Did you know the largest manufacturer of small paper boxes in the world was in Buffalo? Consider yourself now in the know! The F. N. Burt Company, whose sprawling factory complex at Seneca and Hamburg streets churned out upwards of four million boxes a day, was one of the largest employers in the Hydraulics and one of the shining lights of Buffalo industry.

F. N. Burt, an innovator in graphic design, was one of the most respected box manufacturers on the planet. Renowned for the glamour and sophistication of its manufactures, the company experienced tremendous growth in the early 20th century that coincided with, as well as contributed to, the emergence of the stylized box as an advertising vehicle for mass-produced consumer goods. Its prodigious, 400,000 sq. ft. factory complex is entirely intact – every building it ever constructed on Seneca Street from 1901-1927 still stands, a miracle by any standard in industrial heritage preservation. Read the rest of this entry »

Boundless optimism, since it all turned to the fifth day of IJburg, such as multiplication ARCAM organized by the date of the referendum that the project is not blocked. The merriment began with the sun during the excursions on the Harbor Island afternoon, and ended with the conclusion of the discussion Chairman Martin Kloos evening top the telephone, the only building on IJburg there certainly is.

Apparently surprised Kloos noted after the pep talk of Klaas de Boer (Director Planning Service Amsterdam), Igor Roovers (IJburg project), Han Michel (director of one of those developer consortia) and Vera Yanovshtchinsky (an architect of the first blocks on the Harbor Island) that it all appears to be a lot better than he and many like him these days the media have understood. And it surprised Kloos, who do not like the naiefste known, in turn, a large part of the room, including yours truly. Read the rest of this entry »

Plans for future expansion, recorded in concrete projections at the eastern facade of the A & P Warehouse at 518 Hamburg Street, reveal optimistic prophesies of Buffalo’s continued industrial expansion from the early 20th century. The projections, forming a fine geometric pattern, are concrete supports for floor slabs of an expanded building that does not, and will likely never, exist.

The repetitive concrete stubs reveal an upbeat attitude about the city’s seemingly limitless economic growth, though an anticipated building expansion never came to pass. Read the rest of this entry »

Howard Zemsky, principal in Larkin Development Group, testified before Congress yesterday, bringing the success story of the Larkin Terminal Warehouse conversion to a nationwide audience. The 10-story building, transformed in 2002 from industrial to chic office space and now at full occupancy, is one of many projects across the nation that benefited from the federal Renewal Communities program. Read the rest of this entry »