought City and University officials into the neighborhood on Saturdays to ask students and other renters to allow licensed building inspectors into their apartments.

WIVB reported on the effort here, and the Buffalo News ran a story here.

The project will be discussed in greater detail at an upcoming UHC meeting.

South Campus, a neglected jewel

Photo © Patrick Willett

UB's South Campus, also known as the Main Street campus, located on 154 acres in northeastern Buffalo, is the former grounds of the Erie County Almshouse and Insane Asylum, of which four buildings still remain (Hayes Hall, the former insane asylum; Wende Hall, a former maternity hospital; Hayes D; and Townsend Hall, a former nurses' quarters).The college was designed by architect E.B. Green in 1910, and was intended to resemble Trinity College, Dublin.

Adjacent to the UB South Campus is the UB Anderson Art Gallery, a converted elementary school with an all-glass atrium exhibit space.

Stay classy UB!

This piece from UB's "operation Doorhanger" really helps to class up UB's image in the University Heights neighborhood.
My first reaction was -"are you serious"?

Promise Neighborhood Community Meeting

A community meeting to learn about the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood and give your input will be held Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 10:00am – 12:30pm at the Westminster Community Charter School 24 Westminster Avenue, Buffalo, NY.

A continental breakfast will be served at 9:30am.

Featured Speakers are Honorable Byron W. Brown, Mayor, City of Buffalo; Mark Czarnecki, President, M&T Bank and Dr. Yvonne Minor-Ragan, Principal, Westminster Community Charter School.

RSVP: Buffalo Urban League 716-250-2400

Buffalo was only one of 21 communities around the country to receive a competitive neighborhood development planning grant last October from the U.S. Department of Education’s $10 million “Promise Neighborhoods” program. The local partnership, called Buffalo Promise, will receive a total of $750,000 from the federal government and local funders, including M&T Bank and the John R. Oishei Foundation.

Source

University Park District Lecture

Information about the University Park district, now added to the National Register of Historic Places, will be shared on March 29.

Who: Lecture by Kerry Traynor
President, KTA Preservation Specialists

What: UB at Noon with Kerry Traynor luncheon program
Learn about University Park, the National Register of Historic Places, the planned suburban neighborhood, NYS Historic Residential Properties Tax Credit Program & the future of the University Park neighborhood

When: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at noon

Where: Allen Hall, Room 100
UB South (Main Street) Campus
University at Buffalo

Registration required by Tuesday, March 22nd
Cost: UB Alumni Association Member, $10
Non-Member, $12
Hosted by the University at Buffalo Alumni Association
Online registration see:
https://secure.www.ubconnect.org/olc/pub/BUF/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=69639

University Park could earn place on National Register

Buffalo News story:
Buffalo neighborhood nominated for historic designation

By Jay Rey

News Staff Reporter

National recognition is being sought for a triangular-shaped neighborhood that sprouted in the northeast corner of Buffalo as an urban subdivision in the early 20th century.

University Park, a slice of the city's University Heights neighborhood, was nominated for the National Register Historic District in November as part of a University at Buffalo class project.

Supporters are hopeful the national status will be granted in the spring, after the application is reviewed by the National Park Service.

"To be listed on the National Register is an honor," said Kerry Traynor, a clinical associate professor of architecture and urban and regional planning at UB.

University Park is made up of 252 homes and a park on portions of Larchmont Avenue, Niagara Falls Boulevard, Radcliffe Road, University Avenue, Allenhurst Road, Pelham Drive and Capen Boulevard between Main Street and Kenmore Avenue.

The neighborhood is ripe for the National Register, Traynor said, not necessarily for its Craftsman, Bungalow and Prairie Box homes, but for its planned design, which provided a gated, suburban flavor next to Main Street.

"It really was a good example of early suburban planning," said Traynor, an architect and architectural historian, who owns the consulting firm, KTA Preservation Specialists. "It makes it an interesting component in the history of Buffalo."

There are only 11 historic districts in Erie County recognized by the National Register, including Allentown, Delaware Avenue between North and Bryant streets, the Roycroft Campus in East Aurora and the Parkside neighborhood, which was designated in 1986.

The idea of a University Park Historic District was first raised last spring as a possible class project in Traynor's historic preservation course at UB. Her students did the preliminary research and work assessing the properties. UB graduate student Annie Schentag further developed the project as an independent study, using the information to complete the lengthy, detailed National Register application.

The University Park property was developed in 1913 by Anthony J. Huck, who wanted to capitalize on the purchase of land across the street for the university, Schentag said.

University Park boasted wider streets, manicured medians, larger-than-normal setbacks and garages to account for the rising popularity of the automobile. The neighborhood's development continued throughout the 1920s and '30s.

"It was sort of seen as this respite for this middle-class person who wanted to leave the crowded, crazy industrial City of Buffalo at the time," Schentag said. "What's really special is you can go there today and feel the sense of that pastoral environment."

The process for seeking the national designation has the support of the City of Buffalo and the New York State Historic Preservation Office, which listed University Park on the New York State Register of Historic Places in early December.

University Park homeowners seem receptive to the recognition, too, Traynor said.

It opens up property owners to tax credits for rehabilitating their houses, Traynor said, but homeowners aren't necessarily required to restore residences to their original historic condition to be eligible.

"We'll definitely do a project like this again," Traynor said.

jrey@buffnews.com

The UB Anderson Gallery - a gem in our midst

As home to the University at Buffalo’s permanent art collection, the UB Anderson Gallery is a museum that manages and exhibits the school’s visual resources and serves as a venue for scholarly exhibitions. The UB Anderson Gallery provides students with hands-on experiences in museum studies and arts administration while offering faculty and graduate students curatorial opportunities.

Situated between the university and the larger Buffalo community, the UB Anderson Gallery has become a cultural crossroads and an important part of the Western New York arts scene. Located in University Heights, it plays a vital role in the community by offering innovative educational programs and working collaboratively with other local institutions to highlight collections and present scholarly exhibitions focused primarily on the post-war period.

Future plans for the gallery include the creation of a prints and drawing study room and the development of the Martha Jackson Research and Archive Center.

O'Connell's Featured in New York Times Style Magazine

The long time Heights clothiers O'Connell's was recently featured in the New York Times Style Magazine in recognition of their unique stock and style. Please click on this post's title to view the full article.

Higher Heights Basketball Clinic

This month the UB Division of Athletics, in conjunction with the Office of Community Relations, will be co-sponsoring the Higher Heights Basketball Clinic, Saturday September 18, 2010, at Good Year Basketball Courts – next to Allen Hall (South Campus). Rain site is Clark Hall on UB’s South Campus.

The clinic, which will run from 9:30am until 2:00pm is free and open to boys and girls, ranging from grades 3-8, who are residents of South Campus Neighborhoods. Each child will receive a complementary t-shirt and lunch.

Directing the clinic will be head men’s basketball coach Reggie Witherspoon; head women’s coach Linda Hill-MacDonald, who will talk to participants about the value of an education; and assistant men’s basketball coach Jim Kwitchoff.

Participants will receive instruction in six basketball skills, including shooting, ball handling, passing, defense, footwork, and rebounding. The kids will also have the opportunity to ask questions of UB coaches and student-athletes. The children will also have the unique opportunity to travel to North Campus and tour Alumni Arena, player locker rooms and weight rooms.


Due to the high level of interest for this event, participants are encouraged to pre-register by completing a pre-registration and consent form found at the following locations: Gloria J. Parks, Ed Saunders, Highgate Heights, Westminster, Phoenix computer lab, Ken-Bailey housing and St. Joes. Parents will have the opportunity to register on-site on the day of the event is there is availability. The form must be completed and received by the Office of Community Relations in 1010 Allen Hall or by fax 829-3912 to ensure placement. The first one hundred and twenty (120) completed forms received will be chosen to participate.Don’t miss the opportunity to share in this positive and fun-filled event.


Complete and return your form today!

Photos by Nancy J. Parisi

Good Neighbor Video

Check out the new video targetted toward UB students. Look for some of your neighbors in their debut screen appearance!!

Roll Back the Drinking Hours?

"UB dropped the ball when it dropped Buffalo CarShare"

Buffalo Rising Story: Canisius Supports its own... and UB's own.
by: queenseyes

It's funny how things turn out sometimes. In a world where it is increasingly the right thing to do by supporting homegrown projects and businesses, University at Buffalo dropped the ball when it dropped Buffalo CarShare (BCS). It was a crushing blow to the company, not because CarShare was dependent on UB, but because it would have been such a natural relationship and source of growth. After all, CarShare was incubated at the university. Instead of tucking its tail between its legs, CarShare went out in search for partners that would understand the importance of 'buying into local". It didn't take long to earn the trust of Canisius College, which has agreed to bring CarShare onboard as its car sharing business of choice.

To think that another local higher education institution would bring a University at Buffalo castoff under its wing is... well, it's really something. Canisius could have taken UB's lead and gone with a national. Instead, it decided to go with a homegrown business, run by a young team made up of mostly UB alumns. Interestingly, Todd Salansky, board member of both CarShare and Buffalo First was one of the first to share the good news and was, "Extremely happy that my alma mater has chosen to support Buffalo CarShare for their car sharing needs. BCS provides students access to a car to shop and explore what our area has to offer. In addition to their first car on campus, they also have access to 10 other vehicles across the city. I think this is a great win for Buffalo!"

Canisius has already expressed an interest in a second car as demand increases, which both parties assume will happen after school starts.

Operation Doorhanger a Success!

Special thanks to the more than thirty neighborhood residents, students, faculty and staff who made Operation Doorhanger possible.

UB on the Green Opens Tonight

UB on the Green, a free outdoor performance series held on the front lawn of Hayes Hall on the UB South Campus, opens tonight with a performance by The Rockas with special guest Caitlin Albe Koch.

UB on the Green's free music and dance performances will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Aug. 25, Sept. 1 and Sept. 8. In addition to providing all-ages entertainment, the series is designed to educate, as well as entertain, with interactive demonstrations and other hands-on activities that are fun for the whole family.

This year's series was moved to later in the summer to allow more community members, students and staff to attend, he adds.

Designed to showcase the university's resources, as well, activities that will be held as part of UB on the Green include participation by UB Anderson Art Gallery and UB Athletics, in addition to other local community organizations.

Participants are encouraged to bring a picnic, lawn chairs and blankets. Light refreshments will be available for sale. UB on the Green is an alcohol-free, family-friendly event.

The series kicks off on Aug. 25 with The Rockas with special guest Caitlin Albe Koch. Their sound is Caribbean based, full of chunky horns, spicy Riddims and melodic and soulful vocals.

The Sept. 1 program will open with N'Dias, a West African-inspired local dance and drumming group, followed by One World Tribe, an Afro-beat, funk, reggae, Latin and world beat orchestra whose show will feature musicians, dancers and extras.

The series will end on Sept. 8 with a full-band performance of melodic pop songs by Scott Celani, followed by Black Widow, one of Western New York's top rock bands, playing the latest and best of rock, party, dance, country, alternative and classic music.

More information about UB on the Green is here or contact the UB Office of Community Relations at 716-829-3099.