Some interesting facts about the Erie Canal include the fact it impacted America and America did not construct it.

1.  President Thomas Jefferson ( of Virginia) would not aid in the construction of the canal and called it nothing short of madness.

2.  President James Monroe (of Virginia)  vetoed legislation that would help in the construction of the canal saying it was unconstitutional.

3.  When the Erie Canal opened in 1825 it  cost $7,000,000 to construct (about $4,000,000,000 today) and was paid off in less than 10 years.

4.  The United States paid $7,200,000 for the  586,000 sq. miles that is Alaska in 1867.

5.  Dirt and Rubble removed during the construction of the canal was used as land fill around New York City.

6.  At the end of its first full year of operation, 13000 canal boats transported 40,000 settlers westward from Albany.

7.  At the end of its first full year of operation – 562,000 bushels of wheat – 221,000 bushels of flour – 435,000 gallons of  whiskey – 32 million board feet of lumber – totally about 185,000 tons of cargo moved eastward towards Albany on the Canal.

8.  The terminus of the Erie Canal in Buffalo was called the Erie Basin.  The terminus of the Erie Canal in Red Hook Brooklyn was a man-made harbor for canal boats called the Erie Basin.

9. By the time tolls were removed from the canal in 1882,  $121 million dollars in revenue went to the New York State  treasury.

10.  Dewitt Clinton, father of the Erie Canal, died in 1828.  He left his family in financial trouble.  He managed Erie Canal finances extremely well and he was unable to match that astuteness in his personal life.

Incidentally, the Erie Canal, renamed the New York State Barge Canal, is the only major inland waterway in the United States that has never been  maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the taxpayers of the United States.

Finally, according to the  2007 Internal Revenue Services spending statistics, the Commonwealth of Virginia is the beneficiary of more U.S. government spending than 46 U.S. states.  But, why hold a 200 year old grudge?

The Buffalo Skyway can be adapted for non-vehicular re-use, all we need do is look for alternatives to demolition.  The bridge is a familiar sight to anyone one who lives in or has visited the city. An observer on a boat on Lake Erie, the Niagara River or standing on the Fort Erie, Canada waterfront is treated to a signature view.

Buffalo Skyway crosses the Buffalo River

The Skyway was designer and lead engineer was Edward P. Lupfer,  He had a similar role in the construction of the International Peace Bridge in the late 1920s.  The Skyway came to life in October 1955 as a route between the heavy steel and cargo industries on the Buffalo Outer Harbor and City of Lackawanna.

It was constructed 7,000 feet long to allow for a water clearing elevation of 193 ft over the Buffalo Ship Canal and 215 ft over the Buffalo River.  This made it possible for the ships of the various Great Lakes fleets access the Buffalo River inner harbor cereal, grain storage, chemical, steel, warehousing and other industries that lined a 5 mile segment of the river.

Today, the heavy industry of the lake and river waterfronts are gone.  River traffic is probably down to less than 25 ships per year instead of 25+ ships per day.  It has been reported that it keeps some 30 acres of prime waterfront from being developed.  The New York State Department of Transportation has labeled the structure as a “deficient” bridge.  The U.S. Dept. of Transportation is even more harsh calling the Skyway :”fracture critical.”  That means it could suffer a structure catastrophe.

It will cost $100 million to demolish the structure or over the coming years $125 million to keep it from failing.  People hear that number and automatically say, “that is an awful lot of money!”  If you put it in perspective number really is not that great.  An F-22 Raptor costs $150 million each.  ;-)

i was in favor of demolition for a long time.  But, I made a 180 degree turn when, a couple of days ago, I stumble upon a Ran Webber presentation from 4 years ago.  He has an idea that provides an adaptive reuse of the Skyway at a public-private cost of $285 million, two F-22 Raptor’s.  It is daring.  It is creative.  It is entirely unique.  It is an opportunity for the community to really make a statement.  Unfortunately, it looks like there is very little political or community interest.

My site is so small it won’t reach many, but, like the lottery, you never know.  I think his ideas needs a good hard look-see.  Click the link to view Mr. Webber’s 16 minute presentation.

http://www.ranwebber.com/Movie/skywaymovie.html

Eleven Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the United States have been selected  by the U.S.National Park Service as nominees for UNESCO World Heritage Site designation.  To my knowledge Buffalo, NY’s Darwin D. Martin House was never under consideration.

The 11 properties are:

— Taliesin, Spring Green, Wis.

— Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Ariz.

— Fallingwater, Mill Run, Pa.

— Hollyhock House, Los Angeles

— Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago

— Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House, Madison, Wis.

— Price Tower, Bartlesville, Okla.

— S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Administration Building and Research Tower, Racine, Wis.

— Unity Temple, Oak Park, Ill.

— Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

— Marin County Civic Center, San Rafael Cal

But there is consolation as Fodor’s Travel Intelligence – List of Top 10 Frank Lloyd Wright buildings – includes the Martin Home.

Fodor’ Top 10.

Wright Home and Studio, Oak Park, IL

Darwin D. Martin House, Buffalo, New York

Robie House, Chicago, Illinois 

Taliesin: Spring Green, Wisconsin

Hollyhock House: Los Angeles, California

Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan

Taliesin West: Scottsdale, Arizona

Fallingwater: Mill Run, Pennsylvania

The Historic Park Inn Hotel: Mason City, Iowa

Guggenheim Museum: New York, New York

Thank you to Fodor’s for it’s selection of the Darwin D. Martin House.  The property is stunning as it is significant.

A  WOMAD Festival  Festival is ideally suited to a city like Buffalo, NY.  WOMAD’s (The World of Music, Arts and Dance)  celebration of diversity plays to this area’s history.  It is an event for everyone regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, etc.  WOMAD would draw visitors from across the Torbufchester region and beyond.  It would showcase a Buffalo, NY community on the rebound, its people, attractive vistas, cultural diversity, foods, etc.

Music, arts and dance are have played a big part in our history.

Music, arts and  dance have always  brought our communities together.

The idea of holding our very own WOMAD festival  could be an event everyone could get behind as a large all-inclusive community wide effort and we love our festivals.  We have the room. Why not add one more event to our wonderful summer’s calendar?

This is what the Canadian Encyclopedia had to say about WOMAD at the Toronto Harbourfront:

Of Harbourfront’s many festivals, WOMAD has drawn the greatest notice. Originated in England in 1981, it has been held annually in different British cities and latterly in several other European countries, as well as in Toronto. WOMAD/Harbourfront became Canada’s most important forum at the turn of the 1990s for world music, rivalled only by the VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL. In 1990, it offered 48 ensembles comprising some 240 performers representing 25 countries. Notable among its artists at Harbourfront have been Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Pakistan) in 1988 and 1990, Billy Bragg (England) in 1989, Thomas Mapfumo and Blacks Unlimited (Zimbabwe) in 1990, and Mzwakhe Mbuli and the Equals (South Africa) in 1991.

WOMAD profits could be spread among participating groups like the Philharmonic, Colored Musicians Club, Albright-Knox, Central Terminal, History Museum, theaters, and other groups that choose to take part in planning and volunteering.,

I would certainly be willing to get involved but just but don’t have a clue how to pull it off. Is the idea worth consideration by the people of Buffalo and the Niagara Frontier?

Do you need to see more?  How about the WOMAD Parade?

Bring in Bruce Springsteen for the grand opening of Buffalo’s “Canalside” project if for no other reason than the have him sing his ragtime version of Erie Canal.  Maybe Amusements of America could also be scheduled to provides more family fun.

Buffalo’s Canal Harbor development has been ongoing since 1998, actually the late 1970′s if you consider the Erie Basin Marina Pier, and is in its last years of  construction.  The last piece of the 26 acre project, a part of a 1 mile long redevelopment on the north side of the Buffalo River, most likely will be the  Explore & More Children’s Museum in 2015-16.

Canalside in winter

Canalside in summer

A public gathering to celebrate the grand opening would be a marketing tool to not only attract visitors but also a well deserved thank-you to all who have made it possible.