The Buffalo Theatre District in downtown
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, United States, is the center of Buffalo's theater scene and draws Broadway shows that are in preview stage or on tour.
It is bounded roughly by Washington, Tupper, Pearl and Chippewa Streets.
History
The impetus for saving and revitalizing the district came from a 1978 plan sponsored by
Jimmy Griffin
James Arthur Griffin (August 10, 1943 – January 11, 2005) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s soft rock band Bread. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1970 as co-writer ...
, Mayor of Buffalo. The co-directors of the master plan were Harold Cohen, Dean of the SUNY Buffalo School of Architecture, and David Parry, Architect and Professor of the Urban Design Studio. A crash program was needed because of the threat of wholesale demolition.
There were over 50 theaters in the district in the early 20th C., when the city was called the "Gateway to the West", and served by railroads and the new Erie Canal. In the 1950s, growth reversed into a decline. By 1978 the district was over 65% vacant. The plan called for the City to take ownership of most buildings thru tax foreclosure, then restore facades, and manage the district via a new nonprofit corporation.
A film explaining the 1978 planning process, titled "The Revitalization of Buffalo's Historic Theater District", can be seen on YouTube.
From 1980 to 2004, in accordance with the area's land development terms, 25% of the net profit from the district was returned to the city by the nonprofit corporation. The district received about $60 million from government to restore it and finance development.
Theatres
* Alleyway Theatre
* Irish Classical Theatre Company
* Road Less Traveled Productions
*
Shea's 710 Theatre
*
Shea's Performing Arts Center
Shea's Performing Arts Center (originally Shea's Buffalo) is a theater for touring Broadway musicals and special events in Buffalo, New York. Originally called Shea's Buffalo, it was opened in 1926 to show silent movies. It took one year to b ...
* Shea's Smith Theatre
See also
*
Theater District, New York
New York City's Theater District (sometimes spelled Theatre District, and officially zoned as the "Theater Subdistrict") is an area and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, as well as many other theaters, ...
References
External links
''Development Potential, Theater District, Buffalo, New York'' Research Department, Rouse Company (1979)
''Buffalo Theater District: Design Criteria'' American City Corporation for the Upper Main Street Development Corporation (1980)
{{Buffalo Neighborhoods
Culture of Buffalo, New York
Economy of Buffalo, New York
Entertainment districts in New York (state)
Neighborhoods in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo
Theatre in New York (state)
Tourist attractions in Buffalo, New York