Yesterday marked the eighty fifth anniversary of the opening of the Wonder Theater. So pleased to see ot thriving and again the cornerstone of the entertainment district as she was always meant to be. These buildings, rococo, baroque and fantastical creations dreamed up to impress, awe and invite all inside to escape the real world had such a brief life and lifespan… between radio and TV… And, though we have flashy hi tech boxes where the tech is the focus, many of these were designed for silent film… So many buildings sat idle and unusable… But, Shea’s is truly a jewel, not just for Buffalo, but for reuse, acrhcitecture and perserverence.
Patsy: I will be in Buffalo later this week. I will check out what is there. When there last month I thought it was a parking garage, but it may be condos. Many bldgs in Bflo are being rehabed to residential… L.L.Berger is now condos and the Elk Terminal, too.
I was recently in Buffalo and discovered that what was once the Paramount, Great Lakes, is now a parking garage at the corner of Main and Chippewa. The area is thriving. This building was gone when I was a child. But, I do know that my Mom’s stepfather owned it while he ran the Shea’s chain. I had forgotten how beautiful the many buildings in Buffalo are, at least those that remain. Does anyone recall the castle that was where the Big E building went up? I now live far from Buffalo and miss it much… I would not mind moving back the hurricanes in these parts of late are much more harrowing than any blizzard. Also, the people there are nicer and warmer…
Unfortunately some of my earliest memories of the Seneca were it being demolished. Even more unfortunately, at the time, my Grandma McFaul, the widow of Michael Shea’s protege and long time general manager, as well as, much of the theater district in Buffalo and owner of a good piece of the chain, at least the buildings… owned the building and the Skyroom Building in front at the time… The greatest sadness is that at the time these buildings weren’t viable and were very, very expensive without anyone to rent or occupy them… Rather like the Wal-Martization we see now… only then it was the Cineplexes and multiscreens… These absolutely unbelieveable creations could only be used for the limited purpose without destroying them. I am sure that if she were still alive and the communities realized and backed other uses things would be different… I grew up in South Buffalo and am the biggest booster of Buffalo wherever I go… I love the city, the weather and all of the great people… Look at the Central Terminal and it’s grandeur… My Dad worked for the Penn Central Railroad and then Conrail and worked in that building… Look at it’s struggle. Unfortunately, I no longer reside in Buffalo and will be visiting
Sadly, so many of the great buildings in Buffalo have gone, but so many really incredible buildings remain….
Yesterday marked the eighty fifth anniversary of the opening of the Wonder Theater. So pleased to see ot thriving and again the cornerstone of the entertainment district as she was always meant to be. These buildings, rococo, baroque and fantastical creations dreamed up to impress, awe and invite all inside to escape the real world had such a brief life and lifespan… between radio and TV… And, though we have flashy hi tech boxes where the tech is the focus, many of these were designed for silent film… So many buildings sat idle and unusable… But, Shea’s is truly a jewel, not just for Buffalo, but for reuse, acrhcitecture and perserverence.
Patsy: I will be in Buffalo later this week. I will check out what is there. When there last month I thought it was a parking garage, but it may be condos. Many bldgs in Bflo are being rehabed to residential… L.L.Berger is now condos and the Elk Terminal, too.
I was recently in Buffalo and discovered that what was once the Paramount, Great Lakes, is now a parking garage at the corner of Main and Chippewa. The area is thriving. This building was gone when I was a child. But, I do know that my Mom’s stepfather owned it while he ran the Shea’s chain. I had forgotten how beautiful the many buildings in Buffalo are, at least those that remain. Does anyone recall the castle that was where the Big E building went up? I now live far from Buffalo and miss it much… I would not mind moving back the hurricanes in these parts of late are much more harrowing than any blizzard. Also, the people there are nicer and warmer…
Unfortunately some of my earliest memories of the Seneca were it being demolished. Even more unfortunately, at the time, my Grandma McFaul, the widow of Michael Shea’s protege and long time general manager, as well as, much of the theater district in Buffalo and owner of a good piece of the chain, at least the buildings… owned the building and the Skyroom Building in front at the time… The greatest sadness is that at the time these buildings weren’t viable and were very, very expensive without anyone to rent or occupy them… Rather like the Wal-Martization we see now… only then it was the Cineplexes and multiscreens… These absolutely unbelieveable creations could only be used for the limited purpose without destroying them. I am sure that if she were still alive and the communities realized and backed other uses things would be different… I grew up in South Buffalo and am the biggest booster of Buffalo wherever I go… I love the city, the weather and all of the great people… Look at the Central Terminal and it’s grandeur… My Dad worked for the Penn Central Railroad and then Conrail and worked in that building… Look at it’s struggle. Unfortunately, I no longer reside in Buffalo and will be visiting
Sadly, so many of the great buildings in Buffalo have gone, but so many really incredible buildings remain….