Buffalo Culture: Cityscapes, history are focus of six walk

By Benjamin Joe
(Image above: The corner of Louisiana and Miami Streets starts the discussion in one of six Jane’s Walks taking place in Buffalo on the first weekend of May. Photo by Benjamin Joe.)

The cityscape of Buffalo is looking at spring and with it, new life and new perspectives. And that includes looking at Buffalo’s neighborhoods, the lives spent in them and the futures they hold.

A bouquet of events, called Jane’s Walks, is blooming the first few days of May to preserve these places, these neighborhoods and their stories through short docent-led journeys throughout the city.

The Jane’s Walk phenomenon began in Toronto in memory of Jane Jacobs, a writer and activist whose lifetime encompassed much of the twentieth century, and who wrote “The Death and Life of Great American Cities.” Among her signature moments was her leadership in opposing the Robert Moses-led expressway plan for Greenwich Viullage in New York City.

While Jacobs did not have any formal training as an urban planner, her book went over truly groundbreaking ideas on how cities live and die, function and decay, evolve and fail. One of the truly historic results of her work is the walkability of neighborhoods in both New York and Toronto, where she later lived and worked.

At her death in 2006, Jacob’s mourners founded Jane’s Walk to honor her life. Starting as a handful of walks in Toronto in which the history of different neighborhoods was highlighted and discussed, the idea sprang onto the international stage. According to the group’s website, Jane’s Walks took place in over 500 cities last year.

And that now includes Buffalo, where the Friends of the Riverline have organized six such walks throughout the city, starting with the proposed Riverline, a 1.5-mile nature trail along the former DL&W rail corridor. The walk begins at 5 p.m. on Friday (May 1) at the corner of Louisiana and Miami Streets.

Jeffrey Lebsack, executive director of the Friends of the Riverline, said the Jane’s Walks were about “community-based planning” that put people above cars. The upcoming plans for the Riverline are part of that “resurgence in Buffalo,” he said.

“I think the Jane’s Walk, and the things we’re talking about in this year’s tours — we have six of them — there is a theme of taking the old things and reusing them in a new way,” he continued. “We have this history that our ancestors left for us and we want to be stewards for it. We want to be stewards to those who came before us and leave something for those who come after us.”

The remaining five walks include:

A Jane’s Walk highlighting Grant and Amherst will begin at the Black Rock Historical Society. Photo byvBenjamin Joe.

Grant Amherst Vibrant Neighborhood Walk, 10 a.m., Saturday, May 2 — Starting at Black Rock Historical Society, 436 Amherst St., walkers will be immersed in the history and evolution of this neighborhood. It’s sure to bring out great stories and great discussion; interested parties are invited to visit this corner of Buffalo.

A one-building Jane’s Walk is set to begin at 72 Sycamore St. on Saturday, May 2. Photo by Benjamin Joe.

72 Sycamore St., noon, Saturday, May 2 — Soon to be the home of Preservation Buffalo Niagara, the formal 19th century brothel will be opened to visitors for a one-building Jane’s Walk. Exploring the layered history of the building, as well as its present-day rehabilitation and how it fits into the vision for Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, this walk will hold a discussion on how preservation drives reinvestment, storytelling and community identity. The conversation begins at 72 Sycamore St.

The bridge to Unity Island Park will be in the background of a Jane’s Walk on public art, May 2. Photo by Benjamin Joe.

Joys and Challenges of Public Art, 2 p.m., Saturday, May 2 — Starting in the northwest corner of the Freedom Park parking lot on Unity Island, artist Cornelia Dohse-Peck will lead the walk focusing on the public art piece “Peace Walk Discovery Trail,” which is installed along the  Niagara River. A nearly three-quarters of a mile walk to a gathering spot for pictures and glimpses of the International Railway Bridge, this Jane’s Walk will enlighten its visitors to the use of public art as part of the community.

Niagara Street Jane’s Walk to begin at 1250 Niagara St. Photo by Benjamin Joe.

Niagara Street: Past, Present and Future, 11 a.m., Sunday, May 3 — Chris Hawley and  Kerry Traynor of Vision Niagara will lead this 1.3-mile walking tour of the Upper Black Rock Historic District, focusing on transportation throughout the years. From canal to rail to highway to cycle track, Niagara Street has been shaped by the way people have traveled along it. Stops will highlight current projects, developments, as well as ideas of what new advancements will be made on this stretch of land and lake. Begin the journey at 1250 Niagara St. and stay for more conversation at Britesmith after the walk.

Delaware Park will be walked and discussed Sunday, May 3, in a Jane’s Walk of Olmsted’s ‘Urban Highways.’ Photo by Benjamin Joe.

Olmsted’s Vision and the Effects of Urban Highways on City Spaces at 1 p.m., Sunday, May 3 — Meeting at the corner of Lincoln Parkway and Forest Avenue, this walk will seek to understand the philosophy that created Frederick Law Olmsted’s Delaware Park. This walk will also focus on the ideas surrounding the creation of urban highways in our cities.